UT-IACMI has enabld a natural fiber (coir) spinning line to produce continuous fiber tows from discontinuous natural fibers. Coir fibers are extracted from coconut shells and processed into discontinuous short and long fiber (6 to 8 inches long). The fibers are fed through automatic vibratory feeder on to willowing wheels. The fibers are aligned and channed at high speed through V-shape guides as they get converted into continuous fibers. The continuous fibers are spun into twisted or untwisted tows. The team is investigating innovative ways of using the natural fibers in sustainable automotive, power transmission, infrastructure and other applications. For additional information, please contact Dr. Uday Vaidya, uvaidya@utk.edu