title: A small angle X-ray scattering study of the structure and development of looseness in bovine hides and leather.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Some bovine hides produce poor quality leather, termed loose leather. The structural characteristics of hides and the intermediate processed stages that lead to loose leather are not well understood. In the present study, synchrotron-based small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is used to investigate collagen fibril orientation at the different stages of processing (i.e. from hide through to leather) that result in both tight and loose leathers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Tight leather of a relatively isotropic texture has a lower orientation index (OI) than loose leather of a more pronounced stratified texture; conversely, tight pickled hide and wet blue have a higher OI than loose pickled hide and wet blue. There is a greater increase in OI on processing from pickled hide to dry crust (leather) for loose material. This is largely the result of a greater increase in hide thickness prior to pickling for loose hide than tight hide, followed by a greater decrease at the dry crust stage. The collagen fibrils in loose leather and wet blue more readily orient under stress than do those in tight leather. Loose leather has a more pronounced layered structure than tight leather, although this difference is not apparent from SAXS measurements of hide prior to the dry crust stage; it develops during processing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The greater swelling of the loose hide during processing disrupts the structure and leads to a more layered collagen arrangement on shrinking at the final dry crust stage. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Hannah C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Wells
authors.affiliation: Leather and Shoe Research Association of New Zealand, PO Box 8094, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Geoff
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.affiliation: National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
authors.forename: U-Ser
authors.initials: US
authors.lastname: Jeng
authors.affiliation: National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wei-Ru
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Australian Synchrotron, 800 Blackburn Road, Clayton, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Nigel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kirby
authors.affiliation: Australian Synchrotron, 800 Blackburn Road, Clayton, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hawley
authors.affiliation: Australian Synchrotron, 800 Blackburn Road, Clayton, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mudie
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Richard G
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3890-7105
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Haverkamp
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D003094:Collagen; D053838:Scattering, Small Angle; D012867:Skin / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000737:chemistry; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen
keywords: collagen; leather; looseness; orientation; small angle X-ray scattering