Investigation of Hemp and Nylon Blended Long-Staple Yarns and Their Woven Fabrics

Hemp has been used by humans for thousands of years and has been cited to have possibly been the first material that humans used for plant-based textiles, with prior prevalence of animal skin textiles. While research on hemp as a textile abruptly stopped when hemp was outlawed in the US, recently, it has begun again, thus bringing a new opportunity to apply technological advances to hemp. Extensive studies have been reported to investigate the performance of hemp blended yarns using cotton production systems. In this work, hemp and nylon blended yarns were produced using a worsted spinning line. The effect of the blend ratio of hemp and nylon fibers on the resultant yarns and fabrics were investigated. Yarn properties including tensile strength, elongation, evenness, and hairiness were measured, while fabric properties including tensile strength, dimensional stability, abrasion, and pilling resistance were tested. Experimental results demonstrated that the effect of the blend ratio of nylon and hemp fibers has a significant influence on the yarn and fabric properties, with low hemp fiber content showing better performance. This work may shed new light on the industrial manufacturing of hemp blended yarns using a worsted spinning frame.

Automated summary

Hemp, possibly the first material used for plant-based textiles, has been researched again after being outlawed in the US, offering new opportunities for technological advances. Blended hemp and nylon yarns were produced and their properties were investigated. The blend ratio of hemp and nylon fibers was found to significantly affect the properties of the yarns and fabrics, with better performance observed at lower hemp fiber content. This research may contribute to the industrial manufacturing of hemp blended yarns using worsted spinning frames.