TEXTILE SCIENCE

• Food, shelter and clothing - Basic needs of human being

• Clothing is made from textiles and our shelters are made more
comfortable and attractive by the use of textiles.

• Textiles have such an important bearing on our daily lives that

everyone needs to know something about them.

• People have used textiles of various types for covering or

modesty, warmth, personal adornment to display personal
wealth and even for biomedical and technical purpose.
 Reason for studying textiles

• A study of Textiles will show, for example why certain fabrics are
more durable and therefore more serviceable for specific purpose.

• It will explain why certain fabrics make cool wearing apparel to the
wearer.

• Complete knowledge of textiles will facilitate an intelligent

appraisal of standards and brands of merchandise and will
develop the ability to distinguish quality in fabrics.

• The customers get idea about how to buy? And what to buy?
 The word textiles comes from the Latin term Textere,

”Woven”. Today the word textile is more generalized to

refer the product made from fibres.

 •A fiber is defined as any product capable of being woven or
otherwise made into a fabric.

•It may be thought of as the smallest visible unit of textile

production or a fiber can be defined as a pliable hair like strand
that is very small in diameter in relation to its length.

•Fibres are the fundamental units or the building blocks used

in the making of textile yarns and fabrics.
 Where the yarns are produced by twisting or spinning of

the textile fibers and in turn a fabric is a planner structure

produced by interlacing or interlooping of yarns.

CLASSIFICATION OF TEXTILE FIBRES
•Fibres are the fundamental units used in fabrication of textile
yarns and fabrics.
•Fibres are obtained from natural sources and can also be
manmade.
•The textile industry uses many fibers as its raw materials.
•As a result of the development of new fibers, difficulties arise
in textile industry in terms of identification & classification.
•Hence, textile fibers have been classified by manufactures to
identify each of the fibers with different trademarks.
 CLASSIFICATION OF FIBERS BY LENGTH

According to length fibers are classified into two types they are
1. Staple
2. Filament

Staple Fibers
• These fibres are either natural or manmade or short length fibers
which measures in inches or fraction of inch e.g. ¾ to 18 inches.
• Expect silk all other natural fibers are staple fibers.
• Manmade fibers are made in filament form but cut into short
staple lengths as well.
 CLASSIFICATION OF FIBERS BY LENGTH

Filament Fibers: Long fibers measured in yards or meters are

known as filaments. Silk and all man made fibers are
filaments.

Textile Fibers

Filament Staple

Mono Filament Multi Filament

 CLASSIFICATION OF FIBERS BY SOURCE
Textile Fibers

Natural Manmade

Regenerated
Ex: Viscose
Rayon
Vegetable or Animal or Mineral Cellulosic
Cellulosic Protein

Modified
Regenerated
Seed Hair Rock
Ex: Acetate
Ex: Cotton Ex: Wool Ex: Asbestos
Diacetate
Kapok Mohair Triacetate
Cashmere
Angora
Bast Camel Hair Protein
Ex: Flax Ex: Azlon
Ramie
Jute
Hemp Extruded
Ex: Silk
Mineral
Leaf Ex: Gold
Ex: Pineapple Silver
Sisal Glass
Agave Silica
Limestone
Ceramic Alumina
Nut husk
Graphite Carbon
Ex: Coir

Synthetic
Ex: Nylon
Polyester
 Vegetable fibers ‘or’ Cellulosic fibers:

• These fibers are obtained from vegetable source i.e. plants and their
chief constituent is Cellulosic matter.

• Cotton is an example of cellulosic fibre.

• It is by far the most important textile fiber, which makes up nearly

50% of total fibers used in world in terms of weight.

• This category also includes other minor fibers such as Linen, Jute,
Pineapple, etc.,
 Vegetable fibers ‘or’ Cellulosic fibers:

Cotton

Jute Fibre

Kapok Fibre
 Animal Fibers ‘or’ Protein fibers

• There are several animal fibers each obtained from a

different source, but only two are recognized as major
textile fibers.
• They are Wool and Silk.
• They make up small proportion in the market (by weight)
but a much higher proportion by value.
• Other minor fibers in this category are Mohair, Cashmere,
Angora, and Camel hair.
Silk fibers
Animal Fibers ‘or’ Protein fibers
Animal Fibers ‘or’ Protein fibers
Mineral Fibers:

• Asbestos is a natural fiber obtained from varieties of rock.

• It is a fibrous form of silicate of magnesium and calcium
containing iron, aluminum and other minerals.
• It is acid proof, rustproof, flameproof.
• However, the use of asbestos is now rapidly declining following
the discovery of health risks from asbestos dust.

Asbestos Fibre
Manmade Fibers
These refer to those fibers that are not naturally present
in nature, but are synthesized.

Cellulosic Source: Fibers are manufactured from a natural

polymer Cellulose, which is obtained from wood.

Regenerated fibers: The starting product is cellulose, which is

dissolved in sodium hydroxide and viscous solution is extruded
through spinneret into dilute H2SO4

Modified Regenerated: The raw material here also cellulose, but

these fibers are modified chemically so that polymer can be
dissolved in an organic solvent and extruded into hot air which
evaporate the solvent
Viscose
Protein Fibers
These are from the protein source but not being manufactured in
present days.

Mineral Fibers:
• These fibers are glass, steel and carbon all of which are found in
industrial end uses viz., Glass is used for low cost reinforcement,
Plastic for ships, cars and thermal and electrical insulation etc.,
• Steel is reinforced in rubber tyres, belts and filters where chemical
resistance is important.
• Carbon fibers are used where high performance is required i.e.
aircraft’s parts, tennis and squash rackets etc.,
 III Synthetic Fibers

• The term synthetic means that the polymer is entirely man

made from chemicals. These group fiber properties are
dependent upon their chemical compositions and kinds of
molecular orientation.

• The group includes three major fibers and several minor

ones.

• The major ones include Nylon (polyamide produced in U.S.A

in 1938), Polyester (produced in 1953), Acrylic (produced in
1948).
III Synthetic Fibers