PROPERTIES AND USE OF NEEDLEPUNCHED INDUSTRIAL TEXTILES BASED ON SHORT FLAX FIBRES

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PROPERTIES AND USE OF NEEDLEPUNCHED INDUSTRIAL
TEXTILES BASED ON SHORT FLAX FIBRES

• M. Soiela, A. Viikna

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Historical review

• Flax and hemp have been cultivated in Estonia for
  about 3000 years.
• The climate and soil in southern Estonia are
  favourable for flax cultivation.

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Arable land under flax in Estonia
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The most relevant social and economic reasons

• a lack of permanent and stable home and foreign
  markets for the flax fibres produced in Estonia
• low harvest of flax varieties, high production
  cost, small total output, and uneven quality
• a lack of reasonable government agricultural
  policy.

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At the Tallinn Technical University

• research has been going on for a long time into
  the use of short flax fibre and tow for the
  manufacture of industrial textiles
• a whole range of products has been developed
  which could be manufactured in Estonia.

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This study describes

• the possibility of producing needlepunched
  nonwoven agricultural textiles from short flax
  fibres
• mechanical testing
• testing nonwovens in horticulture.

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Producing of nonwoven

• Nonwoven industrial textiles were produ-ced by
  mechanical bonding of web from short flax fibres
  with needlepunching.
• Needlepunched nonwovens (500 g/m²) were
  penetrated with different dilutions of varnish,
  silicone oil, damp-proof course, blown linen seed
  oil, and impregnate.

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Mechanical testing

• The most important characteristic of all nonwoven
  materials is their tensile strength. Since
  tensile strength of all textiles depends on
  humidity, the tensile strength was also tested in
  wet conditions.
• The water-absorbency and flexural stiffness of
  the materials were also tested.

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Tensile strength of nonwovens
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Water-absorbency of nonwovens
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Flexural stiffness of nonwovens
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Testing nonwovens in horticulture

• The needlepunched nonwoven linen mats were tested
  as weed-killers.
• The mats form short flax fibres were also tested
  as seed-mats. For example garden cress, grass
  varieties.

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Needlepunched linen mats as weed-killers
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Needlepunched linen mats as weed-killers
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Needlepunched linen seed-mats
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Linen pre-grown grass seed-mats
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Linen pre-grown grass seed-mats
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Not pre-grown grass seed-mats
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Not pre-grown grass seed-mats
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Conclusions

• From experiments it turned out that needlepunched
  materials are usable as mulches for weed-killing,
  to keep humidity in the soil, and as seed mats.
• The strength of needlepunched materials after
  steeping particularly does not change.

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Conclusions

• It is simple to produce the needlepunched
  nonwovens and to use them in horticulture etc.
• For example the mats with pre-grown grass is easy
  to roll up and to transport to the growing place.
  This kind of grass mats are treading proof.