Evaluation of physical and mechanical properties of Tunisian camel hair

Abstract The evaluation of the textile potential of the camel (Camelus dromedarius) underhair is a field of investigation that has been approached only a few times, as indicated by the low number of articles in literature. This is most probably due to the scarcity of this fibre and the problems with the dehairing process of unsorted fibres of dromedary. Aiming at a better economic exploitation of the quantity of fibrous matter in the fleece of Tunisian dromedary, a project of valorization of these fibres was launched. The objective of this study was to analyze the physical and mechanical properties of dromedary hair. Results indicate that it has exceptional textile potential. Also, the factors age and area have a significant effect on all parameters of control (fibre diameter, fibre length, tenacity, and strain), and the interaction between these two factors is not negligible. So simplified models, based on the analysis of variance, define the selection procedure of these fibres according to various factors of control taken into account and preserved in those models.