Potential Applications of Flax Fibers

Abstract

There has been a substantial increase in the usage of natural-fibers and biodegradable polymers due to the needs of the environmental sustainability. The use of natural fibers is inclusive of wide range of applications in load bearing structures, nursing and commercial commodities. In this study, tensile behavior of flax fiber tows removed from woven fabrics were investigated at different moisture levels and compared because one of the major challenges faced in the use of natural fibers is their hydrophilicity. As the moisture content increased from 5% to 80% the tensile strength increased by 75%. The diffusion process through the flax fiber mat with different areal densities was investigated using the desorption curves obtained using an oven drying method. Diffusion coefficients were not found to significantly change with varying areal densities of 200 gsm to 400 gsm, but were significantly different when dried at 55 °C versus 80 °C.