Color formulation by fiber blending using the Stearns–Noechel model

Abstract

Abstract Blending colored fibers consists of combing fibers together many times in order to obtain a homogeneous color by intimate mixing. If a reflectance curve is to be reproduced, the required proportions of colored fibers are evaluated by trial and error. Two formulas have been introduced to model such a means of blending. This article deals with the first one, published by Stearns and Noechel in 1944, and is limited to cotton fibers and bichromatic blends. The Stearns–Noechel formula is used either in its classical form or in various modified forms. Modifications relate to the constant defined by Stearns and Noechel being thought of as varying with blended (target) color, blending colors (components), or wavelength. Statistical analysis has revealed that a new use of the 1944 formula is possible provided the constant is made linearly dependent on wavelength. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 27, 100–107, 2002; DOI 10.1002/col.10028