Studies on blending of bhimal fibre with jute

摘要

Bhimal is a coarse fibre extracted by retting of twigs of bhimal plant, which is primarily cultivated in north-western Himalayas for cattle feed. Due to unavailability of mechanized machinery, bhimal fibre is generally hand-spun to coarse twine and ropes by rural women. On the other hand, jute is a well-established technical fibre used for manufacturing of textiles for flexible packaging and other uses in technical textiles through industrial manufacturing. Initial laboratory investigation revealed identical chemical compositions of jute and bhimal fibres. This study was therefore undertaken to examine blending of bhimal fibre with jute at various blend ratios as well as observation of process parameters and yarn quality.