Chemical treatment of nettle ribbons and its effect on tensile property of extracted fiber

Stinging nettle (Girardinia diversifolia) is a cellulosic plant fiber which is abundantly available in the upper regions of Himalayas. The stem fibres are pliable which are used to weave or knit fabric. This fiber is very strong, but rigid and inextensible. This has restricted its usage in handmade textile products only. In order to process this fiber on a range of textile machines for development of a variety of products with enhanced performance, the fiber needs to be strong, flexible and extensible. This study was aimed at to increase the fiber tenacity by giving chemical pre-treatment. The effects of various experimental parameters, such as chemical concentration and time on tenacity of nettle fibres were studied. In the study, the chemical pre-treated nettle fibers were examined for their mechanical characteristics and compared to untreated fibers (control sample). The untreated fiber was less flexible and less extensible. A pre-treatment resulted in increase in tenacity and elongation at break. The increase in tensile strength was found to be 5.46 g/den from 3.84 g/den (as in case of control sample) and elongation increased to 3.33% from 1.66%.