1) Fiber properties such as length, coarseness, curl index, kink and fines content can be analyzed by Fiber Quality Analyzer (FQA, see figure 26).
Figure 26: FQA, Fiber Quality Analyzer with a 600-ml sample beaker.
2) Take 200 ml of pulp suspension of 0.3% consistency for three tests of each pulp sample. Dry pulps must be soaked in water for several hours and then disintegrated thoroughly. Brit Jar with 200 mesh screen can be used to remove fines if only fibers are to be analyzed.
3) The pulp suspension has to be fully dispersed again by using a plunger (see figure 27) then diluted several times to prepare a sample with designated elapse per second (EPS). In general, run the FQA between 10 to 20 EPS if weighted length (LW) is longer than 1.3 mm; 20 to 40 EPS if LW is below 1.3 mm.
4) Please call lab technician to guide you through the program to set up your measurement parameters.
Figure 27: Plungers and 600-ml beakers for FQA.
