WHAT IS FIBER
Textile fibers refer to filaments or threads which are woven, knitted, matted or bound to be used to make fabrics for different purposes. To put it in perspective, Fabric is made from yarns and yarn is made from fibers.
TYPES OF FIBERS
NATURAL FIBERS
Natural fibers are fibers obtained from plants and animals; they are further classified as Vegetable fibers, Animal fibers and Mineral fibers. They are harvested from plants or by shearing animal fur. The most common ones you must know are wool, silk (from animals) cotton, jute, flax (from plants) . Hair-bearing animals like silkworms and sheep are shorn of their fur to produce these fibers( wool, silk); Fibers are also extracted from roots, leaves, etc., of plants like cotton, flax, etc. Minerals like asbestos are also used to make fibers.
1) PLANT FIBRES
COTTON
Cotton fibers come from cotton plant seedpods and are usually white in color. The cotton plant is soft and fluffy, so naturally, it produces some of the softest and most comfortable fibers. Cotton fibers are also strong and durable, serving many uses such as towels, bedding and clothing. Manufacturers can spin them into a variety of textile yarns.
LINEN/FLAX
Linen fibers come from the stems of the flax plant. They provide strength, absorbency and comfort, making them suitable for many purposes. Their common uses include clothing, towels, bedding, table linens and other home furnishings.
JUTE
Jute is taken from a tall plant of the same name and it is easy to cultivate and harvest. It is the cheapest fibre and is used in great quantities.
HEMP
Hemp fibers come from the stem of the hemp plant. They’re highly durable and ideal for numerous applications like clothing, bags, building materials and more. These fibers were traditionally used to make ship sails, rigging and ropes. Hemp is sometimes used to substitute wood in fiberboard and paper manufacturing.
RAMIE
Ramie is one of the strongest natural fibers. It exhibits even greater strength when wet. Ramie fiber is known especially for its ability to hold shape, reduce wrinkling, and introduce a silky luster to the fabric appearance. It is not as durable as other fibers, and so is usually used as a blend with other fibers such as cotton or wool.
2) ANIMAL FIBERS
WOOL
Wool is the common name applied to the soft, curly fibers obtained chiefly from the fleece of domesticated sheep, and used extensively in textile manufacturing. Wool production from sheep is affected by nutrition, climate, and care.
SILK
Silk fibers are natural fibrous protein-based materials, spun by Lepidoptera larvae such as silkworms, spiders, scorpions, mites, and flies.
3) MINERAL FIBERS
ASBESTOS
Asbestos is a mineral. It is a natural rock mined from the ground. Asbestos fibers are very light. Asbestos was used in a variety of residential and commercial building products including floor tile; ceiling tile; sound and thermal insulation; siding; roofing; spackling; plaster and stucco; and paints.
MAN-MADE FIBERS
CELLULOSIC BASE FIBERS
RAYON
In the production of Rayon Fiber, purified cellulose is chemically converted into a soluble compound. A solution of this compound is passed through the spinneret to form soft filaments that are then converted or “regenerated” into almost pure cellulose. Because of the reconversion of the soluble compound to cellulose, Rayon is referred to as a regenerated cellulose fiber. Purified cellulose for Rayon production usually comes from specially processed wood pulp and is called “dissolving cellulose” or “dissolving pulp” to distinguish it from lower grade wood pulps used for papermaking and other purposes.
ACETATE
here are two types of cellulose-based fibers; regenerated/pure cellulose (such as the fibers from the cupro-ammonium process) and modified cellulose (such as the cellulose acetates and rayon). Acetate is derived from cellulose by breaking down wood pulp (dissolving pulp) into purified cellulose. By reacting the purified cellulose with acetic acid and acetic anhydride, whilst using sulfuric acid as a catalyst, cellulose acetate dope is produced.
TRI-ACETATE
NON-CELLULOSIC FIBERS
NYLON
Nylon a Polyamide, it is a condensation polymer. Nylon is thermoplastic silky materials that can be melt processed into fibers, films or shapes. Nylon is a tough material that is difficult to tear and exhibits excellent abrasion resistance. Nylon fibers were the first truly synthesized manufactured fibers; introduced in the 1930s as a replacement for boar bristles in toothbrushes, nylon fiber quickly found itself adapted into several forms of manufactured items.
ARAMID
Kevlar aramid fiber was developed by DuPont scientists researching liquid crystalline polymer solutions. Kevlar is a manmade fiber, it as an organic fiber in aromatic polyamide family. Kevlar is made by a condensation reaction of an amine (1, 4-phenylenediamine) and acid chloride (terephthaloyl chloride).
POLYESTER
Polyester is a Synthetic, Non-Renewable Fiber derived from petroleum. Polyester has surpassed cotton as the most commonly produced fiber. They are used in varying applications ranging from apparel, home textiles or can be processed to be used in industrial applications.
ACRYLIC
Acrylic fibers are synthetic fibers made from a polyacrylonitrile polymer. Acrylic fibers are the third largest class of synthetic fiber after polyester and nylons.
MODACRYLIC
This fiber is very similar in composition to acrylic fibers but with better heat sensitivity.
SPANDEX
Spandex is the generic name for synthetic fiber, whose fiber-forming substance is a long chain synthetic polymer. Spandex fibers exhibit superior stretch and elastic recovery ability, providing garments containing spandex fibers with good fitting and comfort characteristics.
METTALIC
Aluminum, silver, gold, stainless steel are also used to make fibers.Metallic fibers are manufactured /man-made fibers with high luster composed of metal, plastic-coated metal or metal-coated plastic. They are used to make fabric as well as decorative yarn
GLASS
Glass melts are made by fusing (co-melting) silica with minerals, which contain the oxides needed to form a given composition. The molten mass is rapidly cooled to prevent crystallization and formed into glass fibers by a process also known as fiberization.