Examination of the fine structure of wool by X-ray analysis

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Abstract
X-ray fiber diagrams of 3 typical wools were obtained using the monochromatic pinhole method and iron radiation. Cotswold wool, unstretched and under ordinary atmospheric conditions of moisture, gave a definite fiber pattern, while the same wool stretched 30% in dry air gave a different diagram. A tentative interpretation is given in terms of fine structure which is in conformity with the theory of fiber structure deduced from stress-strain relationships. X-ray fiber diagrams were also obtained from Geelong 80 Merino and from Australian Merino 64 quality. The pattern of Gee-long Merino, while still showing fiber structure, was less definite than the Cotswold, suggesting an ellipsoidal cell, while the 64 Merino showed only the least trace of ordered arrangement. Probably these 3 types are significant of the development of crystalline structure in wool and of its cause, the wool beginning its existence as a spherical cell of gelatinous material which elongates during growth, setting up strains which give rise to ordered and preferential arrangement along the fiber axis.

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