Influence of the addition of nettle and hemp fibers to cotton based yarns on the moisture management properties

Abstract

Natural fibers are becoming engineering materials for a wide range of applications in areas like medicine, transportation, building, among many others. This paper presents the research work undertaken by University of Minho and INOVAFIL on the development and evaluation of the moisture management performance of several yarns based on hemp or nettle fibers in different compositions. The influence of composition on these properties were analysed and the results were compared with those obtained for a 100% cotton yarn produced with the same production settings. The preliminary results show the combination of cotton and nettle fibers increased the moisture management properties of the yarns.