Investigation of the Exraction Processes and Performance Properties of Kudzu Fibers

While kudzu was introduced into the Southeastern United states for soil erosion and increase of land fertility, the plant has become unmanageable and is rapidly spreading to Canada. Japanese traditional craftsmen extract long, white fibers by labor intensive practices not feasible for 21st century commercial fiber production. This research investigated extraction by boiling, retting or fermentation, enzymatic combinations, and mild chemical processes. Two types of fibers were resultant- soft fibers and compact woody fibers. These fibers types were assessed for microscopic visual appearance, elemental analysis using EDAX SEM, and tensile strengths for the four extraction processes. In all extraction cases, the resultant amount of woody kudzu fibers was 2-5 times that of soft fibers. Breaking elongation of both soft and woody fibers was very high as compared to that of cotton fibers. Chemical processes improved the strength of soft fibers to a very high degree, averaging 19.89kg/tex

Production of Ecofriendly Natural Bamboo Bast Fiber and Assessment of Antibacterial Activity

Since fibers are strongly bonded in bamboo, production of fibers in their natural bast form is very difficult. Due to this difficulty, most fiber produced from bamboo is viscose, a non-eco-friendly production process. However, this study reveals some ecofriendly processing routes to produce spinnable natural bast fibers retaining antibacterial and other innate properties. It was found that natural bamboo fibers showed better antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus than even raw bamboo (Phyllostachys rubromarginata) itself. Bamboo appears to have both microbe attracting and repulsing compounds. By removing bacteria attracting soluble compounds, antibacterial activity improves in natural bamboo bast fibers. Viscose processes remove both kind of compounds by harsh chemicals. Viscose may show antibacterial activity due to the presence of some residual processing chemicals that may be harmful. This study provides evidences of natural antibacterial activity in Phyllostachys rubromarginata bamboo bast fibers

An Investigation of Charging Effects by Different Factors on Carbon and Natural Bamboo Fibers in High-Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopic Imaging

Since the investigation of semi- or non-conductive fibers in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) is often a critical problem because of charging issues, this study attempted to find out conditions that may offer high-resolution images. Four factors: beam current, acceleration voltage, vacuum, and sample preparation, were varied to investigate carbon and natural bamboo fibers by minimizing the charging problem. Results indicated that, unlike carbon, natural bamboo fiber was poor in SEM investigation without coating either in environmental, low or high vacuum due to charge formation. However, investigation in a low vacuum below 5 kV was proven to be very effective of uncoated bamboo fiber

Investigation of the Extraction Processes and Performance Properties of Kudzu Fibers

Kudzu plants have become increasingly invasive in the US, yet are not highly utilized. Intending to produce eco-friendly fibers, this research used fresh kudzu vines to produce fibers by four different processes: boiling, retting, enzymatic and mild chemical processes. Two types of fibers resulted from each process – soft and woody. Unlike more popularly used natural bast fibers such as linen, there is no standard description of the surface structure of kudzu fibers established, this report provides a broad microscopic analysis and images for kudzu fibers. Resultant kudzu fibers, with an average length of 20–300 cm, exhibited a breaking load of 4–20 kg/tex and a breaking elongation of 22.67–37.94%. Results suggest that soft kudzu fibers are promising for apparel and use in fiber-reinforced composites while woody fiber as basketry or paper

Carbide Nanoparticle Dispersion Techniques for Metal Powder Metallurgy

Nanoparticles (NP) embedded into a matrix material have been shown to improve mechanical properties such as strength, hardness, and wear-resistance. However, the tendency of NPs to agglomerate in the powder mixing process is a major concern. This study investigates five different mechanochemical processing (MCP) routes to mitigate agglomeration to achieve a uniform dispersion of ZrC NPs in an Fe-based metal matrix composite. Our results suggest that MCP with only process controlling agents is ineffective in avoiding aggregation of these NPs. Instead, the uniformity of the carbide NP dispersion is achieved by pre-dispersing the NPs under ultrasonication using suitable surfactants followed by mechanically mixing of the NPs with iron powders in an alcohol solvent which is then dried. High-energy MCP is then used to embed the NPs within the powders. These collective steps resulted in a uniform dispersion of ZrC in the sintered (consolidated) Fe sample