Why Linen Fiber Shows Poor Performance During Abrasion?
K. Senthil Kumar
Modern Testing Services India Private Limited
Email: senthilkumar163@gmail.com
What is Linen?
The fabric which is produced from flax fiber is called linen. Linen is one of the strongest natural cellulosic fibers obtained from flax plant [Linum usitatissimum]. It’s around 2-3 times stronger than cotton fiber. It is also more absorbent and dries faster than cotton. Linen fabric is probably the oldest textile fabric known to mankind. The first well-documented application of linen fabric was by the Egyptians to wrap their mummies. Linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather. There are many products can be made with linen fabric, such as aprons, bags, towels (swimming, bath, beach, body and wash towels), napkins, bed linens, tablecloths, runners, chair covers, and men’s and women’s wear.
The two main fiber properties that determine the abrasion resistance are work of rupture [energy required to break the fiber] and breaking extension [maximum distance the fiber can be stretched before breaking].
Fiber shows good resistance to abrasion,
- When the fiber require high energy to break.
- When the fiber can be stretched to a higher distance before breaking.
In this Technical note Tenacity [ratio of load required to break the fiber and the linear density of that fiber], Breaking extension and work of rupture of Linen, Cotton and Viscose fibers are taken for study to show why linen shows poor performance during abrasion?
| Fibre | Tenacity | Breaking extension | Work of rupture (mN/tex) |
| Linen | 0.54 N/tex | 3.0 % | 8.0 mN/tex |
| Cotton-Upper | 0.32 N/tex | 7.1% | 10.7 mN/tex |
| Viscose | 0.18 N/tex | 27.2% | 30.6 mN/tex |
We can say below properties of linen fiber with graph according to above table:
1. The tenacity of linen fiber is 0.54N/tex which is greater than of cotton (0.32N/tex) & viscose (0.18N/tex).
2. The breaking extension of linen fibre is 3.0% which is less than of cotton (7.1%) & viscose (27.2%).
3. The work of rupture of linen fibre is 8.0mN/tex which is less than of cotton (10.7mN/tex & viscose (30.6mN/tex).
From the above comparison it’s clear that the tenacity of linen fiber is more. That is why the tensile properties of linen fibres are more than cotton & Viscose. In case of abrasion due to the poor extension & less work of rupture, linen fibre will be quickly abraded during the abrasion test.
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Founder & Editor of Textile Learner. He is a Textile Consultant, Blogger & Entrepreneur. He is working as a textile consultant in several local and international companies. He is also a contributor of Wikipedia.
