Hemp fibers are proven to be tougher, stronger, and more abrasion resistant than cotton. They are more sustainable, and UV and mold resistant, making it an excellent primary fiber in yarn and textile for battle dress, utility, workwear and outdoor wear. Degummed, cottonized hemp can be blended with other fibers to bring out the best attributes of each and create new innovative yarns to manufacture natural-fiber based technical textiles. For this STTR, Bear Fiber will conduct research and develop hemp based yarns and textiles at North Carolina State Universitys (NCSU) Wilson College of Textiles. We will design and develop hemp yarn blends accompanied by the positive attributes of different candidate fibers. Greige fabric will be woven and tested with the objective to meet or exceed current MCCUU Marine Corps Battledress fabric requirements. Bear Fiber will compare the performance characteristics of our innovative fabric against the current issue fabric to assess where we meet or exceed the specification for the current textile. The technical hurdles addressed in this proposal are: 1) development of a superior hemp fiber-based yarn and determine the best spinning system to use to make the yarn, 2) development of vector protection, improved flame resistance, and camouflage protection, and 3) finished garment fabrication with hemp fabric. These aims will identify a novel hemp based yarn and fabric for use in the Marine Corps and US private sector and global textiles in Phase II.
