Bast fiber

Flax fiber
Production and process

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Bast Fiber
 Soft woody fiber obtained from stems

 Bast Fibers grow in a very special way.

 Fibers surround a central core

 Hemp-Coarse

 Kenaf – Coarse

 Flax – Fine

 Ramie – Very Fine

 Can be processed to required fineness.

 Can be processed to desired length.

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Bast fibers

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Bast fiber bundle

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Flax Fiber
 The linen fiber is obtained from the stalk of the flax plant. It has

lumen and composed of about 70 % cellulose and 30%

pectin,ash,woody tissue and moisture.

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Flax fiber bundle

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Cross-sectional View of Flax plant

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Structure of Flax fiber

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Structure of Flax fiber
There may be up to 80 nodes in a single flax fiber cell.

The length of the node indicates the width or thickness of

the fiber cell.

Where ever a node occurs, it indicates a change in the

spiral direction of the fibrils which constitute the cell walls.

Such spiraling imparts strength to the cell and, hence, to

the flax fiber

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Flax Production by Country

Belgium

China

Egypt

France

Italy

Ireland

Poland

Spain

Former Soviet Union

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Properties of flax fibers

Flax fiber is relatively smooth and lustrous .

More brittle and less flexible than cotton.
Moisture regain of raw flax is 12%.
Color (off-white to tan)
Luster
Length –2” to 36”
Absorbent
Acids damage
Alkalis resistant
Flammable
Conducts electricity

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Comparison of Flax and Cotton

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Comparison

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Production and Processing of Flax
The flax fiber plant produces a taller stem.
The steps which are involved in the production and
processing of flax fiber are:
• Cultivation
• Harvesting
• Rippling
• Retting
• Dam Retting
• Dew Retting
• Tank Retting
• Chemical Retting
• Breaking & Scutching
• Hackling 14
Production and Processing of Flax
• Cultivation: Flax plant is sown in March or April has
very short growing period (100 days).
• They produces less branches and longer finer fiber
When plants have flowered and seeds are ripened and
the stems of the plant turns yellow, the seeds turn
green to pale brown.
• The plants are pulled out by the roots. These are tied
into bunches.
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Production and Processing of Flax
• Harvesting: Harvesting can be done after 30 days of
flax plant blooming/growing
• Harvesting should be done on a warm, sunny day
• Pull (don’t cut) the plants by grasping below the roots
• Brush off the dirt from the roots
• Stack the flax plant into bundles, and place the tied
bundles in a sunny location to dry
• Harvesting can be done both by manual and
mechanical methods 16
Production and Processing of Flax
• Drying and rippling- after pulling the Flax, plant is tied
in bundles and left to dry for few days.
• The leaves and seeds are removed from the stems by a
process called Rippling.
• For this, the head of the stem is passed through coarse
comb. After the removal of leaves and seeds, the stems
are again tied up in bundles.
• Seeds are used for the production of Linseed oil.
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Production and Processing of Flax
• Retting- this is an important process.
• The fleshy part of the stem is rotted by contact with
water.
• Retting is a ferment process where the bacteria eat the
gum which bind the fiber to the stem.

• Dew retting- stems are spread out in fields and are

exposed to rain, sun and dew for several weeks,
until the stalk begins to separate from the fiber.
• It takes around 15-30 days. Because of long
exposure to the sun and other natural conditions,
causes to discoloration of the fiber.
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Production and Processing of Flax
• Water retting- the bundle of the stems are kept in
running or segmented water for about 2 weeks .
• Swift running of water carries away the bacteria and
thus slow down the fermentation.
• The stem bundles are covered with straw and stones
are put on the straw to give extra weight. After 2 weeks
the stalks (upper portion of stem) separates out from
the fiber
• Enzyme retting- enzyme retting is the safest and fastest
process of retting, in this process the fibers can be
taken out from the stems

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Production and Processing of Flax
• Wooden vat retting- the stems are steeped in water at
the controlled temperatur75°-90° in a Vat or in a
container until the stems get soft.
• This is a fast process and the easiest method of retting
and the quality of the fibers are good from this
process.
• Chemical retting- in this process the stems are treated
with mild/dilute conc. Acid and alkalis then the fibers
are easily removed from the stems. 20
Production and Processing of Flax
• Breaking and scutching- when the stems are
completely dry linen fiber are separated from these
stems when the decomposed woody tissue is dry.
• It is crushable by passing through iron Rollers.
• The breaking operation break the outer stalk.
• It reduces the stalk to small pieces of bark called
slivers.
• Scutching is done with the help of scutching machine
• This is done by beating the straw with blunt wooden or
metal blades.
• thus releasing the flax fiber from the stem or it
separates the fibers from woody stalk
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Production and Processing of Flax
• Hackling Process Hackling separates the long line fibers
from the shorter tow.
• A hackle is a bed of pins, which are usually used to
comb the fibers for drawing and aligning purposes.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_ToT0dxX-g

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Properties of Flax fiber
• Composition: Linen is composed of cellulose about
70% and about 30% of pectin, ash, woody tissue and
moisture.
• Strength: Linen is stronger than cotton. It does not
become weak in wet condition. Instead, it increases its
strength by 10%.
• Elasticity: Linen is one of the least elastic natural fibers
and has no significant elasticity.
• Resilience: Linen fiber is relatively stiff and has little
resilience. Therefore, it wrinkles easily.
• Drape ability: Linen drapes better compare to cotton.
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Properties of Flax fiber
• Absorbency: Linen absorbs moisture and dries quickly
when compared to cotton. This good moisture
absorbency makes linen a comfortable fiber.
• Cleanliness & Wash ability: Linen launders well and
gives up stains readily. Its softness enhanced by
repeated washing.
• Reaction to Bleaches: Linen is weakened by sodium
hypochlorite bleaches. Sodium per borate bleaches is
effective and safe.
• Shrinkage: Linen fabric does not shrink as much as
cotton while washing.
• Effect of Heat: Linen will withstand moderate heat, like
cotton. 24
Properties of Flax fiber
• Resistance to Mildew: Linen fiber is vulnerable to
mildew. Small blackish spots caused by mildew fungus
develop and musty odor develops from the fabric.
• Resistance to Insects: Linen is not damaged by moths.
Certain insects may get attracted to the linen fabric
due to cellulosic content.
• Reaction to Alkalis: Linen is highly resistant to alkalis. It
can also be mercerized with solution of sodium
hydroxide. Reaction to Acids: Linen is damaged by hot
dilute acids and cold concentrated acids.
• Affinity for Dyes: Linen does not have good affinity for
dyes.
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Properties of Flax fiber
• Resistance to Perspiration: Acid perspiration will
deteriorate linen. Alkali perspiration will not cause
deterioration.
• Effect of Light: The resistance of linen fabrics to light is
more than cotton but it will gradually deteriorate with
protracted exposure to direct sunlight.
• Heat Conductivity: Linen has very good heat
conducting property which makes it most heat
resistant fiber in common uses.

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Usages of Bast Fibers
Flax
 Linen apparel includes items for:
• warm-weather use
• high fashion
• casual
• professional wear

Technical products include:

• luggage
• bags
• purses
• sewing thread
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Applications of Flax fiber

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Applications of Flax fiber
• Surgical thread • Shirting
• Decorative fabrics • Upholstery
• Table covers • Draperies
• Bed linen • Curtains
• Wall coverings • Artist’s canvases
• Suiting • Luggage fabrics
• Kitchen towels • Paneling
• Dish towels • It is used inwards Insulation purposes
• High character papers • Filtration
• Handkerchief linen • Used inwards automotive manufacture
• Reinforce plastics together with • Clothing clothe
composite materials. • Sewing thread
• Used inwards geotextiles (ground-cover
materials).

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