Linen tensile strength

Flax cultivars have been selected for production of either fiber (fiber flax) or oil (oilseed flax). Location of production, climatic adaptation, and morphology of these types now differ considerably. Oilseed-type plants are usually shorter, have more branches, and produce more seeds, while fiber flax types are generally taller, have few branches, and have been seleeted for fiber (Gill, 1987). Bast fibers from flax, derived as part of the phloem, are long (4em), have high tensile strength, and have a high quality of cellulose (Deyholos, 2006). Fine flax fibers are used for linens and textiles, while coarser fibers are used for nonwoven textiles and twine. Both flax types have a short tap root system with fibrous branches. Flax is relatively shallow rooted, with only 4-7% of root mass deeper than 60 cm (Gan et al., 2009). 

There is Httle difference between the wet and the dry stress—strain diagrams of hydrophobic fibers, eg, nylon, acryHc, and polyester. Hydrophilic protein fibers and regenerated cellulose exhibit lower tensile moduH on wetting out, that is, the elongations increase and the strengths diminish. Hydrophilic natural ceUulosic fibers, ie, cotton, linen, and ramie, are stronger when wet than when dry. 

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