Smart farming comes to IEMN!

The retting monitoring tool being used in the fieldThe retting monitoring tool being used in the field

Flax fibres have applications ranging from textiles to polymer composites. The north of France has favourable weather for flax farming and fibre production. A process known as ‘retting’ is required to facilitate the mechanical factory extraction of flax fibres from their parent stems. During retting, the material between the fibres breaks down—making mechanical extraction of fibres easier. There is an optimum retting period: insufficient retting time complicates fibre extraction, whereas prolonged retting leads to reduced fibre quality.

Traditionally, the timing of the retting termination has been evaluated by agricultural artisanal means. In the context of Agriculture 4.0, modern technology enables one to envisage tools that predict optimal retting. A collaboration between IEMN, the UGSF, and the Van Robbaeys Frères company together with CNRS funds (80Prime project) enabled work in this area.

In the context of a PhD awarded to Ali Reda, we have conducted fundamental studies to understand the mechanical properties of flax stems and fibres on the macro-, micro-, and nano- scopic scales. Based on these fundamental studies, we have demonstrated the development of a smart tool (IoT) combining mechanics, digital microscopy, and image analysis. The cracking of the outer tissue of the flax stems, due to mechanical torsion applied by the tool, is quantified using optical microscopy and image analysis and serves as a novel indicator of the degree of retting of the stems. This enables the optimum retting stop-point to be identified. The study has led to the award of a PhD, six journal articles, a journal highlight, and a journal front cover.

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Output


  1. Dynamic micromechanical measurement of the flexural modulus of micrometre-sized diameter single natural fibres using a vibrating microcantilever technique. Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, 34(1), 015009 (2023)
  2. Static micromechanical measurements of the flexural modulus and strength of micrometre-diameter single fibres using deflecting microcantilever techniques. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 2967 (2024)
  3. Influence of Dew Retting on the Mechanical Properties of Single Flax Fibers Measured Using Micromechanical and Nanomechanical Approaches. Fibers, 12(10), 91 (2024)
  4. Drying Behavior of Flax Stems at Different Degrees of Dew Retting Under Simulated Rainfall: Implications for Smart Agriculture and Sensor Development. Agriculture, in press (2025)
  5. The impact of dew retting on the mechanical properties of flax stems for the development of a monitoring tool. In press (2025)
  6. Development of a smart tool to monitor the degree of dew retting of flax stems. In press (2025)
  7. Highlights of 2024, Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/0960-1317/page/highlights-of-2024
  8. Front Page, Fibres, In press

People
Ali Reda (IEMN), Steve Arscott (IEMN), Lionel Buchaillot (IEMN), Louis Thomas (IEMN), Thomas Dargent (IEMN), Jean-Michel Mallet (IEMN), Christophe Boyaval (IEMN), David Delcroix (IEMN), Redha Kassi (IEMN), Sébastien Grec (UGSF), Pierre D’Arras (VRF), Anne-Marie Blanchenet (UMET), and Didier Burgnies (Ecole Centrale de Lille).