Textile Fibre Properties

Textile Fibre Properties

• Fibers are the fundamental units of textiles
• Fibers are long, slender thread-like structures of cells
• Fibers are the smallest entities of textiles
• Fibers can be spun into yarn or made into fabric

Staple Fibre

• Staple fibers are short fibers measured in inches or centimeters
• Staple fibers range from 2 to 46 cm in length.
• Natural fibers are only available in staple form
• Staple fibers may be natural or continuous fibers cut to a staple length

Filament

• Filament fibers are long continuous fibrous structures
• Filament fibers range from a few hundred meters (silk) to several kilometers (man-made fibers)
• Filament fiber thickness is similar to that of fibers

Fibre Classification

• Fibers are classified as natural or man-made
  • Natural fibers are further classified as natural vegetable, natural animal, and natural mineral
    • Natural vegetable fibers include seed fibers (cotton), bast fibers (jute, linen, flax, ramie, kenaf), and leaf fibers (abaca, banana, sisal, henequen, flax, ramie, hemp, sunn, and coir)
    • Natural animal fibers include wool, silk, and hair
    • Natural mineral fibers include asbestos
  • Man-made fibers are further classified as regenerated man-made fibers, synthetic man-made fibers, and other man-made fibers
    • Regenerated man-made fibers include cellulose, viscose, protein, acetate, alginate, and lyocell
    • Synthetic man-made fibers include polyester, polyvinyl, acrylic, polyolefin, and others
    • Other man-made fibers include metallic fibers, glass fibers, and carbon fibers

Primary Fibre Properties

• Length to width ratio:

  • Average fiber length (minimum 5mm) determines overall quality and utility
  • Ratio of 1:100 is essential for processing, most fibers have significantly higher ratios
  • Fibers shorter than 1.3 cm are seldom used in yarn manufacturing

• Strength:

  • Tensile strength, measured in psi or gf/mm², is the force needed to rupture a fiber
  • Tenacity is tensile strength expressed as force per unit of linear density, typically in grams per denier or grams per tex.
  • Examples of units used to express tensile strength include psi and gf/mm².
  • Linear density units include denier (mass in grams of 9,000 meters of material) and tex (mass in grams of 1,000 meters of material)

• Flexibility:

  • The ability of a fiber to bend and fold without breaking
  • Flexible fibers wrap around other fibers during spinning, create drape and hand in yarns and fabrics, and are easier to spin into yarns.
  • Stiff fibers are difficult to spin into thread and create fabrics with poor drape. Cellulosic fibers are flexible.

• Cohesiveness:

  • The ability of fibers to stick together as a single unit
  • Cohesion is less important for filament fibers than for staple fibers

• Uniformity:

  • Allows fibers to be processed together with less difficulty.
  • Manufactured fibers are virtually identical in a run or lot.
  • Natural fibers are subject to growth irregularities and are not uniform.

Secondary Fibre Properties

• Color: Fiber color affects the final product's appearance.
• Recovery: Fiber ability to retain its shape or form after being subjected to external forces.
• Luster: Fiber's shininess or reflective quality.
• Thermal properties: Fiber reaction to heat, often affecting the final fabric's comfort.
• Resiliency: Fiber's ability to return to its original shape after being bent, compressed, or stretched.
• Elongation: Fiber's ability to stretch before breaking.
• Abrasion resistance: Fiber's ability to resist damage from rubbing or friction.
• Moisture absorption: Fiber's ability to absorb moisture.