Fibers Flashcards
What are textiles?
fibers and yarns used in making fabrics.
Name some types of fabrics?
knits, felts, laces, braids and nets
What is the name given to short fibers?
staple fibers
What are fibers?
fine strands measuring from 1cm (1/2 inch) to 20cm (8 inches) that can be twisted into yarns
What are natural fibers?
fibers that come from plant, animal and mineral sources
What are filament fibers?
very long continuous strand of fiber that may also be cut into staple fibers
What are cellulosic fibers?
fibers that are composed of pure cellulose. Cellulosic fibers can be either natural or man made
Give examples of natural cellulosic fibers?
cotton, flax and sisal
Give an example of a man made cellulosic fiber?
viscose
What are protein fibers?
fibers that come from an animal source
Give examples of protein fibers and name their sources
wool from sheep, wool from camels, cashmere & mohair from goats, silk from cocoons spun by silkworms.
What are regenerated fibers?
fibers made from chemically changing natural materials which come from plants
Give examples of regenerated fibers
viscose and modal
What are synthetic fibers?
fibers made from chemically changing materials which come from oil and coal
Give examples of synthetic fibers
acrylic, nylon and polyester
What are microfibers?
fibers that are less than one denier thick
What is fiber blend?
a combination of two or more fibers. The fibers may be combined in yarns or during the process of fabric making and they’ll assume the characteristics of each of the fibers used in their construction
Give an example of fiber blends
natural fibers and manufactured fibers
Define generic name?
the name for a group of related fibers
Define trade name
trade name is of a man made fiber and it is the name given by the fiber manufacturer to his own product
The sources of fibers can be either ?
natural or man made
Name the different sources of natural fibers and give an example of each
seedpods (cotton)
plant stems (flax/linen)
animal hair (wool)
Some fibers can be manufactured using natural fibrous materials such as _______________, an example of which is ___________, or fibers can be built up (synthesized) from chemicals, as with _______________ or _____________.
wood pulp, rayon
nylon, polyester
Fibers can be classified as?
cellulosic, protein, mineral or man made
What are the two categories of man made fibers?
regenerated and synthetic
Name the different categories of plant/cellulosic natural fibers
seed hairs, bast fibers, leaf fibers, nut husk fibers and mineral
Name some examples of seed hair fibers
cotton and kapok
Name some examples of bast fibers
flax, ramie, hemp and jute
Name some examples of leaf fibers
abaca, pineapple and sisal (agave)
Name some examples of nut husk fibers
coir and natural rubber
Name some examples of mineral fibers
abestos
Name the two sources of animal fibers
animal hair and animal secretion
Name some examples of animal hair fibers
wool from, alpaca, camel, llama and angora rabbit
cashmere, mohair
Give some examples of animal secretion fibers
silk ( cultivated an wild) and spider silk
Give some examples of regenerated fibers
viscose, modal, acetate and triacetate
Give some examples of synthetic fibers
acrylic, polyester and nylon (polyamide)
What are the primary properties of textile fibers?
a high length-to-width ratio, strength, flexibility/pliability, spinning quality and uniformity
What are the secondary properties of textile fibers?
1) physical shape
2) density
3) color
4) luster
5) moisture regain and absorption
6) elastic recovery and elongation
7) resiliency
8) thermal behavior
9) resistance to biological organisms and resistance to chemicals and other environmental conditions
Explain the general process of fabric making
fabric making starts with fibers. First the fibers have to be made into yarns. The fibers are spun or twisted together to form yarns. The yarns are transformed into fabric by weaving or knitting, braiding or bonding. Finishes are applied to the fabric at the end, but they can also be applied to fibers and yarns earlier.
Fibres to yarns to fabric
The best production of cotton is achieved in what type of climate?
tropical/warm climate under moist conditions
Name two types of cotton
Sea Island cotton and American-Egyptian cotton
The fleecy cotton fibers are ready for picking after?
after the seed boll matures and opens
The picking of cotton is done by?
by hand, mechanical pickers or stripping devices
The ‘class’ of a fiber refers to?
the staple length, the grade and the character of the cotton
The ‘character’ of a fiber refers to?
the fiber strength, fineness, elastic recovery, uniformity, resiliency, pliability and cohesiveness
Cotton fibers are composed of?
an outer cuticle (skin), a primary wall, a secondary wall and a central core (lumen)
The lengthwise view of cotton shows a _________________ shape with __________ along the length
ribbon-like, twists
Explain the production process of cotton
The fleecy cotton fibers are ready for picking after the seed boll matures and opens. Picking is done by hand, mechanical pickers or stripping devices. After picking, the cotton lint is separated from the seed by a process called ginning which removes all fibers and waste plant material from the seeds. The seeds are used for cattle feed and cotton seed oil. The fibers are packed into bales.
Samples are taken to determine the class of fiber. When the classification is complete, the bales are shipped to manufacturers for processing into yarns and fabrics. The best production of cotton is achieved under tropical/warm climate with moist conditions. Cotton fibers create fabrics that are comfortable.
Characteristics of cotton fabrics
softness
moisture absorbency
permeability to air
pliability
it is easy to launder because the fabric’s strength increases when it is wet
it can accept dyes
it can be bleached
Define cotton
cotton is a natural, cellulose, seed hair fiber which is derived from the cotton plant and is used to make comfortable clothing.
Define linen
linen is a natural, cellulose, bast fiber which is derived from the stem or stalk of the flax plant and is used to make strong and cool clothing. It is also used to make table coverings and towels.
The more complex name for the flax plant?
Linum usitatissimum
The flax plant grows best in what climatic conditions?
a temperate climate with adequate moisture
