A method previously reported for measuring shear friction of fiber assemblies was used for making a 5-week mill survey of samples that go routinely through the mill, for studying within and among bale variations and for examining some effects of growth environment. Some tentative interpretations are suggested. The shear friction was negatively correlated with span lengths and fiber tenacity. It was found to be sensitive to fiber size, shape, and finish on man-made fibers and to fiber orientation, as shown by differences in the shear friction values when the shear was executed parallel and then perpendicular to the direction of processing.
