Fibres Classification and

properties

Introduction
A unit of matter which is capable of
being spun into a yarn or made into a
fabric by bonding ( Non woven)
It is a smallest textile component
which is microscopic hair like
substance that may be man made or
natural.
They have length at least hundred
times to that of their diameter or
width

Classification
Classification of fibers can be done by:
Type (Natural and manufactured)
Length (Short staple, long staple,
continuous filament)
Size (Ultra fine, fine, regular, course)

General classification

Classification based on type

Classification based on
length

Natural fibers
Any hair like raw material directly
obtainable from an animal, vegetable or
mineral source that can be convertible
after spinning into yarns and then into
fabric.
Under them there are various categories:
Plant
Animal
Minerals

Manmade fibres
Made from chemical
compounds
produced

in

manufacturing
facilities,

original

form not recognized

as fiber.

Cotton
Cotton is a natural vegetable
fibre produced in the cotton
plant in many countries of
the world
Cotton is widely used Textile
Fiber in Textile Industry, due
to its versatile uses.

Properties of cotton
It is soft
It breathes
It absorbs body moisture
It is comfortable
It is strong and durable

Properties of cotton
It has good colour retention
It is easy to print on
It wrinkles easily
It is easy to care for, easy to wash
It is a natural resource that is fully

renewable

Physical properties of
Cotton
Length of cotton fiber
Length of cotton fibre varies from 16mm to
52 mm depending upon the type of cotton.

Fineness of cotton:
Longer the fibre, finer the fibre in case of
cotton fibre. It is expressed in term of
decitex and it varies from 1.1 to2.3 decitex

 Cross-section:
Cross-section of cotton fibre is some
what ribbon like

Linen

Linen Fiberis anatural fiberwhich

is made from Flax. On the other
hand,

linen

fiber

is

called

as

Vegetable fibre.
Fibre extracted from the stems of the
flax plant

Linen
Characteristics of Linen Fiber:
Clothes

that

made

by

linen

comfortable to use
Linen fiber is stronger than cotton
Hand washable & dry cleanable
Crisp feeling

is

Linen
Tailors Well
Absorbent
Dyes & Prints well
No Static & Pilling problems
Good Abrasion Resistant

Properties of linen
Strength:
Two to three times stronger than cotton

Elasticity:
Linen is the least elastic natural fabric.

Resilience:
Linen is quite stiff and wrinkles easily

Absorbency:
fiber absorbs moisture and dries more
quickly

Properties of linen
Heat Conductivity:
Heat conductivity of linen is five times as
high as that of wool and 19 times as that of
silk

Crisp
The linen fabric has a crisp feel with a
distinctive outlook and feel

Properties of linen
Good Abrasion Resistant
it also has good abrasion resistance

No static electricity
Another property of linen is that it does
not accumulate static electricity

Linen
Microscopic view of linen cross
sectional and longitudinal

Jute
Jute is one of the cheapest natural
fibres and is second only to cotton.
Jute fibres are composed primarily of
the cellulose and lignin

Jute
Properties:
Ultimate Jute Length: 1.5 to 4 mm.
Ultimate Diameter of Jute: 0.015 to 0.002
mm.
Jute Color: Jute fiber can be White, Yellow,
Brown or Grey.
Strength of Jute: 3.5 to 5 G/Den.

Jute
Specific Gravity: 1.48
Moisture Regain of Jute: 13.75 % (Standard).
Elasticity:

Breaking

Extension

1.8%

and

Elastic Recovery very low.

Resiliency: Bad.
Dimensional
average.

Stability

of

Jute:

Good

on

Jute
Cross sectional and longitudinal
structure of jute

Silk
Silk is a natural fiber and an animal
fiber too
The life cycle of Silk worm is as

Silk
Characteristics:
Soft or Crisp Feeling
Luxurious
Drapes Property is Good
Silk Fiber Is Very Much Thin
Dyeing Property is good on Silk

Silk
Prints Well
Hand Washing & Dry Cleaning Is Possible
Silk Creates Static Charges
Silk has no pilling problem
Abrasion Resistance Is Good
Light Fastness Is Poor

Cross sectional and

longitudinal view

Silk
Physical properties
Tenacity:
The silk filament is strong

Hygroscopic nature
Because silk has a very crystalline polymer
system, it is less absorbent than wool.

Thermal properties
Silk is more sensitive to heat than wool.

Silk
Chemical properties:
Effect of acids
Silk is degraded more readily by acids than is
wool.

Effect of alkalis
Alkaline solutions cause the silk filament to
swell.

Effect of sunlight and weather

The resistance of silk to the environment is not
as good as that of wool

Wool
Wool is a protein fiber and it is
produced by the animals known as
sheep. It is unique fire with scales on
its surface. Wool, is a multi-cellular
fiber and very expensive in price.

Wool
Wools unique cellular structure gives
it a number of desirable properties
Absorbency:
Wool has the potential to soak up 30%
of its weight in moisture without ever
seeming overly moist or damp

Wool
Flame-Resistance:
fiber largely flame-retardant. Wool does not
combust

Resilience: 50 % when wet, 30% when dry

Insulator
Odor absorbent
Durable

Wool

Viscose Rayon

Rayon

is

manufactured

regenerated cellulosic fiber.

It has a serrated round shape with
smooth surface.
It loses 30-50% of its strength when
it is wet.

Rayon
Rayon is produced from naturally occurring
polymers and therefore it is not a synthetic
fiber,

but

manufactured

regenerated

cellulosic fiber.
The fiber is sold as artificial silk

There are two principal varieties of rayon

namely viscose and cupra ammonium rayon

Rayon
Moisture Absorption:
Moisture Content -13%

Tensile Strength
It is 1.5-2.4 gpd in the dry state and 0.71.2 gpd in the wet state

 Elasticity
less than 2-3%

Elongation at Break
15-30% elongation at break

Density
1.53 g/cc

Rayon
Chemical properties:
Action of Solvents
Textile solvents can be used on Viscose
rayon without any deteriorating effect

Effect of Iron
weakens viscose rayon yarns

Action of Microorganisms
affect the colour,
properties and lustre

strength,

dyeing

Rayon

Polyester
The

most

common

polyester

for

fiber

purposes is poly (ethylene terephthalate), or

simply PET.
PETis made by reacting ethylene glycol with
either terephthalic acid or its methyl ester in
the presence of an antimony catalyst
Then by melt spinning fibres are extracted

POLYESTER
Characteristics:
Strong
Resistant to stretching and shrinking
Resistant to most chemicals
Quick drying

Polyester
Crisp and resilient when wet or dry
Wrinkle resistant
Mildew resistant
Abrasion resistant
Retains heat-set pleats and crease
Easily washed

Polyester
Denier: 0.5 15
Tenacity : dry 3.5 - 7.0 : wet 3.5 - 7.0
%Elongation at break : dry 15 - 45 :
wet 15 45%
Moisture Regain: 0.4

Polyester
Specific Gravity: 1.36 - 1.41%
Elastic Recovery @2% =98 : @5% = 65
Melting point : 260 - 270 degree C
Effect of Sunlight : turns yellow,
Can be dyed only by Disperse dyes

Polyester
Resistance to Weathering: good
Rot Resistance: high
Alkali Resistance: damaged by CON

alkali
Acid Resistance: excellent
Organic Chemical Resistance: good

Nylon
Nylon was the first truly synthetic fiber to
be commercialized
It is a polyamide fiber
The two most common are nylon 66
(polyhexamethylene adiamide) and nylon 6
(Polycaprolactam,
intermediate)

cyclic

nylon

Nylon
Properties of Nylon 66
Tenacity-elongation at break ranges
from 8.8g/d-18% to 4.3 g/d-45%.
Its tensile strength is higher than that of
wool, silk, rayon, or cotton.
100% elastic under 8% of extension

Nylon
Specific gravity of 1.14
Melting point of 263oC
Extremely chemically stable
No mildew or bacterial effects
4 - 4.5% of moisture regain
Degraded by light as natural fibers

Nylon
Permanent set by heat and steam
Abrasion resistant
Lustrous- Nylon fibers have the luster of silk
Easy to wash
Can be pre colored or dyed in wide range of

colors; dyes are applied to the molten mass

of nylon or to the yarn or finished fabric.

Nylon
Resilient
Filament yarn provides smooth, soft,
long lasting fabrics
Spun yarn lend fabrics light weight and
warmth

Nylon
The fibre has a smooth rod like
shape with a smooth surface

Acrylic
Acrylic is another man-made fibre where
development in Germany paralleled that in
the USA.
75 % of acrylic fibres are used in apparel,
20%

in

home

furnishing

industrial end-uses
Also called as artificial wool

and

5%

in

Acrylic
Feels like wool, with high bulk.
Very good heat retention and fastness to
light.
Very good shape retention, durability, easy
care and quick dry qualities
low water absorption, light and weather
resistance.