Technologies for processing short flax fiber were developed by VSTU specialists

March 26, Vitebsk / Sergey Kochetov - BELTA/. Technologies for processing short fiber into yarn and products made from it have been developed by employees of the Vitebsk State Technological University in cooperation with specialists from RUP "Orsha Linen Mill," the head of the department of spinning natural and chemical fibers at the university, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Alexander Kogan, told a BELTA correspondent. Previously, short fiber was mainly used for the production of technical fabrics, in particular, for the production of burlap. The developments by the department's employees allow for the maximum use of short fiber in processing into high-quality linen yarn for the production of a wide range of mass-consumption products. In addition, the implementation of the technology will allow for fuller utilization of the enterprise's production capacities, preserve jobs, and ensure more stable operation of local enterprises for primary flax processing, Alexander Kogan noted. The technology is based on the application of the combing process in raw material processing. This makes it possible to separate short fiber, break it down into elementary flax fiber, and thus achieve the production of finer yarn with a linear density of 80-110 tex instead of 330-400 tex. Such yarn is produced by dry and wet spinning methods. Over 110 articles have been worked out using this technology, which have found application in the production of both technical and household mass-assortment products. University specialists have also developed a technology for manufacturing blended flax-polypropylene fiber. The combination of polypropylene (up to 30%) and flax fibers has improved the entire technological process, reduced yarn breakage, increased equipment productivity, and at the same time significantly expanded the range of fabrics. The yarn produced using the developed technology possesses special hygienic properties due to the combination of good moisture transfer of polypropylene fibers and high hygroscopicity of flax fibers. The addition of polypropylene fibers has reduced the wrinkling and stiffness of fabrics. Subsequently, university employees plan to conduct research on the use of polyester and viscose fibers in combination with flax, which will also allow for an expansion of the range of yarns produced. This is one of the competitive directions for the development of the light industry, which holds great promise, Alexander Kogan is confident. -0-