Jute Fibre Structure and Morphology
topic
Jute elementary fibres are 1.5-5 mm long with pentagonal to hexagonal cross-section (15-25 μm diameter), containing 10-15 cells held by middle lamella. Structure consists of primary wall, three-layered secondary wall (S1, S2, S3) with S2 layer dominant at 10-12 μm thickness, and lumen at center. Technical fibres (bundles of 10-25 elementary fibres) measure 1.5-3 m length with microfibril angle of 7-9° in S2 layer.
Role
The multi-layered cell wall structure and relatively high microfibril angle determine jute's characteristic flexibility and moderate stiffness compared to flax and hemp.