Affiliations: Textile Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Ueda, Nagano 386, Japan
Note: [] Accepted by: Editor S. Oka
Abstract: Specimens of bave (undegummed silk thread) were collected from cocoons of various origins of parent silkworm races, such as Japanese, Chinese, European, Korean and tropical origins, and from as many races as possible. An apparatus was set up to measure the dynamic elastic modulus of these specimens. In all the categories of the races tested, the elastic modulus was linearly related to the size of bave, regardless of the portion of cocoon layer from which the specimens were taken. This correlation was concluded to be universal to the silk thread of Bombyx mori L. species; however, values of the regression coefficient and of the elastic modulus were susceptible to the origin of silkworm races, depending on whether they were native or improved.
