Identification of cellulosic fibers and determination of their blend ratio using terahertz spectroscopy

We demonstrate a method for identifying fabric fibers and their blend ratio using terahertz spectroscopy. The absorption spectra of cellulosic fibers are discriminative due to the types of crystallized cellulose in each type of fiber when the samples are prepared by cutting the fibers to 0.2 mm lengths. The blend ratio of two different fibers was quantified using principal component analysis of the first derivative of the spectra, followed by multiple classification analysis.