An unconventional method of producing ramie yarn by friction spinning

Ramie has many remarkable properties that contribute to its performance. It has good lustre, absorbs water well, transfers heat and is considered as a relatively long staple fibre. However, the popularity of ramie is limited by some other factors, the well-knowns are its harshness, rigidity and poor elastic recovery. Traditionally, ramie is spun on the worsted yarn production system. However, a drawback of this method is its speed limitation. In the present investigation, therefore, ramie blended yarns were spun with the DREF 2 Spinning Machine, a friction spinning system. Spinning parameters on the machine were varied to obtain yarns with different physical properties. Part of the friction spun yarns were knitted into fabrics. The properties of the yarns and fabrics were assessed.