Effect of various factors on resistance measurements of fiber bales using parallel electrodes

We investigated the effects of the thickness of loose-fiber assemblies, distance between parallel electrodes, electrode area and voltage on the electrical-resistance measurement of a fiber compression device using parallel electrodes. The device was devised to simulate fiber baling. The experimental results indicated that at a certain moisture-regain, density and parallel electrodes, the resistance of fiber assemblies hardly increased with the fiber assembly thickness and the testable thickness of loose-fiber assemblies should be finite. To make the resistance measurements of the fiber bale more representative, smaller distances between electrodes, larger electrode areas and higher densities of fiber bales should be selected according to the actual testing environment. The suitable testing voltage should be high so as not to cause textile fiber materials to experience local electrical breakdown.