Análisis del método manual y mecánico en la esquila para la obtención de fibra de alpaca

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the manual and mechanical shearing methods for obtaining alpaca fiber (Vicugna pacos) at the Aña Moyocancha high-altitude station of the Animal Science School (FCP) of Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH). In the manual shearing process, scissors were used, whereas an electric Oster shearing machine, model 104380 head was used in the mechanical shearing, considering their physical and mechanical properties to evaluate the quality of fiber and yarn. Thes t-student test was applied with a sample of 20 fleeces. The analyzed variables included animal weight (kg), time (min), fleece weight (kg), and yield (%). The physical fiber properties examined were staple length (cm) and number of crimps (crimps/cm), whereas the mechanical yarn properties included tensile strength (N/cm2) and elongation (%). The results showed that the mechanical shearing method took 13 minutes compared to the 87 minutes required for manual shearing. The fleece yield did not show any significant differences between mechanical (90.90%) and manual shearing (85.84%). When determining the quality fiber variables between mechanical and manual shearing, staple length and number of crimps did not show significant differences (14.90 and 14.20 cm; 55.80 crimps/cm and 62.90 crimps/cm), respectively. In terms of yarn mechanical properties, there were no significant differences between shearing methods for tensile strength (5568.59 N/cm2 and 4905.18 N/cm2, respectively). Elongation also did not present significant differences between the shearing methods (26.50% for mechanical and 29.57% for manual). The cost-benefit variable for mechanical shearing resulted in a profitability of 21%, whereas manual shearing had a profitability of 15%. Therefore, it is recommended to use the mechanical shearing method due to time savings and better mechanical properties in yarn quality.