INTRODUCTION TO TEXTILE FIBERS

Mujahid Mehdi Abro

Indus University Karachi.

Definition of Fiber and Textile fibers

Fiber:
It is defined as one of the delicate, hair portions of the tissues of a
plant or animal or other substances that are very small in diameter
in relation to there length.
A fiber is a material which is several hundred times as long as its
thick.
Fibres have been defined by the Textile Institute as units of matter
characterized by :
flexibility,
fineness
high ratio of length to thickness.

Cont
Other characteristics might be added, if the fibre is to be of any use
for general textile purposes, a sufficiently high temperature stability
and a certain minimum strength and moderate extensibility.
The characteristic dimensions of fibres are the basis of their use and
need to be stressed:
individual fibres (or elements of a continuous filament) weigh only a
few micrograms
their length/width ratio is at least 1000:1

It is the basic structural element of textile products.

It is a smallest textile component which is microscopic hair like
substance that may be manmade or natural.

Textile Fiber:
Textile fiber has some characteristics which differ between fiber to Textile fiber.
Textile fiber can be spun into a yarn or made into a fabric by various methods
including weaving, knitting, braiding, felting, and twisting.
The essential requirements for fibers to be spun into yarn include a length of at
least 5 millimeters, flexibility, cohesiveness, and sufficient strength.
Other important properties include elasticity, fineness, uniformity, durability,
and luster.
Banana fiber is one kind of fiber but it is not a textile fiber. Because it can not
fill up the above properties. So we can say that all fiber are not textile fiber.

Cont
ordinary textile fibres must be, at least partly, elastic up to breaking extensions
between 5 and 50%.
This is an unusual intermediate range of extensibility, since glasses and
crystalline solids are less extensible, whereas rubbers are much more extensible.
all textile fibers are partially oriented, linear polymers.
A remarkable fact is that almost all the general textile fibre market is met by six
polymer types:
the natural polymers,
cellulose and proteins,
the synthetic (manufactured) polymers, polyamide, polyester, polyolefin and vinyl
(including acrylic).

Essential properties Textile Fibers

Basic Textile Fiber Properties
There are several primary properties necessary for a polymeric
material to make an adequate fiber.
Certain other fiber properties increase its value and desirability in
its intended end-use but are not necessary properties essential to
make a fiber. Such secondary properties include :
moisture absorption characteristics,
fiber resiliency, abrasion resistance,
density,
luster,
chemical resistance,
thermal characteristics,
flammability.

CONT..
Some Primary Properties of Textile Fibers are:
Fiber length to width ratio,
Fiber uniformity,
Fiber strength and flexibility,
Fiber extensibility and elasticity,
Fiber cohesiveness.

CONT.
Length to Width Ratio: Fibrous material must possess
adequate staple or fiber length and the length must be
considerably higher (1000 times) then the width of the fiber.
Length to Width Ratio of Some Typical Fiber as follows:
Fiber
Cotton

Length to Width Ratio

1400

Wool
Flax

8000
170

Silk

330000

But to be a fiber the staple length must not be less than inch.
According to the length, the fibers may be classified into the
following two categories: Staple Fiber, Filament Fiber

Cont
Strength:
Strength of any material is determined by the breaking strength (that is
tenacity strength) which express as force per unit cross-sectional area.
With this term (strength / tensile strength) we may describe the ability of a
bundle of fiber of yarn to resist breakage under tension / load.
In case of describing the strength of individual fiber the term tenacity is
usually used.
Tenacity :force per unit linear density
That is, tenacity = breaking load/ mass per unit length
Tenacity express as grams per tex(gtex) or grams per denier(gd).

Tenacity of Some Common Fiber:

Fiber
Raw cotton
Jute
Flax
Ramie
Silk
Wool
Hemp

Grams Per Denier

3.0 - 4.9
3.0 - 5.8
2.6 - 7.7
5.5
2.4 - 5.1
1.1 - 1.7
5.8 - 6.8

Cont
Flexibility:
It is one of the essential property of textile fiber.
The fibers should be sufficient by poliable, then only it can be wrapped around another fiber
during spinning.
Many substance in nature resemble fibrous forms but they are note pratical fibers as they are
stiff and brittle.
Cohesiveness:
It may also be termed as spinning quality of fiber.
It is the property of an individual fiber by virtue of which the fibers are hold on to one another
when the fibers are spun into yarns.

Cont.
Uniformity:
It may describe the similarities in length of fiber which are spun
into yarn.
To make a good quality yarn, it is important that the fibers must be
similar in length and width in spinning quality and in flexibility .
There is no problem in producing uniform manmade fibers but for
natural fiber uniformity is difficult to achieve.
So for natural fiber it is essential to blend many batches in order to
manufacture good quality yarn and fabrics.

Cont.
Elastic Recovery:
Elastic recovery is the percent to return from elongation towards its original
length.
If a fiber returns to its original length from a specified amount of attenuation, it
is said to have 100% elastic recovery at x-percent elongation.
Elastic recovery is expressed as percentage.
The elasticity or elastic recovery of a fiber is determined by several aspects like
what type of load is applied and how many times it is held in the stretched
position.

CLASSIFICATION OF FIBRES
The history of
Traces of natural fibers have been located to ancient civilizations all over
the globe.
For many thousand years, the usage of fiber was limited by natural fibers
such as flax, cotton, silk, wool and plant fibres for different applications.
Fibers can be divided into natural fibres and man-made or chemical
fibres.
Flax is considered to be the oldest and the most used natural fibre since
ancient times.

Classification of Fibres
Natural Fibers
Vegetable Fibres
Animal Fibres
Mineral fibers

Man Made fibers

Regenerated fibres
Synthetic fibres
Inorganic fibres

Inorganic fibres

Cont
Classification of fibers can be done by:
Type(Natural and manufactured)
Length(Short staple, long staple, continuous filament)
Size(Ultra fine, fine, regular, course)

Classification of Fibres

NATURAL FIBRE

Any hair like raw material directly obtainable from an

animal, vegetable or mineral source that can be
convertible after spinning into yarns and then into fabric.
Under them there are various categories:
Plant
Animal
minerals

Cotton
Cotton is a soft fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton
plant .
cotton fibre grows in the seed pod or boll of the cotton plant .
each fibre is a single elongated cell that is flat twisted and
ribbon like with a wide inner hollow (lumen).

Composition
90% cellulose,6% moisture and the remainder fats and
impurities.
the outer surface is covered with a protective wax like coating
which gives fibre an adhesive quality.

PROPERTIES

It has 8% moisture regain

The cellulose is arranged in a way that gives cotton unique properties of strength,
durability, and absorbency.
it is fresh , crisp , comfortable ,absorbent , flexible, has no pilling problems and has good
resistance to alkalis.
it has poor wrinkle resistance, shrinkage, poor acid resistance , less abrasion resistance ,
susceptible to damage by moths and mildew, need slots of maintenance and stains are
difficult to remove.
its fibre length ranges from inches to 2inches
it has 10%increase in strength when wet.
it has a flat twisted tube shape.

ANIMAL FIBRES

Animal fibers are

natural fibers that consist largely of proteins such as
silk, hair/fur, wool and feathers.
The most commonly used type of animal fiber is
Hair Fibres (Staple) ;Wool, Specialty hair fibres
Secretion Fibres(Filament) , Silk, Spider Silk(Insect fibre)

SILK FIBRE

silk is a natural fiber that can be woven into

textiles. It is obtained from the cocoon of the silk
worm larva, in the process known as sericulture
Properties
Its a fine continuous strand unwound from the
cocoon of a moth caterpillar known as the silkworm.
it is the longest and thinnest natural filament fibre
with the longest filament around 3000yards.
it is relatively lustrous ,smooth, lightweight, strong
and elastic.
it is essentially composed of protein fibre and is
naturally a white coloured fiber.

WOOL
Wool is the fiber derived from the fur of animals principal

properties
it has the highest moisture regain i.e., 14%.
it exhibits felting property and is easy to spin
due to crimp present in it, it has heat in stored within
the length of the fibre is around 3-15 inches.

Cont
there are two types of wool namely clipped or fleece
wool taken from live sheep and pulled wool removed
from sheep already dead.
merino wool is the best grade of wool.
In addition to clothing, wool has been used as
carpeting, felt, wool insulation

POLYESTER
Polyester is a category ofpolymers which contain theester
functional group in their main c
The term "polyester" is most commonly used to refer to polyethylene
terephthalate (PET).
it has a high melting temperature
it can be dyed with onlydisperse dyes
they are thermoplastic, have good strength and are hydrophobic
the fibre has a rod like shape with a smooth surface.
it is lustrous and its hand is crisp.
it has excellent resiliency and is the best wash and wear fabric.

NYLON

Nylon is one of the most common polymers used as

A fiber.
There are several forms of nylon depending up on
chemical synthesis such as nylon 4, 6, 6.6, 6.10,
6.12,8,10 and 11.
Nylon is found in clothing all the time, but also in
other places, in the form of a thermoplastic material.

Cont
Nylons are also called polyamides, because of the
characteristic amide groups in the backbone chain.
These amidegroups are very polar and are linked
with each other with hydrogen bonds.
nylon is a regular and symmetrical fibre with
crystalline regions andmake fibers.
the fibre has a smoothrod like shape with a
smooth surface

Cont
Natural rubber is essentially a polymer of
isoprene units, a hydrocarbon dienemonomer.
Synthetic rubber can be made as a polymer of prene or various
other monomers
The material properties of natural rubber make it an elastomer
.
Rubber exhibits unique physical and chemical properties.
Rubber's stress-strain behavior exhibits the Mullins effect, the
Payne effect and is often model her elastic.

Thank you