Gillian Faye L.

Lechoco

7-10-15

FD 214- Textile, Fiber, and Fabric Production

Fabric: Linen
Fiber: Flax fiber (cellulose)
Color: brown

Linen fabric is composed of strands of flax fibers. Flax fiber is a natural plant fiber, for such
grows from the stem to the root of the plant (bast), and it is cellulosic, as well. When the fiber
undergoes the burn test for fiber identification, flax gives the following results--- proven and
tested:

When approaching flame, it ignites easily;

When in flame, it burns so quickly and gives off a bright yellow flame;
When removed to flame, it continues to burn;
The odor is likened to burning paper, and;
The ash of it is light gray.

The fiber is actually thick and rough, and it has a soft luster. The subdued luster is due to its
long regular fiber surface--- having an average length of 45-60cm--- that is coated with a film
wax. The cells walls of flax are composed of spiraling fibrils composed of cellulose polymers
that make flax sturdier than of the cottons cell walls. Exactly why flax, having the tensile
strength of 5.5-6.5 gm/den, is stronger than cotton fiber.

The flax fiber has polymer of about 18 000nm long, and about 0.8nm thick. Flax fiber is very
strong because the polymer system permits the formation of hydrogen bonds. The polymer
system of flax is more crystalline, because the longer polymers spiral about each other,
contributing to the durability of the fiber. The crystallinity of the fiber is manifested through the
crispness, stiffness, and strength of the textile when handled, and it wrinkles more than cotton.
Still, because of flaxs crystalline polymer system, the fiber does not have any elastic properties
like that of cotton.
Flax is hygroscopic in nature, which means it is very absorbent. Because the fiber has
hydrogen bonds, it attracts polar water molecules. The fiber has excellent heat resistance and
conductivity, unlike cotton which more affected by heat--- probably because of the presence of,
again, hydrogen bonds.
Acidic conditions hydrolyze the flax polymer at the glycoside oxygen atom, which links the
two glucose units to form the cellobiose unit, and results to damage immediately. Low dense
acids dont affect the fiber if it is washed immediately after application.
When it comes to mildew resistance, flax fiber can be attacked by micro-organisms such as
fungi and bacteria. Mildews come to eat the fabric, thus rotting the material. These organisms
appear when linen is subjected to a humid condition, but the textile can be protected with the
help of copper naphthenate.

Fabric: Silk
Fiber: Silk fiber (protein)
Color: printed

Before enumerating the properties of silk fiber, acquiring the fabric above is difficult than
expected. Given that textile stores nowadays cannot provide pure silk, it all ended up looking at
the thrift store. To identify if the acquired fabric is purely silk, the burn test was done. According
to ThreadsMagazine.com, silk must give off the following results:

When approaching flame, silk smolders and curls away from the flame;
When in flame, it burns slowly;
When removed to flame, it burns with difficulty and ceases to flame;
The odor of pure silk is likened to burning hair, and;
The ash of it is round, shiny black bead that is easy to crush.

The fibers of the fabric above manifests of all of the results stated, thus proven that the fabric
is of pure silk.
Silk fiber is cultivated from silkworm, and is the only natural animal fiber that is in filament
form. The fiber is composed of mainly 80% of fibroin (protein in nature and the main component
of silk) and surrounded by 20% sericin (gummy protein substance, otherwise called as silk
gum). Fibroin is insoluble and is made up of glycine, alanine, and tyrosine. Sericin, on the other
hand, is soluble and is composed of sericin, alanine, and leucine.
Of all the natural fibers, it is known to be the thinnest. Even if it is the thinnest, it has the
greatest tensile strength, with moderation abrasion resistance, among all natural fiber which is

of about 3.5 to 5 gm/den that can withstand great pulling pressure. The fiber, however, loses
20% of its strength when it is wet.
Silk fiber can only be stretch 20-25% of its length before breaking. It tends to return to its
original size but gradually loses its elasticity. It is subjected only to normal shrinkage, though
can be restored through ironing.
One of the greatest features of this fiber is its triangular cross section, and this feature acts
like a prism that refracts light, giving its bright luster and natural shimmer.
When it comes to heat conductivity, silk fiber cannot conduct heat, similar to that of wool. It will
withstand at higher temperatures than wool fiber. It is sensitive to heat and decomposes at 175
C, and the fiber weakens on sun exposure.
Like wool and due to the fact that both of them are protein fibers, silk also has good
resiliency and good absorbency. Again, silk fiber has moderate resistance to wrinkling.
Furthermore, the capacity of silk to absorb moisture makes it comfortable to wear even in warm
conditions. It can absorb about 11% of its weight, but it can absorb up to 30-35%. This
characteristic makes silk good for prints and dyes.
Moreover, the fiber reacts badly to highly concentrated alkali and chlorine bleach, so mild
soap or detergent in lukewarm water should be used when washing the textile.
Lastly, the fiber is resistant to mold and mildew unless left for a long time in a damp
condition, and insects such as moths and carpet beetles may attack the fabric.

Source/s:
http://www.slideshare.net/lilybhagat3/flax-fiber-manufacturing-physical
images.taunton.com/downloads/th/T168_Burn_Test_Chart.pdf
http://textilelearner.blogspot.com/2011/08/characteristics-of-silk-fabrics_5368.html
http://www.margaritabenitez.com/textiles/lectures/fm211_chapter3_1.pdf
http://textilefashionstudy.com/silk-fiber-physical-and-chemical-properties-of-silk/