Jute

Asian fabric
MFA#34.1312

Description

Long bast fibers obtained from the stems of linden plants, Corchorus capsularis (white jute) or Corchorus olitorius (Tossa jute). Jute probably originated in the Mediterranean region and was taken to India and southeast Asia where it flourished. Jute has been used by man since prehistoric times. The pale brown fibers are soft, lustrous, and coarse ranging in length from 4 to 10 feet. Microscopically, the fibers exhibit irregular, long cells with a visible lumen. Jute is composed of Cellulose (69%), Lignin (18-20%) with some uronic anhydride (4.5%). The brittle fibers are used to produce a thread called hessian. Jute becomes so weak when wet that a thin twine can be broken by hand. It turns brown and degrades with time, sunlight, Water, acids, alkalis, and bleach. Jute is used to make sackcloth, burlap cloth, gunnysacks, Twine, Paper, and Carpet backing. It was also used to make brown paper in Europe in the mid-19th century.

• See also Brazilian jute, Paco-paco, pita, and Curana.
• For jute fiber identification, see http://cameo.mfa.org/wiki/Category:FRIL:_Jute

Jute facing in progress

Synonyms and Related Terms

Corchorus capsularis; juta (It., Port.); Huang-ma (Chin.); Jutefaser (Deut.); yute (Esp.); jute (Ned); Tossa jute; white jute; Indian jute; hessian; Bengal hemp; Calcutta hemp; allyott;

Risks

Combustible. Poor resistance to sunlight, microorganisms and insects. Deteriorates rapidly when wet.

Physical and Chemical Properties

Resistant to alkalis and dilute acids. Degraded by concentrated acids.

Fiber length = 1.5-3.0 m; Fiber width = 7-18 microns; cross section = polygonal with 5 or 6 sides. Moisture regain = 13.75%; Elongation = 1.7% (dry); Striations tend to be fine and often stop in the middle of the fiber; Fibers often are found in bundles. Density = 1.5

Completed jute facing

Paper fiber type: Non-woody/bast. Using transmitted light microscopy, fibers appear short and narrow with thick walls. Dislocations are present but faint. The ends of fibers can be spoon-shaped with widened lumen. Appearance with Graff "C" stain: Orange-red, but greys with bleaching. Average dimensions of fibers: length, 2mm, width 20μm. Common pulping method: soda.

Jute

Comparisons

Properties of Natural Fibers [[File:1.21.2005 04-Facing removed.jpg|thumb|Facing removed [[File:Jute40x.jpg|thumb|Jute fibers stained with Graff "C" stain

Physical and Chemical Properties

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• Hoechst Celanese Corporation, Dictionary of Fiber & Textile Technology (older version called Man-made Fiber and Textile Dictionary, 1965), Hoechst Celanese Corporation, Charlotte NC, 1990

• Marja-Sisko Ilvessalo-Pfäffli. Fiber Atlas: Identification of Papermaking Fibers (Springer Series in Wood Science). Springer, 1995.

• Rosalie Rosso King, Textile Identification, Conservation, and Preservation, Noyes Publications, Park Ridge, NJ, 1985

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• Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "jute" [Accessed October 18, 2001].-

• Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jute (Accessed Mar. 20, 2006)

• Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 426

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• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000