Natural and synthetic fibers have many characteristics that enable them to be traced to certain fabrics that may be related to a victim or a suspect from a crime scene. Natural fibers are divided into three groups, animal (wool, silk), vegetable (linen, cotton), and mineral (asbestos). Man-made fibers, also called synthetic fibers, are made through a process where chemicals are mixed and then pushed into spinnerets. These include polyester, acetate, nylon, spandex and others. Samples can be viewed under a compound microscope and properties such as the cross section, color, transparency, width, and other items can be observed. The SPOT imaging program allows photographs to be taken of the magnified samples. Labeling of each property, measurements of distances, and arrow highlighting is also done. By photographing the fibers while under the microscope, these previously labeled images will assist in comparative analysis of fiber evidence.

Analysis of natural and synthetic fibers using SPOT software

245th National Meeting (2013)

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