Authors : Vandana Menon
Page Nos : 43-47
Description :
Natural fibres have a wide scope of application, particularly in the recent tilt towards more sustainable textiles. Amongst conventionally used fibres like cotton, linen, wool, silk there are other fibres produced in India which fall into the category of unconventional fibres like the banana, jute, hemp, ramie, corn, pineapple, sisal, coir etc. The banana or plantain are known for their antiquity and are interwoven with Indian heritage and culture. Globally banana is grown in more than 130 countries across the world, covering 8.25 million hectares, producing 97.38 million tons of banana and plantain. India is largest producer of banana in the world, contributing to the global production of banana, with a total production of 19.19 million tons from 0.565 million hectares. Banana fibre is twice as coarse as mesta and as strong as jute. Unlike jute its structure is non-meshy and the filaments are well separated; they are more extensible as compared to jute. The banana fibre being more porous appeared to be soft. However, owing to its coarser dimensions, its filaments are less pliable. In the present study, the banana fibres were processed on standard jute machinery, further blended with jute and processed in a small-scale jute spinning system. This mini jute spinning unit might be used like “KHADI SYSTEM” to develop economic conditions of farmers to produce value-added items at particular village involved with a banana plant fibre production.
Jute /banana blended yarns and fabrics were studied for their physical and mechanical properties. The fabrics were further subjected to various preparatory/ finishing processes and tested for their physical and mechanical properties.
