IMPROVED COTTON AIRPLANE FABRIC. 6 
At a conference of representatives from these departments a plan 
for such cooperation was outlined, 1 under which it was agreed that 
the Bureau of Plant Industry should give assistance in the choice of 
raw cotton, that the Bureau of Markets, through its technical staff, 
should be responsible for the manufacturing processes in these in- 
vestigations, and that the Bureau of Standards should test the fin- 
ished fabrics. 
Preliminary to the tests on different cotton fabrics numerous ex- 
perimental cloths had been made by the Bureau of Standards in the 
effort to duplicate the qualities possessed by linen airplane fabrics. 
Some were made of silk, some of ramie, and some of cotton; others 
were made with various combinations of these fibers. These fabrics 
had been given actual flying tests on airplanes at Newport News, Va., 
and the results indicated that long-staple cotton might be used as the 
best available substitute for linen in the manufacture of airplane 
fabric. 
As a result of these preliminary tests, the following specifications 
were drawn for the guidance of manufacturers in producing an air- 
plane fabric: 
Specification No. 16,004-A. 
SIGNAL CORPS, UNITED STATES ARMY. 
Specification for Mercerized Cottoti Airplane Fabric (Grade A). 
December 15, 1917. Supersedes Specification No. 16,004. 
General : 
1. This specification is drawn to cover the requirements of the Signal Corps 
for all purchases of mercerized cotton airplane fabric, grade A. 
Material : 
2. The warp and filling yarns used in the manufacture of this fabric must be 
size 2/60, according to the English cotton yarn numbers. A tolerance of plus 
or minus four (±4) will be allowed in the size of single yarns. 
3. The length of the staple of the fabric must be not less than one and one 
half (li) inches. 2 
Manufacture : 
4. The yarn shall be combed (single or double) and shall be mercerized under 
tension. 
5. It is recommended that the single yarn be given 28 to 34 turns per inch of 
twist and that 16 turns per inch be used for twisting these yarns together. 
This procedure may be altered provided that the fabric conforms to this sepcifi- 
cation in other respects. 
1 The first conference was held in September, 1917, at the office of Dr. S. W. Stratton, 
Director of the Bureau of Standards, and was attended by the following : Capt. Albert 
Tilt, of the Signal Corps, then in charge of the development and production of airplane 
fabrics ; Mr. E. D. Walen, in charge of textile work at the Bureau of Standards ; Mr. C S. 
Scofield, agriculturist in charge of Western Irrigation Agriculture of the Bureau of Plant 
Industry ; and Mr. Fred Taylor, cotton technologist of the Bureau of Markets. Capt. Tilt 
was succeeded shortly afterwards by Capt. W. H. Thurston, of the Bureau of Aircraft Pro- 
duction, who contributed very materially to the work herein recorded. 
2 This paragraph refers to the length of staple of the cotton to be used in making the 
fabric, 
