FIBRES & FABRICS

FIBRES & FABRICS



Introduction

In this paper we try to discuss about different fabrics and their properties and how they produce.

Properties and Behaviour of Natural

Fibres are classified as natural fibres and man-made fibres. Among the natural fibres we find plant fibres like cotton, flax, hemp or jute, and animal fibres like wool or silk. Man-made fibres are either based on natural polymers, like viscose rayon or cellulose acetate, or based on synthetic polymers, like polyolefines, polyacrylonitrile, polyamide or polyester fibres.

Regenerated fibres

Regenerated fibres are produced from raw materials that form fibres naturally, for example wood pulp or cotton linter. These raw materials are reformed to produce fibres or filaments suitable for making into yarns. The first commercial regenerated synthetic fibre was rayon, also known as 'artificial silk', and was made from modified cellulose / wood pulp, later known as viscose. Acetate is a regenerated fibre made from cotton linters (very short cotton fibres) combined with acetic acid(Irene, 2006, 191-214).

Care labels

Care labels provide guidelines to consumers and apparel care givers about the best cleaning procedures to be used for that particular combination of fabric, thread, decoration and construction techniques. Following the instructions on the care labels provide assurance that the appearance and fit of the garment will be maintained after repeated cleaning treatments. Care labeling of wearing apparel is so important that may different systems have been developed throughout the world.

European Care Labeling

Individual technical committees of the European Union and International Standards Organisation reviewed existing care label standards, and have created a unified system under the ISO scheme which is published as ISO 3758:2005.

The textile care labeling symbols are managed by Ginetex (International Association for Textile Care Labeling). The symbols are registered as international trademarks. Ginetex has 16 member countries, the national committees of which administer the right to reproduce these symbols in their countries(Abrahams, 2007, pp.25-30).

Properties of Synthetic Fibers

Acrylics: Acrylics are made from petroleum. They have wool like fibers. It is not as strong as polyester/nylon but it is soft and warm to handle. It washes and drycleans well. It is very resistant to UV light but sensitive to heat. It is mothproof. Modacrylics are also named because they have been chemically modified to offer good flame resistance. They don't wrinkle or crease easily. It can shrink with hot heat. Trade names include (unmodified) Acrilian, Orlon, Verel, Sef, Zefran, and Dynel (which also comes modified).

Olefin: Olefin includes the varieties polyethylene and polypropylene. A very light fiber, Olefin particularly resembles wool, it is soil resistant and is a good heat insulator. Herculon and Vectra are trade names(Abrahams, 2007, pp.25-30).

Polyesters: Polyester is a petroleum/oil byproduct. It is very strong and easy to wash. It dries quickly and has good shape retention. It is shrink and crease resistant. It is resistant to sunlight, perspiration and moths and has a low absorbency. A light fiber resembling wool or silk, polyester is often blended with natural fibers. It is an ideal fiber for sheeting when mixed with ...