RAMIE FIBER PRODUCTION 13 



FIBER CHARACTERISTICS AND POTENTIAL VALUE 



Ramie fiber is a bast fiber obtained from the inner bark of the 

 ramie stem. Some other bast fibers are flax, hemp, jute, and sunn. 

 Ramie fiber has a tensile strength greater than any of these fibers and 

 has more elasticity and ability to withstand torsion than flax or hemp 

 with which there are available comparative tests. Cotton fiber is a 

 seed hair, and its origin permits different physical characteristics. 

 Cotton is much weaker in tensile strength than ramie but is able to 

 withstand torsion much better. Their elasticity is about equal. Raw 

 silk, although weaker in tensile strength than ramie, surpasses ramie 

 and even cotton in elasticity and torsion characteristics. 



The methods used in decorticating and degumming ramie influence 

 greatly the average length of the commercial filasse. Possibly a large 

 proportion of the fiber is reduced to its ultimate cells. Flax, hemp, 

 or jute are rarely reduced to their ultimate cells. The ramie-fiber 

 ultimate cells are longer than those of any other plant yielding fiber 

 utilized in the textile or cordage fields of commerce. They range 

 from about y 2 inch to 20 inches in length and average about 6 to 8 

 inches, and from 0.002 to 0.003 inch in diameter. The ultimate cells 

 of flax and hemp average about l 1 /^ inches in length and 0.0006 to 

 0.0015 inch in diameter. Although these latter fibers are much 

 shorter, they are finer. The length of the ramie ultimate fiber cells 

 should permit spinning into very fine numbers of great strength as 

 the length to some extent would compensate for the disadvantage 

 of the rather smooth surface which has low cohesion between fibers. 



Ramie after degumming is white in color and is noted for its luster, 

 but unfortunately some of this luster is frequently lost in preparation 

 of woven goods because of the projecting ends of the fibers in the 

 yarns. Ramie absorbs water more quickly than flax, dries out more 

 quickly than flax, and is affected very little by this moisture. It is 

 light and cool, washes well, and in clothing it absorbs perspiration 

 easily and dries again quickly. Because its absorbent properties are 

 excellent, it should be suitable for a number of uses where this 

 property is valued. 



Most of these characteristics favor ramie fiber, and it is because of 

 these and because the plant may be grown easily in certain sections 

 of the country, that financial expenditure has been stimulated to 

 develop a machine that will cheaply extract fiber of a quality that 

 will compete with the Chinese product. In view of the estimated 

 cost of growing ramie in this country, little margin of operating costs 

 would be left for the decorticating process if this fiber is to compete 

 successfully with the imported product. 



^ SUMMARY 



Ramie was one of the principal plant fibers used in China before 

 the introduction of cotton. It is grown commercially today in China, 

 Japan, and the Philippine Islands. It has been grown experimentally 

 in this and many countries and is adapted to a warm, temperate 

 climate with an abundant rainfall on fertile soils. 



