The Fine Structure of Bamboo Fibres

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Abstract
Following the recent work on wood tracheides and sisal fibres, a detailed investigation has been made of the fine structure of a wide variety of bamboo fibres. A combination of X-ray analysis, measurement of refractive indices in longitudinal view and of phase differences in transverse section, has presented a complete picture of cellulose chain orientation. The wall of bamboo fibres is many layered. An outermost, thin layer is composed of cellulose chains making an angle of 35° to cell length and this is followed by other, inner layers where the angle steadily decreases from outer to inner layers, first to about 20° and then to about 10°. These layers are separated by thicker layers, dark in transverse section between crossed nicols, in which the angle is seldom more than 5–6°. These are average figures. The results show most clearly that each angle, θ , varies with the fibre length, L , in such a way that the longer cells have steeper spirals in harmony with a relation of the type L = A + B cot θ already proposed for wood tracheides.

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