Textile
1. A textile was originally a woven fabric, but the terms textile and
plural textiles are now also applied to fibres, filaments and yarns,
natural and manufactured and most products for which these are a
principal raw material.
2. Descriptive of textiles as defined in 1 above and of the raw materials,
processes, machinery, buildings, craft, technology, personnel used in
and the organizations and activities connected with their manufacture.
Fiber
✓Fibres are pliable hair like substances that are very small in diameter in relation to
their length. They are the fundamental units in the making of textile yarns and
fabrics.
✓“Fiber” or “textile fiber” means a unit of matter, which is capable of being spun
into a yarn or made into a fabric of any nature or character.
✓According to Textile Institute, fibers are defined as the units of matter
characterized by fineness, flexibility and a high ratio of length to thickness.
Classification of textile fibers
(a) According to their generation process
(b) Depending on their form
According to their generation process
Fibres
Natural fibres M. M. fibres
Vegetable Fibre Animal Fibre Mineral Fibre
(Asbestostos)
Bast Fibres(Jute, Leaf Seed or Fruit
Flax, Hemp, Fibres(Sisal) Fibres (Cotton)
Ramie, Sunn,
Urena, Kenaf)
Wool Silk
Depending on their form
Depending on their form, fibers are also subdivided into following
groups:
1. Fibril: A fibril is a very small cell or fiber.
2. Staple fibre: They are also called staple. Short lengths of fiber, which have been
chopped from continuous filament in length of approximately 15-150 mm.
3. Continuous filaments: A manufactured fiber of indefinite length (continuous),
extruded from the spinneret during the fiber production process.
4. Flock fibers: Flock fibers are very short in length (<15 mm) and therefore, are not
spinnable.
Properties of fibre
Essential requisites of a fiber
1. Length
It is the most important quality which determines the usefulness of a
textile fiber. This should not be less than 5 mm and length should be at
least hundred times its diameter.
2. Strength:
It is the fundamental ability to resist strain or rupture induced by
tension. It is measured as the force per unit cross-section, at the time of
break.
Properties of fibre
Essential requisites of a fibre
3. Cohesiveness: It is because of this property that the fibers hold on to
each other. The frictional properties are achieved by convolutions in
cotton, crimp in wool or serrated cross section in viscose rayon.
4. Flexibility: If the fiber is more pliable, it can be twisted around with
other fibers vary easily to form, a continuous yarn. It also gives the
fiber a chance to regain its original dimensions, when stretched.
Properties of fibre
Desirable properties of a fibre
1. Fineness: It is a measure of both size in terms of diameter and
linear density as measured in weight per unit length.
2. Resilience : A fiber is considered as resilient, if it tends to recover its
shape and size, when stress is removed. Wool fiber under certain
conditions, exhibits this property.
3. Uniformity: The uniformity in size and shape of textile fiber gives
more uniform product. Unfortunately, as stated above, the natural
fibers have very little uniformity in their dimensions. Raw silk varies
greatly in diameter. The linen fiber is very strong and heat resistant
in nature. However, owing to variation in fiber dimensions, great
variation arises when the fabric is made.
Properties of fibre
Desirable properties of a fiber
4. Porosity: It is a ratio of volume of air contained within the material to
the total volume occupied. In fiber, due to amorphous regions, it gives
absorption properties to the fibers.
5. Luster: It is not essential but desirable. It is related to reflection of
light. If this is both pronounced and pleasing, it enhances the value of
textile fibers. If the fibers have cylindrical shape, the luster is increased.
The process of mercerization makes the cotton fibers more circular in
cross-section thus giving pleasing luster. In synthetic fibers, especially in
nylon, the luster is invariably high. In fact , in some cases, the high luster
is trouble-some to eyes and hence ‘dulling process’ is followed.
Properties of fiber
Desirable properties of a fiber
6. Durability: During conversion from fiber to fabric, the fiber should not
only withstand severe treatment given in processing machinery, but also
as a garment or fabric, it should be resistant to effect of physical (light,
heat & watering), chemical (acid, alkalies, detergents) and bacterial
(mildew, fungus) attacks.
7. Commercial availability: The fiber should be available at a reasonable
price and at all seasons of the year.