Properties Of Hemp Fiber
Hemp is a bast fiber plant-like jute, kenaf, flax, and ramie. Hemp fibers are cellulosic fibers. Hemp fibers are one of the strongest and most durable among all of the natural textile fibers. Hemp fiber shows similar properties to all of the natural bast fiber and excels in fiber length, durability, strength, absorbency, and mildew, and anti-microbial properties. Various types of decorative textile products are produced by processing this fiber. It also uses to blend with other fibers and gives extra strength to the fiber.
Like all of the natural bast fiber, hemp fiber has some characteristics. The followings are the main physical and chemical properties of hemp fiber.
Physical Properties of Hemp: Physical properties of hemp fibers are given below:

  1. Color: The color of hemp fiber is yellowish-grey to deep brown.
  2. Length: 4 to 6.5% feet.
  3. Tensile Strength: Hemp is a very strong fiber.
  4. Elongation at break: Hemp fibers stress easily.
  5. Elastic Recovery: Elastic recovery is very poor. It is less than linen fiber.
  6. Moisture Regain (MR %): Standard moisture regain is 12%. It is more than cotton and linen.
  7. Effect of Heat: Hemp Fiber has excellent resistance to degradation by heat.
  8. Effect of Sunlight: It has enough ability to prevent the bad effect of sunlight.
  9. Luster: Highly brighter Linen Fiber.

Chemical Properties of Hemp fiber: Hemp is a natural bast fiber and it has some chemical properties. Chemical properties of the hemp fiber are given below:

  1. Effect of Acids: Hemp is attacked by hot dilute acids or cold concentrated acids which disintegrates. Hemp fiber is destructed like cotton fiber in the action of acid.
  2. Effects of Alkalis: Hemp Fiber has excellent resistance to alkalis
  3. Effects of Organic Solvent: It does not affect by the organic solvents.
  4. Effects of Insects: Hemp Fiber is not attached by moth-grubs or beetles.
  5. Effects of Microorganism: Hemp fiber is attacked by fungi and bacteria. Mildews will feed on hemp fabric, rotting and weakling the material. Mildews and bacteria will flourish on hemp under hot and humid conditions. They can not be protected by interaction with certain types of chemicals. Copper Naphthenate is one of the chemicals.
  6. Ability to Dye: It is not suitable to dye hemp fiber.

Hemp is a strong fiber for this reason the product which is produced from hemp is also strong.

Tensile Strength

Hemp is one of the most durable fibers on the planet – Hemp fibers are so strong they can replace metal and glass. Hemp fiber also has incredible tensile strength. Compared to cotton denim, 100% hemp fabric had 62% greater tear strength and 102% greater tensile strength.

Is hemp stronger than steel? A Simpler Explanation of the Answer

It is possible to explain the above feature of strength in simpler terms, without using the scientific jargon ‘tensile strength’. It will take a lot more pressure to crack or break composite materials made of hemp fibers than the amount of pressure needed to crack or break things made of steel.
This is true across different varieties of steel and varying diameters of hemp fibers. The weakest hemp fiber needs more pressure to crack and break than the weakest variety of steel. The strongest variety of steel needs less pressure to crack and break than the strongest variety of hemp fiber.
Hemp has the capacity to endure double the weight of steel before it cracks and breaks. That is how much stronger hemp is than steel.

On June 19, 2017, CNBC reported on an episode from the “Jay Leno’s Garage’ show, where Leno drove a sportscar named Renew. Former Dell executive Bruce Dietzen got this sportscar specially made for himself out of 100 pounds of hemp fibers.
Both Dietzen and Leno punched the car with considerable force several times. Their hands were hurt, but there was no dent in the car, unlike a car with a steel body. According to the owner, his hemp car is 10 times stronger than any car made of steel. A 2018 article in Material Science recommends the use of hemp cables instead of cables made of harmonic steel for roofs with hyperbolic paraboloid cable nets. According to the author, this substitution would be both cost-effective and environment-friendly without involving any compromise in the strength aspect.
News 18 reported on August 26, 2019, that the Canadian Hempheath Group has devised the world’s first aircraft made entirely from hemp. This four-seater plane has everything, from the wings to the body, the seats, and pillows are made from hemp.
The company intends to run it on hemp biofuel also. Hemp’s superior ability to endure more weight than steel and its considerably higher bendability makes it 10 times stronger than steel, says the founder of the company.

Mechanical-Properties-of-hemp-fiber

Sources

Textile Fashion Study. (July 19th, 2012). Hemp Fiber | Physical And Chemical Properties Of Hemp Fiber. Retrieved December 8th, 2020 from http://textilefashionstudy.com/hemp-fiber-physical-and-chemical-properties-of-hemp-fiber/#:~:text=Hemp%20fibers%20are%20one%20of,mildew%20and%20anti%2Dmicrobial%20properties.&text=Tensile%20Strength%3A%20Hemp%20is%20a%20very%20strong%20fiber.

Vivek, V. (2019). Is Hemp Really Stronger Than Steel? How?. Hemp Foundation. Retrieved December 8th, 2020 from https://hempfoundation.net/is-hemp-really-stronger-than-steel-how/#By_Way_of_Clarification

Hempearth. (2020). Hemp fiber has incredible tensile strength. Retrieved December 8th, 2020 from https://hempearth.ca/2019/05/01/hemp-fiber-has-incredible-tensile-strength-watch-video/

Lu, N. Robert, H. Jr, S. Ferguson, I. (September 16th, 2016). Composition, structure, and mechanical properties of hemp fiber-reinforced composite with recycled high-density polyethylene matrix. Journal Composite Material. Retrieved December 8th, 2020 from https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.1007.4491&rep=rep1&type=pdf