Textiles

Textiles have such an important bearing on our daily lives that everyone should know something about the basics of fibres and their properties. Textile fibres are used for a wide range of applications such as covering, warmth, personal adornment and even to display personal wealth.

Textile technology has come a long way in meeting these requirements. A basic knowledge of textile fibres will facilitate an intelligent appraisal of fibre brands and types and help in identifying the right quality for the application. This bulletin covers various textile fibres and the properties that are important for a suitable textile application.

Fibre Classification

Textile fibres can be broadly classified into two categories:

  1. Natural fibres
  2. Man-made fibres

Natural Fibres

Cotton
Cotton, the natural fibre most widely used in apparel, grows in a boll around the seeds of cotton plants. A single fibre is an elongated cell that is a flat, twisted, hollow, ribbon-like structure
   Characteristics:

  • Fair to good strength
  • Very little elasticity
  • Less resilient and prone to wrinkling
  • Comfortable and soft feel
  • Good absorbency
  • Conducts heat well
  • Damaged by insects, mildew, rot and moths
  • Weakened by extended sunlight exposure

Linen
Linen, one of the most expensive natural fibres, is made from the flax plant. It is labour-intensive to produce, hence produced in small quantities. However linen fabric is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather. It is composed of 70% cellulose and 30% pectin, ash, woody tissue and moisture.
   Characteristics:

  • Strongest vegetable fibre
  • Poor elasticity, hence wrinkles easily
  • Relatively smooth, becomes softer when washed
  • Highly absorbent
  • Good conductor of heat and feels cool
  • Lustrous
  • More brittle, constant creasing in the sharp folds, tends to break
  • Damaged by mildew, perspiration and bleach

Wool
Wool fibre grows from the skin of sheep and is a relatively coarse and crimped fibre with scales on its surface. It is composed of protein. The fibre appearance varies depending on the breed of the sheep. Finer, softer and warmer fibres tend to be with more and smoother scales. Thicker, less warm fibres have fewer and rougher scales. Normally, the better wool fibres with finer scales are duller in appearance than the poorer quality fibres which have fewer scales.
   Characteristics:

  • Crimped in appearance
  • Elastic
  • Hygroscopic, readily absorbs moisture
  • Ignites at a higher temperature than cotton
  • Lower rate of flame spread, heat release and combustion heat
  • Resistant to static electricity

Silk
Silk is a fine, continuous strand unwound from the cocoon of a moth caterpillar known as the silkworm. It is composed of protein. It is very shiny due to the triangular prism-like structure of the silk fibre, which allows silk cloth to refract incoming light at different angles.
   Characteristics:

  • Lustrous, smooth and soft texture and not slippery
  • Lightweight, strong, but can lose up to 20% of its strength when wet
  • Elasticity is moderate to poor. If elongated, it remains stretched
  • Can be weakened if exposed to too much sunlight
  • May be affected by insects, especially if left dirty
  • Can regain up to 11% of its moisture

Man-made Fibres

Rayon
Rayon is made from naturally occurring polymers that simulate natural cellulosic fibres. It is neither a truly synthetic fibre nor a truly natural fibre. There are two varieties of Rayon; viscose and high wet modulus (HWM). These in turn are produced in a number of types to provide certain specific properties.
   Characteristics:

  • Soft, smooth and comfortable
  • Naturally high in lustre
  • Highly absorbent
  • Durability and shape retention is low, especially when wet
  • Low elastic recovery
  • Normally weak, but HWM rayon is much stronger, durable and has good appearance retention.

Nylon
In nylon, the fibre forming substance is a long-chain synthetic polyamide in which less than 85% of the amide linkages are attached directly to two aromatic rings. The elements carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen are combined by chemical processes into compounds which react to form long-chain molecules, chemically known as polyamides and are then formed into fibres. There are several forms of nylon. Each depends upon the chemical synthesis.
   Characteristics:

  • Highly resilient
  • High elongation and elasticity
  • Very strong and durable
  • Excellent abrasion resistance
  • Thermoplastic
  • Has the ability to be very lustrous, semi-lustrous or dull
  • Resistant to insects, fungi, mildew and rot

Polyester
In polyester, the fibre forming substance is any long-chain synthetic polymer composed of at least 85% by weight of an ester of a substituted aromatic carboxylic acid, but not restricted to substituted terapthalate units and para-substituted hydroxybenzoate units. In producing such fibres, the basic elements of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen are polymerised. Variations are possible in the methods of production, in the combination of ingredients and in the ultimate molecular structures of the fibre forming substance.
   Characteristics:

  • Thermoplastic
  • Good strength
  • Hydrophobic (non absorbent)