Laser diffraction images for determination of natural and man-made fibers

Differentiating between textile fibers is usually done by destroying chemical methods or expensive optical techniques. Another possibility was suggested earlier, utilizing the diffraction patterns of single fibers. Tests of a few man-made and natural fibers have revealed the principle capability of this method to distinguish between wool, cashmere and chemical fibers. Here we report on a more sophisticated setup, allowing for faster measurements, and a broader study of more than 30 different fibers, giving rise to the broad spectrum of possible diffraction patterns and correlating some general differences in these optical examinations with differences of the fiber morphologies.