Textile Engineering Fundamentals

(TE-101)
Lecture # 2

by
Dr. Aamer A. Khan
November, 2018
Lecture Outline

• Raw Materials for Textiles

• Classification of Natural Fibers
• Classification of Manufactured Fibers
• Properties of Textile Fibers
 Raw Materials
• Understanding fibres and their performance is important because fibres
are the basic unit of most fabrics.

• Fibres must have sufficient

• Strength, pliability, length and cohesiveness to be processed into yarns,
fabrics, and products that satisfy customer needs.

• Fibres influence product

• Aesthetics, durability, comfort, appearance retention, care,
environmental impact and cost-effectiveness.
Raw Materials

Natural Fibers

Manufactured Fibers
 Natural Fibers
• Natural fibres are those that are in fibre form as they
grow or develop and come from animal, plant, or mineral
sources.
• Until 1885, when the first manufactured fibre was
produced commercially, fibres were produced by plants
and animals.
Classification of Natural Fibers
Classification w.r.t. Source
Classification w.r.t Chemical
Composition

Protein
Cellulosic
based
Manufactured Fibres
• Manufactured or man-made fibres are made into fibre from chemical
compounds produced in manufacturing facilities. Man-made fibres can
be from organic and inorganic source
• Organic
• Regenerated fibres are produced from naturally occurring
polymers of cellulose or proteins, but processing is needed to
convert them into fibre form. For the textile sector, cellulosic
fibres are the most important.
• Synthetic Fibres are also produced from polymers and the
polymers are synthesised or made from small simple molecules.
These fibres are mostly produced from petroleum based chemicals.
• Inorganic
• Fibres produced from an inorganic source.
Classification of Textile Fibers
 Textile Fibres

Natural Man-made

Cellulosic Protein Mineral Organic Inorganic

Regenerated Synthetic
 Textile Raw materials Fibres
• Natural Fibres
• Cellulosic: Seed (Cotton, Kapok), Bast (Flax, hemp, Ramie, Jute),
Leaf (Abaca, Sisal). Protein: Wool, Silk. Mineral: Asbestos.
• Man-made fibres
• Organic
• Regenerated fibres: Rayon, Lyocell, Acetate,
• Synthetic fibres: Polyester, Polypropylene, Nylon,
Polyethylene, Acrylic
• Inorganic
• glass, steel.
 Properties of Textile Fibre
• Fibres contribute to fabric properties.
• Predicting and understanding fabric performance begins with the fibre.
• Fibre properties are determined by their
1. Physical structure
2. Chemical composition
3. Molecular arrangement
• Fibre properties are determined using specialised procedures called
standard test methods.
• The physical structure or morphology can be identified by observing
the fibre using a microscope.
• Fibre dimensions influence fabric characteristics and performance and
the process that will be used in producing a finished fabric.
 Fibre Properties
• Physical structure
• Length
• Diameter
• Cross-sectional shape
• Surface contour
• Crimp
• Fibre parts
• Chemical composition
• Molecular arrangement
 Fibre Properties
• Length
• Fibres are sold by producer as staple, filament or filament tow.
• Staple fibres are short fibres measured in inches or centimetres.
Except for silk, all natural fibres are available only in staple
form.
• Filaments are long, continuous fibre strands of indefinite
length, measured in miles or kilometres. There may be either
monofilament or multifilament.
• Filament tow, produced as a loose rope of several thousand
fibres, is crimped or textured, and cut to staple length.
natural Staple fibres ( right)
manufactured (left)
Manufactured filaments: textured bulk yarn
(left) and smooth filament yarn (right)
 Fibre Properties
• Diameter
• Fibre diameter greatly influences a fabric’s performance and hand.
• Coarse fibres are crisp, rough and stiff.
• Fine fibres are soft and pliable.
• Fabrics made with fine fibres drape more easily and are more
comfortable next to skin.
• Natural fibres are subject to growth irregularities and are not uniform.
• For manufactured fibres, diameter is controlled at several points
during production.
Fibre Properties
• Cross-sectional shape
• The cross-sectional shape of a fibre affects lusture, bulk, texture and
hand.
• Rounds fibres are common in natural fibres and easy to produce for
manufactured fibres.
• Surface contour
• Surface contour describes the outer surface of the fibre along its
length.
• Surface contour may be smooth, serrated, striated or rough.
• Surface contour can make fabrics comfortable or prickly.
Cross-sectional shape and fibre
contours
Fibre Properties

• Crimp
• Fibre crimp refers to waves, bends, twists, coils or curls along the
length of the fibre.
• Fibre crimp increases cohesiveness, resiliency, resistance to
abrasion, stretch, bulk and warmth
• Fibre parts
• Except for silk, the natural fibres have three parts: an outer
covering called a cuticle or skin; an inner area; and a central core
that may be hollow.
• The manufactured fibres are less complex than natural fibres.
Natural (cellulose) Fiber Parts
Chemical Composition and molecular
arrangement
• Fibres are composed of billions of atoms bonded together in
millions of long molecular chains.
• The molecular chains are created by polymerisation, when small
molecules – monomers- are joined together to form long chain, or
polymer.
• The length of polymer varies with just as the length of fibre
varies. The number of molecules connected in a chain is defined
as degree of polymerisation.
• Fibres with longer chains are stronger.
• Molecular chain length may also be describes by molecular
weight.
Chemical composition and
molecular arrangement
• Molecular chains have different configurations within fibres
• When the chains are arranged in a random or disorganized
way within the fibre, they are amorphous.
• When the molecular chains are organized parallel to each
other, they are crystalline.
• Molecular chains that are parallel to each other and to the
fibre’s lengthwise axis are oriented.
• Fibres that are highly oriented are also highly crystalline.
Polymers: (a) amorphous area; (b)
crystalline; and (c) crystalline and oriented
area
 Chemical composition and
molecular arrangement
• The polymers in manufactured fibres are in random, unoriented state
immediately after production.
• Stretching or drawing causes the chains to slide and become more
parallel to each other and to the longitudinal axis of the fibre.
• Drawing also reduces fibre diameter and compacts the molecules.
• Fibre properties affected by crystallinity and orientation include strength,
elongation, moisture absorption, abrasion resistance, and dyeability.
Stretching or drawing affects fibre molecular
arrangement and diameter
Nylon fibre: before drawing (left of pin) and after
drawing(right of the pin)
Chemical composition and
molecular arrangement
• Amorphous fibres are relatively weak and easily elongated.
These fibres have poor elasticity and good moisture
absorbency, dyeability, and flexibility.
• Highly oriented and crystalline fibres are strong and stiff.
They tend to be non-absorbent and difficult to dye.
• Molecular chains are held close to one another by
intermolecular forces called hydrogen bonding and van der
Waals forces. These forces occur in crystalline regions.