What are the properties of ramie fiber?

The various properties of ramie fiber are:

• Resistance towards insects: Ramie fiber is resistant to bacteria, mildew, rotting, light, and insect attacks.
• Absorbency: Ramie fiber is extremely absorbent and therefore comfortable to wear, especially during warm weather.
• Physical appearance: The length of Ramie fibers varies considerably from 40-200 mm and the fiber diameter is around 25-30 μm.
• Density: The density of fiber ranges from 1.50-1.55.
• Tensile strength: The tensile strength of ramie fiber varies from 400-1600 MPa.
• Moisture regain: It is having moisture regain of around 12%.
• Stain-resistant: Since ramie fiber has natural stain resisting ability and hence the stain/soil can be removed very easily similar to that of linen.
• Resistance to chemicals: Ramie fiber is not harmed by mild acids and is also resistant to alkalis. But, prolonged treatment with strong alkali and strong acids causes loss in strength of the fiber and also hydrolysis of cellulose.
• Wet-fastness: Fabric made from ramie fiber has a very good wet-fastness in laundering. But dark colors may lose their shade over repeated launderings.
• Strength: The strength of ramie fiber is almost 6 times stronger than cotton and 2 times that of flax. The strength also increases when wet.
Shape retention: the fabric made from ramie fibers can keep its shape and does not shrink.
• Ramie fiber can withstand high water temperatures during laundering and can also be bleached.
• Elasticity: The fibers of Ramie are stiff and brittle and hence have low elasticity. This makes it difficult to spin the yarns.
• Abrasion resistance: Ramie fibers have low abrasion resistance.
• Wrinkle-resistant: The clothing made from ramie fibers wrinkles easily because of which wrinkle-resistant finishes need to be applied to the fabric to prevent wrinkling. Also, the problem of wrinkling in woven fabrics can be reduced by blending with synthetic fibers.