The Impact of Historical Gin Stand Technologies on Cotton Fiber and Seed Quality

Abstract

Abstract. The trend in modern gin stand designs to increase gin stand production rate in terms of bales/h was generally achieved by increased width, narrower saw spacing, and higher saw loading. This study examined fiber length reductions, short fiber content, fiber neps, and cottonseed damage associated with five saw gin stands of differing production rates, design, and manufacture that represent a range of gin technologies developed since the 1960s to identify technologies from those earlier designs that may guide future gin stand research. Based on rated ginning rate, the gin stands were classified in two general categories, lower capacity (LC, 5 bales/h and less) and higher capacity (HC, 7.5 bales/h and higher). Fiber from the LC gin stands contained fewer fiber neps, longer fibers, less short fiber, and less foreign matter than fiber from the HC gin stands. In addition, cottonseed from the gin stand with lowest capacity had the highest residual linters content and the lowest overall seed damage which aligned with the short fiber content data. Both the LC gin stands were older models and had wider saw spacing; the oldest of them was substantially different from the other designs with two saw mandrels pulling fiber from the same seed roll position. Study results indicate that there may be historical gin stand technologies and relationships between gin parameters such as ginning rate per saw, saw spacing, and seed roll density, and fiber and seed quality that need to be further investigated. Keywords: Cottonseed quality, Cotton ginning, Fiber quality, Gin stand, Length, Neps, Short fiber content, Upland cotton.