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Why Study Textiles?

Basic needs of clothing and housing

Fabric Science and Apparel - 1
Important to lifestyle and
(BFPD203M)
technology
By Economic impact
Dr. Akhtarul Islam Amjad
Department of Fashion Technology
National Institute of Fashion Technology, Panchkula

Dr. Akhtarul I Amjad (Nift Panchkula) 10

.

Textile
Why Study Textiles?
Knowledge related to career
responsibilities The products
Impact on
made from the
products and
availability fiber
3 4
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Textile Indian Textile Industry- An Overview

• Clothing is one of the human’s basic needs besides food, shelter and medicine.
A term originally applied only
to woven fabrics, now generally applied • History of textiles is almost as old as the history of our civilization.

to fibers, yarns, or fabrics or products

• Some natural fibres such as wool, silk, cotton and linen have been known and used
made of fibers, yarns, or Fabrics.
form thousands of years.

• Man-made fibers have a history only as long as the 20th century and most fibres that
we are familiar with today have been produced in the last 40 years.

Indian Textile Industry- An Overview Indian Textile Industry- An Overview

 One of the oldest industries in Indian Economy  Largest exporter of yarn, 25% market share in world cotton yarn exports

 2nd largest industry in India after agriculture  12% of the world’s production of textile fibres and yarn

 2nd largest in terms of employment Generation (over 45 million People)  23% of the world’s spindle capacity, ranked 2nd after China

 Earns about 27% of its total foreign exchange  Highest loom capacity, including handlooms, with a share of 61% in world

 Contributes nearly 15% in export of the total industrial production loomage.

 Contributes around 3% to the GDP

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Current Status of Indian Textile Industry Major Textile Industries in India

 Largest producer of jute

https://youtu.be/bVjFP8LTa6c
 2nd largest producer of silk

 3rd largest producer of cotton (16% of global production)

 3rd largest producer of cellulosic fibre/yarn

 5th largest producer of synthetic fibres/yarns

 11th largest producer of wool

Application of Textile Materials Pro-tech (Protective Textiles)

 Apparel – the textiles used in clothing

 Home Furnishing – used in furniture, bath, kitchen and bed

 Technical Textiles – Very wide application

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Mobil-tech (Automotive and Aerospace Textiles) Agro-tech (Agriculture Textiles)

Build-tech (Construction Textiles) Cloth-tech (Clothing Textiles)

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Geo-tech (Geo Textiles) Home-tech (Domestic Textiles)

Indu-tech (Industrial Textiles) Eco-tech (Environmentally Friendly Textiles)

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Packtech (Packaging Textiles) Sport-tech (Sports Textiles)

Medi-tech (Medical Textiles) Smart Textiles

 SMART TEXTILES are defined as textiles that can sense and react
to environmental conditions or stimuli, from mechanical, thermal, magnetic,
chemical, electrical, or other sources.
 They are able to sense and respond to external conditions (stimuli) in a
predetermined way.
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SECTORS Handloom sectors

• The sector accounts for 13 % of the total
1. Handloom sectors cloth produced in the country.

2. Decentralized power loom sector

3. Organized mill sector.

25 26

Handloom Mark
Power loom sector

• The handloom mark launched on 28th June 2006 serves as  The power-loom industry plays a pivotal role in a meeting the clothing
guarantee for the buyer that the product being purchased is needs of the country and produces a wide variety of cloth, both grey as
well, as Processed.
genuinely hand woven and not a power looms or mill made  The power loom sector contributes about 62 % of the total loom in the
product. world.
 More then 60 % of cloth meant for exports comes from
power-loom sector.

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Organized mill sector TEXTILE SEGMENTS

• The market is divided into approximately 40% apparel, 40% interior

• Largest organized industry in the country in terms of employment furnishings and 20% industrial and other products.
(nearly 1 million workers) and number of units. •The major textile production segments are:
•(1)Fibres
(2)Yarns
(3)Fabrics
(4)Dyeing and printing
(5)Finishing

29 30

Fabrics

FIBRES

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Fibre to Fabrics
Molecular properties Fibre structure Fibre

Yarn
Properties of fibres Structure of yarn
Fabric

Preparatory process
Non-Woven Structure Properties of yarn Structure of fabric

Dyeing

Properties of fabric Structure of Garment Printing

Finishing
Application/Properties of Finished fabric
Garment

Process Flow chart from Fiber to Consumer FIBRES

FIBERS - NATURAL, MAN-MADE, BLENDS
↓ SPINNING • Fibres are the raw materials for the manufacturing of
YARNS - STAPLE FIBER, CONTINUOUS FILAMENT
↓ WEAVING, KNITTING, BONDING the fabric.
FABRIC - WOVEN, KNITS, NONWOVENS
↓
• They are fine, hair-like substances, categorized as either natural or
DYEING / PRINTING manmade.
↓
TEXTILE FINISHING - MECHANICAL FINISHING, CHEMICAL FINISHING • Natural fibres are got from plants and animals and already exist
↓
in fibre form.
CLOTHING MANUFACTURE - CUTTING, SEWING, PRESSING, PACKING, SHIPPING
↓ • Manmade fibres are created from chemicals and do not
RETAILING - CHAIN STORES, INDEPENDENTS
↓
exist in fibre form, initially.
CONSUMER - USE, AFTER USE
↓
DISPOSAL / RECYCLING: - RECOVERY, INCINERATION 36
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FIBRES
YARNS
• Some examples for natural fibres are cotton, jute, flax, silk, wool, etc.
• Yarns are manufactured from fibres.
• Cotton, jute, flax are got from plants and silk and wool are got from • Produced by combining thousands of fibres and twisting them
animals. together to form a continuous strand.
• There are various types of yarns such as spun yarns, filament
• Some examples for manufactured fibres are polyester, nylon, viscose yarns, flat yarns, textured yarns, novelty or fancy yarns, etc.
rayon, acrylic, etc. • Can be made from natural as well as manmade fibres.

37 38

FABRICS
Types of Fabric

• Fabrics are made from yarns and sometimes directly from fibres also.
Woven Knitted Nonwoven Others
• Various fabric forming techniques include weaving, knitting,
nonwovens, etc.
Warp Knitted Adhesive Braid
• Weaving has the major market, followed by knitting and nonwovens.
Needle
Weft Knitted Lace
Punching

Stitch
Net
Bonding

Thermal
Bonding Felt

40
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Fabric Fabric
A woven fabric is composed of two Weaving is the interlacement of
basis series of yarn called warp and these yarns to form a fabric.
weft.

41 42

Fabrics Fabrics
Fabrics which are constructed by Knitted fabrics are manufactured
interlocking a series of loops of one on circular or warp knitting machines.
or more yarns by hand

or by machine are
called knitted fabrics.

43 44
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Fabrics Fabrics
Non woven fabrics are produced Nonwoven fabrics are made by
without the process of weaving or pressing, bonding, or interlocking
knitting fibers together

directly without
using yarns.

45 46

Garment DYEING AND PRINTING

• Colour can be applied to the fabrics by either dyeing

A feature of nearly all or printing.
modern human societies is • Dyeing is the process of imparting a solid colour
to the fabrics.
the wearing of clothing, a • Printing is the process of imparting designs to the
fabrics.
category encompassing a • The purpose is to make the fabric more
wide variety of materials appealing.
• These operations are performed in dye plants or
that cover the body. print plants and the companies are called dye
47
houses or print houses. 48
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FINISHING
FINISHING

Most fabrics need additional treatments After finished fabric has been produced, it is usually used
called finishes before they can be used. by other product manufacturers.
For example, special chemicals are used to The finished fabric can be used for producing apparels,
make a fabric water-repellent and suitable for interior furnishings and industrial products.
a raincoat. A particular fabric might be used for several different
The processes are done in finishing plants products such as shirts, curtains, tents, etc.
which are mostly a part of dyeing or printing
houses.

49 50

PUT-UP PUT-UP

This term is used to indicate the way fabric is packaged Now wider widths up to 100 inches and length of 1000 yards
when it is sold. are becoming popular for higher efficiency in manufacturing.
Most fabrics sold to garment and other manufacturers are in Pieces of fabric shorter than 40 yards in length are called
a rolled put-up, where the fabric is wound around a cardboard shorts.
tube.
Jobbers normally are the buyers of these short pieces of
A full roll or piece of woven fabric traditionally contains from
60 to 100 yards (1 yard = 0.9144m). fabric.
Knit fabrics are usually shipped in 35 to 50 pound (0.4536kg) Remnants are usually 1 to 10 yard pieces of cloth.
rolls, in either open width or tubular form.

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PUT-UP Process Flow chart from Fiber to Consumer

Pound goods are usually very short pieces of fabric, less than
1 yard of length.
They are sold in pounds and not by yards.
Fabric that cannot be sold in any other manner is sold
this way.
These goods are bought at the buyer’s risk and receive
lowest price.
End uses include stuffing for furniture and clothes for
dolls.
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Textile Fibre Properties of textile fibres

Desirable properties
• A morphological term for substances characterized by their flexibility,
1. Fineness
fineness and high ratio of length to cross sectional area. Essential Properties
1. Length ( L:D) 2. Resiliency
Fibre
2. Strength 3. Uniformity
• Textile Fibres refers to units that can be spun into a yarn or made into a Related
4. Density
fabric by various methods including weaving, knitting, braiding, felting, and and related properties
5. Porosity
twisting.
3. Flexibility 6. Lustre
Process Related
Spinnability 7. Durability
• To be designated as a textile fibre any material should satisfy two important 4. Cohesiveness
8. Moisture
characteristics, namely, the essential or the primary properties and the
9. Commercial availability
desirable or the secondary properties.
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Properties of textile fibres PROPERTIES OF TEXTILE FIBRES

3. Cohesiveness
1. Length
• It is the property of an individual fi bre by virtue of which the fibres
Almost all textile fibres have length to breadth ratio of more than 1000:1.
hold on to one another when the fibres are spun into yarn.
Typical ratios for several natural fibres are as follows: • This action is usually brought about by the high degree of frictional
• Cotton = 1400, resistance offered by the surface of the fibres to separate one from the
• Wool = 3000, 2. Strength other.
• Flax = 1209, Strength of any material is derived from the load 4. Flexibility
• Ramie = 3000, it supports at break and is thus a measure of its • The fibre should be sufficiently pliable; then only it can wrap around
• Silk = 33 × 106 limiting load bearing capacity. another fibre during spinning.
Normally strength of a textile fibre is designated • If, on the other hand, fibre is stiffer and wirier, then it is less adaptable
as Tensile strength. for textile use, for example, glass and metallic fibres.

PROPERTIES OF TEXTILE FIBRES Staple Fibres Vs Filament Fibres

• Their short length and non-uniform nature, staple fibres require greater
Classification of fibers can be done by:
processing before a satisfactory yarn can be produced; this obviously adds to
• By Dimension Staple fibres are only a few production costs.
• Length centimetres
• Staple • However, the desirable characteristics of staple fibre yarns – such as comfort,
• Continuous filament
Usually several kilometres in warmth, softness and appearance – often compensate for these increased
length, and can be chopped up
• Size or left as they are. costs.
• Ultra fine,
• Fine, • The system used to prepare staple fibres for spinning depends on the type. Short
• Regular, Originate from natural sources staple fibres are prepared using the cotton system.
• Course • Plant (cellulosic)
• By origin • Animal (protein) • Longer wool fibres may be prepared using either the woollen system or the

• Natural worsted system (also called the long staple system). It should be noted here
• Manmade • Originate from chemical sources
• From regenerated or recycled that shorter wool fibres (<40 mm) can also be processed using the cotton system.
sources
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CLASSIFICATION OF TEXTILE FIBRES Cont

Classification of Textile Fibres …

Staple fibres are only a few

centimetres

Usually several kilometres in

length, and can be chopped up
or left as they are.

Originate from natural sources

• Plant (cellulosic)
• Animal (protein)

Classification of Textile Fibres Classification of Textile Fibres

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Classification of Textile Fibres Classification of Textile Fibres

Classification of Textile Fibres Classification of Textile Fibres

Condensation polymers
The step growth polymerization. Here when molecules of monomers react to form a bond they
replace certain molecules. These molecules are the by-product of the reaction. If the monomer
has only one reactive group, the polymers that form have low molecular weight.
When monomers have two reactive end groups we get linear polymers. And monomers with
higher than two reactive groups results in a polymer with a three-dimensional network.

Addition Polymerization
the monomers rearrange themselves to form a new structure. But there is no loss of an atom or
a molecule.
Addition polymerization results in homo-chain polymers whereas condensation polymerization
results in hetro-chain polymers.
Step-Growth or Condensation Polymerization
Chain-Growth or Addition Polymerization
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Disadvantage of Natural Fibres Classification of Textile Fibres

• Natural fibres are not available in high tenacity (HT) and medium tenacity (MT).
Q.1 Best suitable example for regenerated protein fibres.
• Natural fibres do not possess high degree of resiliency as compared to manmade a. Rayon b. Wool c. Casein d. Alginate
fibres, hence the fabrics made out of them do get wrinkles from ‘baggy knees’,
Q.2 Human hair cannot be textile fibre because
possess less crease recovery.
a. Does not posses Strength
• Production of natural fibres cannot be completely controlled by man, in so far as the b. does not possess length
quality and quantity of the fibre is concerned, specific qualities varies. c. Does not possess cohesiveness

• The availability of natural fibres is affected by natural calamities and vagaries of d. Does not possess moisture absorbency
Q.3 In compare to filament yarn, staple fibre yarn possess-
nature.
a. softness b. comfort c. strength d. low cost
• The production of natural fibres involves the use of land which is also required for
growing the agro products.
• Variation in length, fineness, etc. of the natural fibre causes less regular and uniform
yarn than that obtained from manmade fibres.
Textile and Technical Academy

Suggested Reading & Reference Material:

S.No. Title Author Publisher
1 Textiles Fibers to Fabrics Sixth Edition B. P. CorbmanMcgraw Hill Publishers

2 Fabric Science, 7th edition J.J. Pizzuto Fairchild publication

3 Principles of Weaving R. Marks & ATC Robinson The Textile Institute, Manchester

4 Principles of Textile Testing J. E.Booth CBS Publishers & distributors, New Delhi

5NCUTE-Progress Series of IIT, Delhi NCUTE- IIT, Delhi held on 8-12/1/2001, 2-4/09/1999 & TEXTILE SEGMENTS
7-9/10/1999
6 Weaving Mechanism N.N. Banerjee, Smt. T.Banerjee& Mr. A.Banerjee, Berhampur
,W.B.
7Watson’s Textile Design & Colour (Vol 1 & II) By Z. Grosicki, Universal Publishing
Corpn., Mumbai
8 Woven Structure & Design Doris Goerner, WIRA Tech. Publications
9 Fabric Manufacture: A Handbook Alan Newton Intermediate Publishing,1993

10 Fairchilds Dictionary of Textiles 7th edition P.G.Tortora

11Handbook of weaving SabitAdanurWoodhead Publishers
12 Handbook of industrial Fabric SabitAdanur CRC
7 72
1
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FIBRE FIBRE

• A fibre is the smallest part of a fabric. • A textile fiber can be defined as a fiber which
• It is the raw material required for the can be converted in to a yarn or fabric.
production of the fabric. • Differences among the textile fibers result
• It is an individual, fine, hair-like substance. from their chemical compositions, the
• It has comparatively high ratio of length to arrangement of their molecules and the
width, ensuring the flexibility required for external features like shape.
manufacturing and end use. • Fibers can be classified based on source and
chemical composition.

73 74

CLASSIFICATION(SOURCE)
Staple (Cut) Fiber

• Based on source, the fibres can be classified

as:
(1) Natural
Staple Fiber (2) Manmade
• Natural fibres are obtained from plants or
animals.
(a) Plant or vegetable fibres are obtained from
Filament Fiber stems, leaves or seeds of plants.
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This chart classifies fibers into natural and man-made.

NATURAL
CLASSIFICATION(SOURCE)
Wool Silk Ramie Cotton

Protein • Stem/Bast – jute, flax, hemp, ramie

Cellulosic
Angora M ohair Linen/Flax
• Leaves – sisal, abaca, banana
• Seed – cotton, kapok, coir
MAN-MADE
Glass
(b) Major animal fibers are wool and silk.
Rubber

• Wool is obtained from sheep and silk is

Sulfar Azlon*
PBI Aramid
Acetate Rayon Lastrile Anidex*
Metallic Acrylic obtained from the secretion of silk worm.
Cellulosic
• Other specialty hair fibers are cashmere,
Modacrylic Vinyon
Novalid* Vinal*
Lyocell Triacetate Nylon
Nytril* Saran
Spandex
camel, cow, horse, llama, alpaca, mohair, etc.
Olffin Polyester
* Not currently produced in the US.
77
(c) Mineral fiber- asbestos. 78

Cellulosic Fibers CLASSIFICATION(CHEMICAL)

(1) Cellulosic – cotton, jute, flax, hemp, ramie

Seed Bast Leaf Other (2) Modified cellulosic – cellulose di-acetate, cellulose tri-
acetate
flax, sea
(3) Polyamide – (a) natural – silk, wool
cotton,
coir
hemp, abaca,
grass, (b) synthetic – nylon
jute, maize,
(coconut), piña,
kapok,
ramie,
sisal,
palm (4) Polyester
kenaf, fiber
milkweed
hibiscus henequen (5) Polyurethane
(6) Polypropylene

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PROPERTIES
•The properties of fibres can be divided into:
(a)Essential/primary properties
FIBER PROPERTIES
(b)Desired /secondary properties

• Essential/primary properties are those must be

possessed by all the fibers (both natural and
manmade) for good performance during the fabric

81
manufacturing process. 82

PROPERTIES

The desired properties are:

• Absorbency
• Abrasion resistance
• Luster
Essential/primary properties
• Colour
• Hand
• Static electricity
• Specific gravity
• Dimensional stability
• Flammability
• Heat sensitivity
• Wicking 83 84
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LENGTH LENGTH
• Any fiber should have a minimum length to
• All the manmade fibers are examples for
be converted into yarn.
filament fibers.
• The minimum commercial spinnable length
• They can be cut into staple fibers as per the requirement for
of a fiber is 1 cm.
blending with natural fibers.
• Fibers which have a limited length are called
• Some manmade fibers as spandex are always used as filament
as staple fibers.
fibers.
• Fibers which have a continuous length are
• When the fibers are having more length, more possibilities
called as filament fibers.
are there for producing finer yarn.
• All the natural fibers except silk, are examples
for staple fibers. 85 86

FINENESS FINENESS

• Fine fibers are soft and pliable.

• Fiber fineness refers to the fiber diameter or
• Finer fibers can result in fabric that is sheer (so thin as to
thickness.
transmit light), light weight and more drapable and softer
• Fiber fineness greatly influences a fabric’s to touch than the coarser fibers.
performance and hand (feel).
• Natural fibers are subject to growth irregularities and are
• Coarse fibers are crisp, rough and stiff. not uniform in fineness.
• Coarse fibers also resist crushing, a property that is • Manmade fibers are uniform in fineness along the
important in products like carpets. length and can be produced at the required diameter as
• Coarser fibers result in bulkier fabrics because they do per the need.
not pack as well as finer fibers. 88

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STRENGTH STRENGTH

• Tensile strength is a fibre’s ability to withstand stress • The tenacity of a fiber when it is wet may differ from the
in longitudinal direction. tenacity of the same fiber, when it is dry.
• Fibre strength is the force needed to break • Strength may also be described by the force needed to rip a
the fibre. fabric (tearing strength) or to rupture a fabric (bursting
• Also defined as the maximum load, a fibre can strength).
withstand until it is broken.
• It is called as tenacity (breaking tenacity) and expressed in
grams per denier or grams per tex.

89 90

FLEXIBILITY
STRENGTH
• It is the capability of a fiber to bend easily and
• Some fibers such as glass, nylon and polyester are very repeatedly without breaking.
strong, whereas others such as acetate and acrylic are weak. • Stiff fibers are hard to spin into yarns and create fabrics
• Strength contributes greatly to fabric with limited consumer appeal.
durability. • The flexibility of as fiber contributes greatly to the drape of
• In performance fabrics, such as outer wears, uniforms, a fabric.
tirecords, parachutes, strength is a critical property. • Drape is the ability of a fabric to hang in graceful folds,
either on the body or some other form, such as curtains
hanging from a rod.
92

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FLEXIBILITY CRIMP

• A flexible fibers such as acetate can be made into a

• Crimp/waviness refers to the bends and
highly drapable fabric and garment.
twists along the length of a fiber.
• A rigid fiber such as glass, which is not used in apparel
• Greater crimp increases cohesiveness, resiliency,
but can be found in draperies, usually makes a fabric that
bulk, warmth, elongation, resistance to abrasion,
is relatively stiff.
absorbency.
• Usually the thinner the fiber, the better its
• However, hand becomes harsher and luster is
drapability.
reduced as crimp increases.
• Flexibility also influences the hand of a material.
93 94

CRIMP

• Crimp is inherent in natural fibers and

maximum in wool.
• Although it is not inherent in manmade fibers, it can be
artificially produced by a process called texturization. Desired /secondary properties

• The manmade fibers which are to be blended with natural

fibers, should compulsorily be texturized.

95 96
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ABSORBENCY ABSORBENCY

• It is the ability of the fiber to take up moisture • Hygroscopic fibers (animal hair fibers)
from the body or from the environment. absorbmoisture without feeling wet.
• It is measured as moisture regain where the moisture in the • All the manmade fibers except rayon, lyocell
material is expressed as a percentage of the weight of the and acetate are hydrophobic.
moisture-free material. • Glass absorbs no water at all.
• Hydrophilic fibers absorb moisture readily. • Absorbency is related to static buildup.
• Hydrophobic fibers have little or no absorbency. • Problems with static are more likely to develop in
hydrophobic fibers because they do not conduct
97
electrons readily. 98

Absorbency: Ability to take up CRIMP

moisture.
• Crimp is expressed as follows:
Crimp = (a-b)/b x 100
Hydrophilic: very absorbent where,
a = Straightened length b = Original
Hydrophobic: not absorbent
length
Hygroscopic: Absorbs moisture
without feeling wet.
100
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ELASTICITY ELASTICITY

• It is defined as the ability of a fiber to return to its original • Elastic recovery is the ability of a fiber to return to its
shape and size, after the removal of deforming forces. original dimension or shape after elongation.
• Elasticity is characterized by elongation and • It is measured as the percentage of return to
elastic recovery. original length.
• Elongation refers to the degree to which a fiber may be • It varies with the amount of elongation and with the length
stretched without breaking. of time the fabric stretched.
• It is measured as percent elongation at break by measuring
the change in length and comparing that to the original
length.
101 102

ELASTICITY ELASTICITY

• Fibers with elastic properties produce more comfortable • Fibers that can elongateat least 100% and still return to their
garment and cause less seam stress. original length are called elastomeric fibers (spandex).
• Complete recovery helps to prevent bagginess from • Creep recovery is the term used to describe a fiber that will
occurring at elbows or knees, and it prevents the garment slowly recover its original length after being stretched.
from becoming loose fitting.

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ABRASION RESISTANCE ABRASION RESISTANCE

• Abrasion resistance is the ability of a fiber to

• Edge abrasion can occur when the textile is folded, as when a
withstand the effects of rubbing or friction.
pant hem rubs on a sidewalk.
• It is a significant factor in the durability of a
• Flex abrasion can occur when the textile is moving and
fiber.
bending, as in shoelaces that wear out where they are laced
• Nylon and aramid fibers have excellent through the shoe.
abrasion resistance, while glass and acetate
have poor abrasion resistance.

105 106

LUSTRE LUSTRE

• In general, manmade fibers have high luster because of the

• Luster is the amount of light that is reflected
drawing process used in manufacturing for making the
from a fiber surface.
surface smoother.
• Various characteristics of a fiber affect the
• The cross-sectional shape of the fibers affects luster.
amount of luster.
• Fibers with round, flat and trilobal cross- sections have
• Increased light reflection occurs from a smoother surface,
higher luster than others.
less crimp, flatter cross- sectional shape and longer fiber
length. • Addition of delusteringagents like
titaniumdioxide will give a dull appearance.
• Silk is the only natural fiber with high luster.
107 108
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COLOUR HAND

• Manmade fibers are usually white, whereas natural fibers • Hand is the way the fiber feels when handled.
vary in shade from white to brown, tan and black. • The hand of the fiber is affected by its shape, surface and
• Camel hair is in tan color. configuration.
• Wool may be from off-white to black. • Fiber shapes vary and include round, flat and
• Natural fibers may be bleached if whiteness is desired. multilobal.
• Both natural and manmade fibers can be • Fiber surfaces also vary having attributes like
dyed to meet consumer preferences. smooth, serrated or scaly.
• Fiber configuration is either crimped or
109
straight/flat. 110

HAND RESILIENCY
• Resiliency is the ability of the fiber to springback to shape
• Terms such as soft, crisp, dry, silky, stiff or harsh are used to
after being creased, twisted or distorted.
describe the hand of a textile material.
• It is closelyconnected with wrinkle recovery.
• Filament fibers feel smoother than natural
fibers. • A fabric that has good resiliency does not wrinkle easily and
therefore tends to retain its good appearance.
• Fine diameter fibers are softer and less stiff
than thickfibers. • Thicker fibers possess greater resiliency because there is
more mass to absorb the strain.
• Textured or crimped fibers feel fluffier than
untextured fibers.
111 112
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RESILIENCY STATIC ELECTRICITY

• Shape of the fiber also affects resiliency. • The clothes clinging to the wearer or lint being attracted to the
• Round fibers always possess greater resiliency fabric are the effects of static electricity.
than flat fibers. • It is a frictional electric charge caused by the Rubbing together
• Polyester and wool have outstanding resiliency but of two dis-similar materials.
cotton has poor resiliency. • A spark or shockoccurs when the surface comes into contact
• A resilient fiber creates a problem if a sharp crease is desired with a good conductor and there is a rapid discharge.
in a garment.

113 114

STATIC ELECTRICITY
% Moisture Regain = Weight of water in the sample x 100 ×
=
Oven dry weight of the sample
• Static can also occur in natural fibers, but only if they are very
dry and act as hydrophobic.
• Glass is exceptional hydrophobic fiber, in which no static % Moisture content =
Weight of water in the sample x 100
Original total weight of the sample
=
×

charge can buildup due to its chemical

composition.
• Fabrics containing epitropic fibers (fibers that Conversions between Moisture Content & Regain M=
R x 100
R + 100
conduct electricity) have no static problems.
(M=moisture content, and R = regain)

115
 8/25/2022

Diameter: Affects fabric

performance and hand.
Micrometer: Unit of
measurement for fineness of
natural fibers
117