Studies of the Effects of Chemical Treatment on Bending and Torsional Rigidity of Bast Fibres

Abstract

In the presented work the influence of chemical treatment on bending and torsional rigidity of flax and hemp fibres was studied. The morphological properties, bending and torsional rigidity of bast fibres before and after chemical treatment were investigated. Method of double pendulum for determination of fibre bending rigidity and method of torsional pendulum for determination of fibre torsional rigidity were adapted to the investigation of bast fibre rigidities. During the investigations the mean periods of pendulum vibration in bending (Tg) and in torsion (Tt) were measured. On the basis of these periods the mean bending and torsional rigidities were calculated as well as coefficients of variation of the periods. It was shown that the adapted methods are useful for bast fibre rigidities investigations and that the applied chemical treatment lead to decreasing of bending and torsional rigidities of the studied fibres.