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flar- 218

PRACTICAL - TI-IESTRENGTH OF PLANT FIBRES

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AIl\1: To extract 'commercially useful fibres' from a plant stem and investigate
their tensile strength.
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BACKGROUND

Fibres have been extracted from a range of plants for centuries and are used in the
commercial manufacture of a wide range of textiles and paper. Their use is
dependent on their properties. Fibres are extracted from plant stems bY"water
rettmg (stems are left in water. Microorganisms break.aewn the soft tissues leavi{lg
the cellulose fibres intact). --:

Lstrength[isde.finedas the maximum stressona nuitetial,without breaking} ~ensilef

strength is defined as the maximum stress caused by a pulling force on a material
< without,
,-.-\ failing.' Compression strength is the maximum
.'. stress on a material -by a
pushing force WItlOut crushing. \You will test either the tensile or compressive
strengths of the plant fibres/I

EQUIPMENT

. Mature stinging nettle plant stems

. Bucket! bowl

. Paper towels and scissors

. 109 masses
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. Clamp stand and boss
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. Ruler and scissors

. Cotton thread ~

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 Method . 1
,
~emove the leaves and flowers from stems of the stinging nettle and place in
:,1"
.j~ a bucket of cold water. Leave for I week.

2. Remove the stems and remove the softened tissue. Dry the remaining fibres.
The fibres are composed of xylem and sclerenchyma tissue.

3. Measure a IOcmlength of one fibre and cut'to size using scissors.

4. Carefully tie a double length of cotton thread to the top of the fibre and
hang from a clampstandboss. t '

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5. Do the same wIth the bottom of tlw fibre. Attach a newton-meter to the
bottom of the fibre.
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6. Gently pull on the newton~meteruntil the fibre snaps. The weight the fibre
. can take before it snaps is a measure of the tensile strength of the fibre.

7. Repeat the experime~0vith other fibres.

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RISK ASSESSMENT - wear eye protection and gloves when handlipg unretted
nettles. Wash your hands after handling the 'soaked fibres. ,
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RELIABILITY AND ACCURACY OF RESULTS (how will you ensure that

the results are accurate and reliable? How will you ensure that measurements are
precise, accurate and repeatable?).

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Practical4.1 The strength of plant fibres ".." ,'-""".cc"'""",,,
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To extract 'commercially useful fibres'from a plant stem and investigate their properties.
To develop certain experimental skTlls:-nam'e;ry'p[an:i-iTng"i!n"expe"rimentthaCwiUproduce"-"-~,---"
appropriateresultsto test a hypothesis or idea, using apparatus and a procedure that is
suitable to produce valid results.

Using plant fibres

In this activity you will extract the fibres from ne~es and then test their strength,
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~Fibres' have been extracted from plant stems for centuries and used in the commercial
manufacture of a wide range of textiles and papc;r. The term 'fibr~s' does not just refer
8 to ,1:hesclerenchyma but is used to describe a r~nge of 'fibre-like' s~uctUres. These'
plant fibres have been used for different purposes, as indicated in the table. Their use is
dependent on their properties.
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Fibre I Useful part of the plant Applications I
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Flax I Linen for clothing

II Stem of flax plant
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Cotton Hairson the seedson plant belongingto the Cotton for clothing
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mallow family / ,

Hemp , Fibresfrom the stem/leavesof the hemp plant Used for ropes,backing for carpets

I I; Fibrefrom the husksof the fruit of the coconut Floor coverings,ropes ,

/
Coir
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Jute i Fibrefromthestemof thejute plant Hessian,sackingandcarpets
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Manila
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Hard fibres from the le,avesof a type of banana Marine cablesand other ropes',nets and matting

Softwood trunks
I Pulp
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Paper,cardboard

8 F~bres can be remo\'ed from plant stems by rett.!.::.g.This can be field retting - plant
stems are cut or pulled up and left in the field to rot; microbial action breaks down the
stalks. Alternatively, water retting may be used - stems are immersed in \\'ater. The
latter produces more uniform, higher quality fibres but is more expensi\'e and produces
nitrogen-rich waste water that must be treated before discharge, During soaking, bacteria
and fungi break dmm the soft tissues of the stems leaying the cellulose intact. It is then
relatiyely easy to remove the cellulose-rich fibres, The procedure on the next page uses
this technique to extract the fibres from nettle stems,

Edexcel practical rmteria1screated by Salrers-NuffieId Ad\"anced Biology, -"University of York Science Education Group.