AbstractThe imbibition of glycerol by cotton has been used as a measure of fiber porosity which includes a major contribution from the fiber lumen. Cotton is swollen in glycerol to saturation and subjected to centrifugation until constant weight is attained. The glycerol retention value (GRV) is calculated from the increase in weight of cotton after swelling and centrifugation. This method is applied to determine GRVs and pore space of 12 American cottons which have different wall thicknesses but more or less the same fiber perimeter. A high negative correlation is obtained between GRV and the percentage of mature fibers for various raw and extracted cottons. Effect of fiber wax content of GRV was studied. It has been shown how the average lumen area in swollen state can be calculated from GRV and gravimetric fineness. The significance of pore space is discussed.
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