Textile Biocomposites

A textile composite reinforced by woven or nonwoven fabrics, knits, or braids is a material of great interest. Conventional textile composites are developed as the combination of various synthetic fibers and resins. On the other hand, material developed by the combination of natural fibers and natural-resource-based resin may be called a textile biocomposite. Natural fibers are first changed into bundle form, known as slivers, and then spun into a continuous yarn. Spun yarns are often twisted around each other to make a heavier yarn, called a twisted or plied yarn. Such spun yarns are processed into final textile products such as woven fabrics, knits, and braids. The textile biocomposites described in this chapter are natural-resource-based resin composites reinforced by such spun yarns or textile products. Section 10.1 describes the elastic properties of twisted yarn biocomposites of ramie, and Section 10.2 introduces the development and evaluation of bladed yarn composites made from jute.