Characterization of Short Fibers

The methods for characterization of particles have improved drastically within the last years. Today, quick and accurate tools for determination of size, size distribution or shape are commercially available. However, most common systems fail when applied for fibrous particles. In this paper, the sieving, laser diffraction, optical microscopy and optical image analysis have been compared by analyzing well known fiber samples. According to standards, the time consuming process of microscopy is required. An optical fiber analyzer seems to be a good compromise between accuracy and time consumption.