fibres and yarns, synthetic fibres

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FIBRE FACTS

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synthetic

SYNTHETIC FIBRES

The term synthetic means that the polymer is entirely man-made

In terms of thread and yarn production there are four important fibre classes in this group

Polyamide (nylon)
Polyester
Acrylic
and
Elastane

Polyamide (nylon)

Polyamide (nylon) is made from a mixture of coal and petroleum, and was the first synthetic fibre to be produced
It was introduced in the USA in 1938
The fibre was initially used for the manufacture of stockings
Later nylon became a very popular fabric for shirts, bed-linen and underwear
The properties of nylon are that it is quick drying, non-iron and very abrasion resistant, it is also non-absorbant
Today nylon filament is usually chopped into staple lengths and blended with wool or cotton

Polyester

Polyester is another fibre derived from petroleum
It is a thermoplastic (deforms in heat) fibre and is produced using the melt-extrusion method
The extruded continuous filament is chopped into staple and blends well with wool, cotton and viscose to improve their wearing qualities
Polyester has a flame-retardant built into the polymer at the fibre making stage, and is now sold in this non-burning form
Because the fibre can also discharge enough static to cause a small electric shock, an antistatic treatment is generally applied
Terylene is the most well known polyester fibre
Other brand names include Crimplene, Dacron, Diolen, Terlenka, and Trevira

Acrylic

Acrylic fibres were first produced in 1946
They are made from ammonia, propylene and oxygen
The componants are dissolved in a solvent, and the viscose solution is extruded by the solvent-dry method
The staple fibres are soft and warm, and have charactoristics similar to wool
Acrylic fibres are used extensively in knitting yarns, and are often blended with wool, nylon or cotton
Brand names include Acrilan, Orlon, and courtelle

Elastane

Elastane fibres are able to expand and relax (elastic)
They can be extended from 3 to 5 times their original length before they break
The fibres are used in stretch body wear such as swimsuits
Elastane can also be combined with other fibres (wool, cotton, nylon, for example) to produce extendable yarns
Brand names include Vyrene, Spandex, Spanzelle and Lycra

well thats all on fibres, I hope you found it interesting,

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overview wool-fibres hair-fibres silk-fibres leaf-fibres stem-fibres seed-fibres man-made-fibres viscose-rayon synthetic