Importance of Fibers in Textiles

KAVITHA RAJAN
 INTRODUCTION &DEFINITION
 Textile fiber is the smallest component ,hair like in nature, that
can be separated from a fabric. Fibers can be absorbent [like
cotton and rayon],stretchy [like spandex], warm and bulky
[like wool], or very strong and abrasion resistant [like nylon
and polyester].
 Understanding fibers and their performance is essential
because fibers are the basic unit of most fabrics . Fibers
influence product aesthetics, durability , comfort, appearance
retention, care, environmental impact, sustainability, and cost.
 Successful textile fibers must be readily and continuously
available and cost-effective. They must have sufficient
strength, pliability, length, and cohesiveness to be process.
 INTRODUCTION &DEFINITION…

 Fiber - The basic entity, either natural or manufactured, which is twisted

into yarns, and then used in the production of a fabric.
 Technologists have defined the term Textile Fibers as those fibers which
can spun in to yarn or made in to fabric by interlacing or interloping
including a variety of machines like weaving, Knitting, Nonwoven etc..
 According to textile institute, fibers are defined as the units of matter
characterized by fineness, flexibility and high ratio of length to thickness.
• In a broad sense, the word ‘fibre’ is used for all the types of matter – either
natural or manmade, forming the basic structural elements of any textile
fabrics and other types of textile structures.
 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.
 INTRODUCTION &DEFINITION….
 Fibres of indefinite (very great) length, called
filaments
 Fibres of much shorter length, called staple fibres
 Textile fibers are composed of polymers with many
different structures, resulting in a diverse range of
chemical, physical, and biological properties.
 History
 Fibers from natural sources, twisted by hand into yarns, and then woven
into textile fabrics, constitute a materials technology which dates back
over 10 000 years.
 Apart from hand-tools, the technology changed little until the industrial
revolution, with the invention of power machines concentrated in 1775–
1825.
 The available fibers, namely cotton, some fibers extracted from the stems
or leaves of plants, wool, other hairs, and silk, remained unchanged for
another 100 years.
 All except silk were short fibers, with staple lengths of about 1–10cm.
These fibers had to be twisted into yarns.
 Advances in chemistry led to solutions of cellulose derivatives, which
could be extruded through multiple holes, coagulated, and regenerated as
continuous filament yarns of effectively infinite length. For a time, these
were known as artificial silk.
 History
 The most successful, viscose rayon, was first commercially
produced in 1905.
 The recognition of the idea of macromolecules in the 1920s
led to manufactured, synthetic yarns of several vinyl polymers,
but the major invention was nylon, which became commercial
in 1938.
 Polyester followed 10 years later. The two other major
synthetic fibers of this first generation were acrylics and
polypropylene.
 A second generation of high-performance fibers started with
the aramid fiber, Kevlar, followed by high-modulus
polyethylene. Elastomeric fibers, such as Lycra, were another
development.
 Classification of natural fibers
 Natural fibers are those that occur in fiber form in nature. Traditionally,
natural fiber sources are broken down into animal, plant, or mineral.
 Fibers from plant or vegetable sources are more properly referred to as
cellulose-based and can be further classified by plant source.
 They may be separated from the plant stalk, stem, leaf, or seed. Fibers
from animal sources are more properly known as protein-based fibers.
 They are harvested from an animal or removed from a cocoon or web.
Mineral fibers are those that are mined from the earth.
 Except for silk, all natural cellulose- and protein-based fibers are obtained
in short lengths and are called staple fibers. Silk is a continuous filament
fiber.
 They can be spun or twisted into yarn such as cloth and can be converted
into nonwoven fabrics, such as paper or felt. An example of a commonly
used natural fiber is cotton. Other examples include wool, jute, silk, hair,
fur, hemp, and linen.
The characteristics of natural fibers are:

They can be spun or twisted into yarn to make cloth.

They can be converted into nonwoven fabrics.

They are strong and durable.

They have high moisture absorbing capacity.

They provide excellent look and feel.

They are comfortable.

Biodegradable.
 Natural fibers can be classified according to their origin into
the following categories:

 Plant fibers

 Animal fibers

 Mineral fibers
Classification of Natural Fibers
Vegetable Origin Cellulose base fibers
& Animal fibers
Protein based fiber
 Cellulose-Based Fibers

 Cellulose-based fibers consist of bast, leaf, and seed-hair fibers.

Bast fibers come from the stem of the plant and include flax,
hemp, jute, and ramie.
 Leaf fibers are stripped from the leaves of the plant and include
manila and sisal. Seed-hair fibers are collected from seeds or seed
cases and include cotton and kapok.
 Cotton is a soft fiber that grows around the seeds of the cotton
plant .Cotton fiber grows in the seed pod or boll of the cotton
plant .
 90% cellulose,6% moisture and the remainder fats and impurities.
 KAPOK FIBRE

Kapok fiber is a silky cotton-like substance that surrounds

the seeds in the pods of the ceiba tree.
 It is eight times lighter than cotton. it is extremely used as
a thermal insulator. it is also lightweight, non-allergic,
non-toxic.
 The seed pod is similar to the cotton boll; however, the
dried fibers are easily shaken off the seed.
 A buoyant fiber, kapok is used primarily in life jackets,
as special stuffing for pillows, and in some mattresses. It
is not spun into yarn.
kapok
Types of fibers
Hemp & Jute
Ramie & Kenaf
 Bast Fibers

 Flax is the bast fiber of the flax plant, used to make linen fabric.
 The plants are cultivated and grown in such a way as to produce long, thin stems.
 The plant is pulled from the ground for processing.
 Ramie is a bast fiber from the stalk of the ramie plant (Boehmeria nivea), also
known as “China grass.” Ramie is one of the oldest fibre crops, having been used
for at least six thousand years.
 The plant is a perennial shrub that can be cut several times a year once mature.
The cut plant’s stalks are peeled or retted to remove the outer woody covering,
revealing the fine fibers underneath.
 It is fine absorbent ,quick drying fibre, is slightly stiff and possesses high natural
lustre.
 The fiber is similar to flax, but more brittle. Ramie can be spun alone or with
other fibers, especially cotton.
 Hemp is a coarse, durable bast fiber from the plant Cannabis
sativa. It is processed into a usable fiber in the same way as
flax. It is used primarily for industrial and commercial textiles,
especially cords, twine, and rope.
 Depending on the processing used to remove the fiber from
the stem, the hemp naturally may be creamy white, brown,
grey, black or green.Hemp fibers can be 3 to 15 feet long,
running the length of the plant.
 Cellulose-Based Fibers

 JUTE FIBRE
 Jute is a bast fiber from the stem of plants in the genus
Corchorus, processed in the same way as flax. It widely
used for industrial end uses such as sacking, twine, and
backing for tufted carpets.
 Jute is one of the cheapest natural fibers and produced
and variety of uses. Jute fibers are composed primarily of
the plant materials cellulose and lignin . The bast fibers
have often higher tensile strength than other kinds, and
are therefore used for textiles ,ropes, yarn, paper.
 Cellulose-Based Fibers

Sisal is from the leaves of plant Agave sisalana. The

leaves are cut when the plant is about four years old, and
the fibers are separated from the fleshy part of the leaf.
Sisal has industrial uses, most commonly as a rug or
carpet backing.
Manila is from the leaf stalks of the abacá plant (Musa
textiles).
The fibers are separated from the fleshy part of the leaf
stalk. Manila is generally used in rope and cordage.
 COIR FIBRE

 Fibre mechanically extracted from dry mature

coconut husk after soaking.
 It is long, hard and strong fibre but with lower
softness, lower water absorption capacity, and
shorter life than long retted fibre.
 Protein-Based Fibers

Protein-based fibers are from animal sources, most commonly the hair of the animal.

Animal-hair fibers, ranging in length from 2.5 to 10 inches or more.

Silk is a natural protein fiber extruded by the silk worm. With a length of over 500 yards, it is

classified as a filament fiber.

Wool is a fine hair fiber from sheep. In labeling, the term “wool” also may be used to identify

fibers from other fleece animals, such as the Angora goat, Cashmere goat, camel, alpaca,

llama, and vicuña.

Sheep-wool fiber can be sheared from the living animal or pulled from the hide after

slaughtering. Sheared or clipped wool is superior to pulled wool. Sheep normally are sheared

only once a year. Lamb’s wool is wool from sheep under 8 months of age.

“Virgin wool” (or “new wool”) comes from the first shearing of the animal and is most highly

prized. (The term “virgin wool” is also used to mean wool that has never previously been

processed.)
 Protein-Based Fibers

 Angora is the long, fine hair fiber from the Angora rabbit. It is not to be
confused with the hair fiber of the Angora goat, the source of mohair.
 Angora rabbits are raised domestically. The fur is combed and clipped
from the rabbit every three months.
 Camel hair comes from the Bactrian camel. The fiber is shed, and about 5
pounds (2.7 kilograms) is produced per camel.
 Cashmere is the soft hair fiber from the cashmere (kashmir) goat. The fiber
is harvested by combing the animal.
 A single goat produces only about 4 ounces (114 grams) of fiber a year.
Cashmere is considered a luxury fiber.
 Llama hair fibers are shorn from the animal once a year. They are similar
to alpaca fibers, but weaker.
 Protein-Based Fibers

• Mohair is the long, straight, fine hair fiber from the Angora goat. The fiber
is usually sheared from the animal twice a year.
• Vicuña is the hair fiber from a small non-domesticated llama-like animal
about the size of a dog. The animal lives at elevations above 16,000 feet in
South America and has been listed as endangered since 1969. Vicuña is the
softest of the fleece fibers.
Classification by fleece
 Lamb’s wool: The first fleece sheared from lamb about six to eight months
old is known as lambs wool. This is in fine quality and soft texture.
 Hogget wool: Wool obtained from sheep of 12 to 14 months old that has
not been previously shorn.
 Pulled wool: When sheep is slaughtered for meat the wool is pulled called
as pulled wool.
 Cotty wool: Very poor grade wool.
Alpaca wool fiber
Angora wool
Cashmere Wool& Llama Wool
Mohair & Vicuna Wool
 Silk is considered as “Queen of all textile fibers” as it has beauty and
elegance and good properties of performance.
 Silk is the natural protein fiber obtained from silk worm cocoons.
 Japan is known for producing best variety of silk. India produces different
varieties of silk and is famous for hand woven silk textiles.
 There is a tremendous silk production increase in recent years. The
production of silk is called Sericulture.
 To obtain quality and quantity of silk rearing conditions are controlled
carefully throughout the life cycle of silk moth.
 It is relatively lustrous ,smooth, light weight, strong and elastic.
 Types of silk
• Domestic silk
• Mulberry silk
 Mineral Fiber-Asbestos
 Asbestos is the only natural mineral fibre and it is no
longer in use as it has been found to be carcinogenic
in nature.
 Asbestos is a fibrous mineral mined from rock
deposits. There are approximately 30 types of
minerals in the asbestos group.
 Regenerated Cellulose Fibre
• Regenerated cellulose fiber is a type of manufactured or
man-made fiber that uses cellulose (mainly from wood or
plant fibers) as a raw material.
• Regenerated cellulose fiber was the first man-made fiber
applied in the textile and apparel industry and in the early
days of its development, during the 1850s, had the popular
name “artificial silk” as manufacturers hoped to produce an
artificial fiber to replace silk.
• The most important consideration in favor of rayon are that
the essential raw material for its production, namely
cellulose, is abundantly available and a renewable source.
• The production of regenerated cellulose fibers as early as the
1930s resulted in the generation of a new class of fibers.
• For several decades, the production of regenerated cellulose
fibers such as viscose rayon and cuprammonium rayon was
extensively done, and these fibers were considered to be ideal
substitutes for the natural cellulose fibers.
• In 1924, the generic name Rayon was adopted by the U.S.
Department of Commerce and various industrial associations
to label regenerated cellulose fiber. “Ray-” (ray of light)
implied fiber brightness and “-on” represented the fibers
cotton-like structure.
• Regenerated cellulose fiber has a smooth and
lustrous appearance much like silk (although it
is chemically completely different), and the
excellent water absorption ability of cotton.
• Fabrics made of regenerated cellulose fiber are
soft and display high drapability, leading them
to be widely used for apparels such as blouses,
jackets, skirts, slacks, lining, and suits.
• Due to the development of new synthetic fibers, however, the
market share of regenerated cellulose fiber has been shrinking.
• In the early 1980s, global production of regenerated cellulosic
fiber reached its peak (about 2.96 million metric tons), and has
been in decline ever since. Currently, world production of
regenerated cellulose fiber is about 3 million metric tons per
year, accounting for approximately 5% of global man-made
fiber production.
• China is the largest rayon fiber consumer, demanding 51% of
the world’s supply. It is predicted that global rayon demand
will grow at a rate of 3.8% per year from 2009 to 2014.
The production of regenerated cellulose fiber includes two
essential steps:
• Dissolution of the raw cellulose using either chemical or
physical methods, and
• Regeneration of cellulose through a spinning process (wet
spinning, dry spinning, or dry-jet/wet-spinning).
There are four major types of regenerated cellulose or cellulose-
derived fiber:
• viscose

• lyocell

• cupro

• acetate

The classification of these different regenerated cellulose fibers is

based on fiber production method.
• The classification of these different regenerated cellulose fibers is based
on fiber production method.

• Viscose rayon fiber is produced by making alkali cellulose and reacting it

with carbon disulfide to form cellulose xanthate. Viscose rayon is the
dominant regenerated cellulose fiber accounting for more than 93% of
the regenerated-cellulose and cellulose-derived fiber market.

• Lyocell rayon fiber is produced by directly dissolving cellulose into the

solvent N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO). Lyocell rayon is a new
generation of regenerated cellulose fiber with environmentally friendly
processing and improved fiber properties. Current production of lyocell
fiber however is still limited, at less than 5% of the rayon fiber market.
• Cupro rayon fiber is produced by dissolving cellulose into cuprammonium
solution and then wet-spinning to regenerate cellulose. Because this
process needs to use high-price cotton cellulose and copper salts,
cuprammonium rayon is not competitive with viscose rayon and ceased
commercial development after World War I. Today, only a few
manufacturers (such as Asahi in Japan and Bemberg in Germany) still
produce cuprammonium rayon to supply a niche market for artificial silk
and medical filter materials .
• Acetate is a cellulose-derived fiber rather than a regenerated cellulose
fiber. It is produced by acetylating cellulose using acetic anhydride liquid
with a sulfuric acid catalyst. The resulting cellulose acetate is dissolved in
acetone and spun into fiber through a dry spinning process. The
application of cellulose acetate fiber is limited to cigarette filters only and
it accounts for about 2% of the total market for cellulose fiber.
 Synthetic Textile Fibres
• Synthetic fibres are defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as
fibres manufactured from polymers built up from chemical elements or compounds, in
contrast to fibres made from naturally occurring fibre-forming polymers. The first entirely
synthetic fibres became widely available in the early twentieth century.
• In 1940, DuPont introduced the synthetic fibre nylon, invented by Wallace Carothers.
• John Whinfield and James Dickson patented polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polyester,
based on the early research work of Wallace Carothers.
• Whinfield and Dickson, along with inventors Birtwhistle and Ritchie, created the first
polyester fibre called Terylene in 1941.
• Today it is estimated that the world’s total textile fibre production is about 70.5 million metric
tons of which 40.3 million metric tons are synthetic fibres, as per ‘The Fibre Year 2010’
published by Oerlikon Textiles, Germany.
• Polyamides (nylons), polyolefin (polyethylene and polypropylene), acrylic and polyesters
constitute 98% of synthetic fibre production, and are used in almost every field of fibre and
textile applications.
• Polyesters are now the main type of synthetic fibres produced (60%) and consumed
worldwide (24 million metric tons).