Textiles Flashcards
What are the raw materials of textiles?
Fibres
What are fibres?
They are fine, hair like structures available in short lengths or long continuous filaments.
There are 3 groups of fibres, what are they?
Natural fibres
Regenerated fibres
Synthetic fibres
What are natural fibres?
Fibres which come from animals and plants
What are regenerated fibres?
Fibres that come from natural, non-fibrous sources, such as trees. They are treated with chemicals
What are synthetic fibres?
Fibres made from chemicals usually oil or coal based
What is a yarn?
Yarn is made by spinning or twisting fibres together.
What has to happen to yarn before it is spun?
To be spun, natural short fibres must be cleaned to remove dirt and waste, carded to untangle the fibres and put in parallel and in line with each other and finally drawn into a silver, ready for spinning.
Describe the spinning of yarn.
The yarn is spun by twisting it anti clockwise ( S twist) or clockwise (Z twist).
More complex yarns are made by combining S and Z twists together in equal amounts.
What are fabrics made from?
Fabric is made from yarn
What does yarn form when it knitted or woven?
Into large sheets
Name a non woven fabric
Felt
How is felt made?
It is made by bonding loose fibres together in a process similar to paper making. This property of the fibres depends on the fibres used and the method used to construct it.
What do woven, non woven and knitted fibres look like?
Think of the picture. You may be asked to identify the different types of textile from diagrams.
Describe cotton
A natural vegetable, cellulose fibre
Fibres come from the ripened seed pod of the cotton plant
It is soft and fluffy
Describe wool
A natural animal protein fibre from sheep’s fleece
A warm, soft, absorbent, crease-resistant fibre
Describe silk
A natural animal protein fibre from a moths cocoon
A smooth lustrous strong fibre
Describe linen
A natural vegetable cellulose fibre from the stalks of the flax plant
A very strong fibre
Describe acetate
A regenerated fibre made from wood pulp combined with acetic acid
A soft fibre
Describe viscous
A regenerated fibre made from the wood pulp of pine or beech
Produces an absorbent fibre
Describe polyamide (nylon)
Chemically produced from two different monomers
A strong durable fibre
Warm and crease resistant
Describe tactel
Derived from polyamide
Has a high strength to weight ration
Describe polyester
Chemically produced from oil
Combines well with other fibres
A strong durable fibre
Describe acrylic
Similar to wool
A very soft and warm fibre
Describe elastase (Lycra)
A polyurethane fibre
Strong and extremely elastic
Can be stretched up to 7 times its length and instantly recovers to its original shape
Combines well with other fibres
What is another name for elastane?
Lycra
What is another name for polyamide?
Nylon
Give some uses of cotton
Denim, towelling, underwear, blouses, shirts, trousers
Give some uses of wool
Knitted fabrics, sweaters, suits, dresses, carpets
Give some uses of silk
Dresses, shirts and ties
Give some uses of linen
Dresses, suits, trousers and furnishings
Give some uses of acetate and viscose
Underwear
Regenerated fibres are very flexible in their properties and uses and can be used to make lots of items.
Give some uses of nylon
Socks, tights, stockings, sofas, chairs, carpets
Give a use of tactel
Underwear
Ski wear
Give some uses of polyester
Sportswear
Often mixed with cotton to produce polyester cotton blend which is lightweight and quick drying
Give some uses of acrylic
Fake fur, furnishings
Give some uses of elastane (Lycra)
Swim wear
Sports wear
Of the 3 types of fibres which one is most environmentally friendly? Explain your answer
Natural fibres
These come from natural sources such as plants and animals. This type of fibre is environmentally friendly and does not use any non renewable resources.
Give some advantages and disadvantages of choosing cotton to make textiles
Fabrics made from 1. Environmentally friendly to make and dispose of
2. hard wearing and cool to wear
3) however it can be expensive
Are regenerated fibres environmentally friendly? Explain your answer
Regenerated fibres come from natural non fibrous sources which are then treated with chemicals to produce fibres. These fibres are part natural and part artificial and so are no so environmentally friendly as they use chemicals to produce.
Are synthetic fibres environmentally friendly?
No.
These fibres are made from chemicals only; these chemicals include oil and coal.
This type of fibre is not very good for the environment, producing it uses non renewable resources.
Why do people continue to make synthetic fibres if they are made using non renewable energy and chemicals and take a long time to decompose?
Fabrics made in this way are very versatile and can be used in lots of ways and so manufacturer’s like them
Give four examples of natural fibres
Cotton
Wool
Silk
Linen
Give two examples of regenerated fibres
Acetate and viscose
Give 5 examples of synthetic fibres
Polyester
Lycra
Tactical
Polyester and acrylic mix
How is yarn made?
By spinning fibres together
What are the properties of woven fabric?
Non starchy
Frays
Has a straight grain
What are the properties of non woven fabric?
Weak when wet
Doesn’t fray
What are the properties of knitted fabric?
Stretchy
Ladders
Doesn’t fray
When working with textiles, we can use a number of methods to join them together. What two methods are there?
- Sewing and sticking
2. Appliqué
Discuss the sewing method to join fabrics together
We can use a sewing machine or sew by hand to attach fabrics together. We can also use stitching to tidy edges of fabrics
Discuss the appliqué method of joining fabrics together
Use the heat of an iron to melt bondages/vileness. The heat of the iron bonds the fabric together. This is not usually permanent but can hold it in place while you carefully stick around.
Why is the material you choose to use or buy important?
When you are designing or making textile products you should try to use materials and processes that do not harm the environment
What is the advantage of using natural fibres like cotton or wool?
They can be reused again.
Give some examples of what natural fibres can be reused once shredded
Mattress filllings Insulation materials Carpet underfelt Washcloths New coats
Is it possible to possible to reuse synthetic materials?
It is not normally possible to reuse synthetic materials such as nylon and polyester
Are synthetic materials easily to dispose of?
No!
They are difficult to depose of as they take a long time to rot down.
Also many of the processes used in making these fabrics cause problems for the environment
What are some of the problems caused in the environment when the synthetic fibres are being made?
- Some result in waste fumes being pumped into the atmosphere. This contributes to global warming.
- Some processes use up a great deal of energy. E.g the production of rayon using sodium hydroxide which needs to be neutralised with large amounts of acid before disposal.
Why is it a problem that many synthetic fibres are made using fossil fuels such as coal and oil?
Once we have used these resources we cannot replace them
How does the production of synthetic fibres result in lots of carbon dioxide being produced?
The coal and oil have to be burnt to make the synthetic fibres . This produces large amounts of carbon dioxide and other by products which are harmful to the environment.
How can textiles made from natural fibres cause environmental problems?
Many have to be bleached or dyed.
These processes use a vast amount of water and produce a great deal of waste. Much of this waste is poisonous and does not break down easily.
Manufacturers have started to develop environmentally friendly materials. Give the name of one such material.
Lyocell was one of the first environmentally friendly synthetic fabrics.
What is the environmentally friendly product lyocell made from?
Wood pulp.
There are many advantages of lyocell, list some of these.
- Chemicals used in the spinning process can be reused
- The manufacturing process produces few waste products and they are not harmful.
- It’s production process uses less energy
- It rots away easily.
This will defo be a q in the exam
Give the the name of a sustainable fabric used today
Hemp
What is hemp?
Hemp is a natural plant that grows without the need for pesticides. It improves the quality of the soil where it is grown and it is drought resistant requiring very little water.
Hemp also requires very little processing to turn it into fabric.
