A new tool for measuring the diameter of hemp fiber

Authors: TESEMA, ADDISU - Texas Tech University; Delhom, Christopher; TURNER, CHRISTOHER - Texas Tech University; SAYEED, MD - Texas Tech University; ABIDI, NOUREDDINE - Texas Tech University

Submitted to: Journal of Natural Fibers
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/16/2024
Publication Date: 12/28/2024
Citation: Tesema, A.F., Delhom, C.D., Turner, C., Sayeed, M.A., Abidi, N. 2024. A new tool for measuring the diameter of hemp fiber. Journal of Natural Fibers. 22. https://doi.org/10.1080/15440478.2024.2447536.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15440478.2024.2447536

Interpretive Summary: Hemp is a versatile and durable material. The hemp plant can provide essential materials such as fiber, seeds, and oil. Hemp fiber is on of the oldest, strongest, and most durable natural fibers. The diameter if fibers are a key property when characterizing fibers for textile applications as fiber diameter influences both yarn and fabric quality. Although there have been many advances in fiber analysis there are few methods known to work well on hemp and other natural fibers derived from the stem of the plant instead of the seed. In order to be useful to industry a test method must be capable of high-throughput to process a large number of samples and the data must be stable and repeatable. The Optical Fiber Diameter Analyzer (OFDA) has been identified as a potential tool to measure the diameter of hemp fibers. This study had three distinct experiments which investigated the stability of the OFDA diameter measurement, measuring hemp fiber diameters of multiple samples, and investigating the effects of different post-harvest treatments on hemp fiber diameter. The instrument demonstrated both reliability and precision in short- and long-term use. Post-harvest processing such as degumming and cottonization were shown to reduce the overall fiber diameter making the fibers more acceptable for textile uses. Further validation is required using more diverse samples of hemp fiber to establish the limits of the instrument.

Technical Abstract: Hemp is a versatile and durable natural material with a long history of human use. This plant provides essential materials such as fiber, seeds, and oil. Hemp fiber is among the oldest, strongest, and most durable natural fibers available. Fiber diameter stands out as a key characteristic among the various measurable properties of fibers for determining yarn and fabric quality. Despite advances in fiber analysis, current methods for measuring fiber diameter lack the efficiency required for high-throughput sample evaluation. The Optical Fiber Diameter Analyzer (OFDA) has been identified as a potential tool to measure the diameter of hemp fibers. This study involves three distinct experiments: investigating the stability of the OFDA diameter measurement, measuring hemp fiber diameters, and investigating the effects of different treatments on raw hemp fiber diameter. The instrument demonstrated reliability and precision in short- and long-term use, providing consistent hemp fiber diameter measurements with minimal variation. We observed that both degumming and cottonization processes improved hemp fiber quality. The development of such techniques is needed to ensure quality and optimize processes within the expanding industrial hemp fiber sector. The results are encouraging; however, further validation using larger samples of commercial hemp will be required.