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S52 JOURNAL O F POLYMER SCIENCE, VOL.

54, ISSUE 160 (1961)

Measurement of Density of Fibers of J u t e by Density


Gradient C o l u m n

The use of the density gradient column of liquids, originally introduced by Linder-
str@rn-Lang,5is a very convenient as well as accurate method3 for the determination of
density of textile fibers and other polymeric substances. Such a column made with carbon
tetrachloride and xylene was used to measure the density of individual fibers of jute.
Small glass floats of accurately known densities provided the calibration of the column.
Fibers were cut to 2 cm. in length and each of them made into a loop. This shape was
necessary in order to fish out the fibers from inside the liquid column. A fine steel wire
with a bent end was utilized for this purpose. The fiber loops were vacuum dried over
phosphorus pentoxide in a desiccator, and xylene was then poured over the fibers through
a glass stopcock. Dry air was admitted afterwards. Each lot of the fibers was left in
the column for a t least 4 hr. before observations were taken. One hundred fibers of
each sample were tested to arrive a t a mean result.
( A ) Density of untreated jibers of jute. Individual fibers were found t o have a density
covering a range from 1.350 to 1.490 g./cc. The distributions of density of the fibers of
the two varieties of jute, Corchorus olitorius and Corchorus capsularis, are shown in
Figure 1. They are distinctly skew towards the higher values. The average of the
mean densities obtained with ten samples was 1.445. This is almost equal t o the value
previously obtained with bulk samples of jute by Macmillan and Sen! Their values
were 1.436 in carbon tetrachloride and 1.440 in light mineral oil.
( B ) Fibers chemically treated. Jute and other bast fibers are chemically composed of
three principal constituents, vie., a-cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin. Samples of
these components isolated from jute were obtained for density measurements, Results
are given in Table Ia. It was seen that the densities of a-cellulose, hemicelluloses,
and lignin decreased in that order. Naturally, the relative proportions of these three
constituents would be mainly responsible for the density value observed for fibers com-
posed of them. This explains the results obtained with fibers of jute treated chemically
so as t o partially remove the hemicelluloses amd the lignin; see Tables I b and Ic. It
is also intersting to note that the removal of the noncellulosic matter from the fibers
caused the distribution to have much less scatter than that of the untreated fibers,
as indicated by the smaller standard error of the mean values. We might then say
that lignin and hemicelluloses were not uniformly disposed among fibers of jute, and it
was for this reason that the density of untreated fibers of jute varied so widely.

TABLE: Ia
Density of Principal Chemical Constituents of Jute
a-Cellulose Hemicelluloses Lignin
Density 1.520 1.484 1.370

TABLE Ib
Density of Fibers of Jut,e Delignified and of Untreated Jute
Sample #Sample
Index Untreated Delignified Index Untreated Delignified
TI 1.458 f ,0018 1.479 f ,0007 WI 1.437 f .0013 1.479 f .0006
T2 1.466 i ,0011 1.472 f ,0010 Wt 1.445 i .0016 1.471 i .0007
TB 1.431 f ,0021 1.476 f ,0007 Wa 1.430 f ,0041 1.482 f ,0008
T d 1.426 f ,0025 1.471 f ,0009 W, 1.447 f ,0016 1.480 f .0006
Ts 1.420 f ,0025 1.472 f ,0007 Wg 1.437 f .0020 1.488 f ,0006
NOTES s53

TABLE Ic
Density of Fibers of Jute Treated with NAOH Solutions to Partially Remove
Hemicelluloses
Strength of NaOH Solution
Sample
Index Control 2% 5% 9.3% 17.5%
T4 1.427 f ,0036 1.485 f ,0009 1.491 f 1.495 =k 1.485 f
,0009 .0008 ,0004
W4 1.448 f .0028 1.489 f ,0009 1.495 f 1.500 =t 1.498 f
.0010 ,0007 .o005

(c) Fibers .from different regions and at different stages of growth of the jute plant. From
Table IIa it can be seen that only the fibers from the tip and its near region had a sig-
nificantly higher density than the fibers from other regions. Perhaps the slightly higher
content of a-cellulose of fibers at and near the tip of the plant2 was responsible for this.
The density of the fibers of outer layers around the pith of the plant, as per Table IIb,
was definitely lower than that of the innermost layer. This pointed to a possible higher
noncellulosic content in the outer layers. That the density was practically the same for
fibers a t all stages of growth of the jute plant was evident from the results given in Table
IIC.

TABLE IIa
Density of Fibers from Different Regions along the Jute Plant
Position along plant (equally spaced from root to tip)
Sample
Index 1 2 3 4 5
~ ~________

T, 1.441 f 1.439 + 1.439 f 1.431 =t 1 435 f


.0016 ,002I ,0023 .0029 ,0023
W, 1.439 f 1.441 k 1.440 =t 1.438 f 1.438 f
,0026 ,0018 ,0019 ,0016 ,0016
Sample
Index 6 7 8 9 10
T, 1.432 =t 1.441 + 1.451 f 1.450 f: 1.457 f
.0029 .0025 ,0025 .0015 .0016
W, 1.440 f 1.444 & 1.449 f 1.447 f 1.457 f
,0016 ,0013 ,0019 .0016 0.021

TABLE IIb
Density of Fibers from Different Layers around the Pith of Jute Plant
Sample Inner Middle Outer
index layers layers layers
TB 1.462 f ,0016 1.462 f .0018 1.445 f ,0012
W R 1.454 f ,0014 1.435 f ,0012 1.420 f ,0014
S54 JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE, VOL. 54, ISSIJE 160 (1961)

TABLE IIc
Density of Fibers from Jute Plants a t Different, Stages of Growth
Stages of growth
Sample Mature
index Pre-bud Bud Flower Pod pod
JRC-321 1 436 f 1 446 k 1 439 zt 1 443 f 1 454 f
0023 0018 0019 0022 0016
C.G. I 472 f 1.467 f 1 46i f - 1 46'2 +
0010 .0019 0010 001 4

( U ) Density of sowie bast fibers allied to jute. Mazumdar7has determined the chemical
compositions of some bast fibers and found appreciably lower lignin and hemicellulose
contents in flax, hemp, and sunn hemp compared to jute. Mesta and roselle had their
ligriin contents lower than that of jute. Apparently this was the reason for the higher
densities of these fibers (Table 111). Urena, having alnlost the same chemical coin-
position as that of jute, was found, as expected, to have a density almost equal t o that
of jute. Ramie when properly degummed is 96-98y0 (dry basis) pure cellulose.* The
sample of ramie tested was not degummed, yet it showed a high density because of its
high cellulosic content. The compositions of the rest of the fibers were not available.
Of course, where there was little difference in chemical compositions, the extent of
crystallinity (in the a-cellulose component) would influence the respective densities of
the fibers; a fact well established with drawn and undrawn artificial fibers.
( E ) Density of jibers of jute at di$erent relative humidities. Because jute is highly
hygroscopic and its fibers are liable to considerable swelling in water vapor,'^^ its densit).
depends upon its moisture content. The density would be expected tjo fall with in-

TABLE: I11
Density of Some Bast Fibers Allied to Jut?
Name of S a m e of
fiber Density fiber L)ensit,y
Mesta Sunn hemp
(Hibiscus ( Crotalaria
cannabinus) I 1 461 f 0016 juncea ) 1.548 f .OW20
I1 1 466 =t 0014 Ramie
I11 1 474 f 0015 (nohemeria 1.541 f 0016
nuiea.)
IV 1 167 f 0013 Hoselle
(Hibiscus
sabdtrriffa ) 1 465 =t 0017
Flax
(Linuiii
usitassiu~n) I 1.526 f ,0018 17rene lobata 1 449 f 0015
I1 1.515 =t ,0015 Il'rzu?npetta rho- 1.481 f 0012
naoida
Hemp
(Cannabis
sativa) 1 509 f 00'20 Thespecia mac-
rophyla 1.445 =t 0011
Thespecia lain-
pas 1 4 8 0 =t 0010
NOTES

Densjty - t8

Fig. 1 Frequency distribution of densitv of individual fibers of jute: ( - O - ) C. olzlorius;


(-0-) C. capsirlarzs.

0 I0 20 30 40 50 6 0 7 0 80 9 0 100
R e l a t i v e liurnidity ( y e r t e r i t ) +

Fig. 2. Density of jute at different valuer of rehtivc humidity. Dotted curve, relation
with moisture content (mean), scale halved.

creasing relative humidity, but n. sniall initial increase in the density a t the lower humidi-
ties was clearly indicated, as will h e seen in Figurp 2. her man^,^ working with model
rayon filaments, explained the initial increase as dur to the existence of free space inside
the fiber being first occupied by the water molwules without adding t o the volume.
After the free space was fnlly occupied the increase in volume due to s%-ellingovertook
the increase in mass due to moist,ure absorpt,ion, resulting in a fall of density until
saturation was reached.
( F ) Approxiniate r e s i d d porosity of J i k s of jritr ,froiii deiisily measurements. Jute
has an average composition7 for the three major constituents, on a dry basis, as follows:
a-cellulose = 610/,, hemicelluloses = 257;,,and ligniri = 120/,. Assuming that the
isolated components did not ditfer grwtly from those artually existing in the fiber, a
possible value for the densitmyof dry jute may be obtained. We know the respective
densities of the three constituents: then 1 g. of dry jute \\-auld occup~-a volume eyual to
0.61/1.530 + +
0.%5/1.484 0.12/1.370 = 0.6598 cc. This would give us a density equal
to 1.516. This vahte is ronsid(whly gre:it,cr than what TVRS actually found, i.e., 1.445.
9156 JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE, VOL. 54, ISSUE 160 (1961)

It is thus proposed that the mixture of carbon tetrachloride and xylene failed to pene-
trate some very fine capillaries or pores of submicroscopic dimensions in the fibers of
jute. A simple deduction from the values of density calculated and observed led us to
an estimate of this residual porosity of the fibers. About 4.5y0 of the volume of the
fibers of jute remained unpenetrated by the liquid of the density gradient column.

References
1. Chakravarty, A. C., Textile Research J., 28,878 (1958).
2. Chatterjee, H., Ann. Rept. Tech. Res., Indian Central Jute Committee, 1954-55.
3. Fortuin, J. M. H., J . Polymer Sci., 44,50!5 (1960).
4. Hermans, P. H., Physics and Chemistry of Cellulose Fibers, Elsevier, New York.
1949.
5. Linderstr$m-Lang, K., Nature, 139,713 (:1937).
6. Macmillan, W. R., and M. K. Sen, J . Textile Inst., 32, T45 (1941).
7. Mazumdar, A. K., J . Sci. Znd. Research (India), 14B, 542 (1956).
8. Mathews' Textile Fibers, 6th ed., Wiley, K'ew York, 1964.
9. Roy, M. M., and M. K. Sen, J . Textile Inst., 43, T396 (1952).
A. C. CIIAKRAVARTY
*-
Department of Physics
Technological Research Laboratories
Indian Central Jute Committee
Calcutta, India
Received December 19, 1960
Revised March 30, 1961

Mechanical Behavior of Polycarbonates

Although the loss spectrum of poly( bisphenol-A carbonate) has been investigated in
dielectric experiments,'j2 it appears that no dynamic mechanical measurements of this
material have been reported, nor have any of its numerous possible chemical derivatives
been explored. We have recently studied the mechanical behavior of several such
derivatives and found an interesting variation with chemical structure.
The measurements were made in the temperature range -170 to 240C. with a
recording torsion pendulum similar to that described by Nielsen. The frequency
varied from about 1.2 cycles/sec. a t the lowest temperatures to 0.5 cycles/sec. a t the
highest. The following polymers were employed:

( a ) Poly(bispheno1-Acarbonate)

( b ) Poly( bisorthocresol-A carbonate)

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