Abstract
WHEN wool fabrics are rubbed in presence of an aqueous solution of acid or alkali, shrinkage takes place because the fibres migrate in the direction of their root ends. This type of migration is usually referred to the imbricated scale structure of the fibres, but Martin1 has rejected the ratchet theory and invoked “a particular kind of molecular structure” in the scales of wool to explain its peculiar frictional properties. In order to decide which of these views is correct, fibres were coated with thin films of silver and gold and their frictional properties examined.
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References
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Pringsheim and Pohl, Verh. deutsch. phys. Gesell., 14, 506 (1912); Strong, "Modern Physical Laboratory Practice", 167 (1940).
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Mercer and Rees, Nature, 157, 589 (1946).
Rudall, see Speakman and Menkart, Nature 156, 143 (1945).
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THOMSON, H., SPEAKMAN, J. Frictional Properties of Wool. Nature 157, 804 (1946). https://doi.org/10.1038/157804a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/157804a0
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