INTRODUCTION OF

TEXTILE FIBERS
MOHAMMAD RAZA MIAH(PH.D.)
DOCTOR OF ENGINEERING IN MATERIALS PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY
UNIVERSITY OF CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (UCAS)
 DEFINITION OF TEXTILES & TEXTILE FIBERS

• Definition of textiles:
Textiles is a woven or knitted fabric made from yarn. But apart from fibers, yarns and fabrics or any other product
made from these combinations are defined as textiles. Textiles are also associated with clothing production. Fiber is
the raw material of textiles, which can be natural or man-made.
• Definition of fiber:
Fiber is a thin thread of a natural or artificial substance, that is very small in diameter in relation to its length
(several hundred times as long as it’s thick). Especially fiber is used to make cloth or rope.
There are different types of fibers like natural, synthetic and regenerated. These fibers have different physical
properties and chemical structures. Cotton, hemp, jute, linen, etc. are natural fibers. Acetate, Nylon, Polyester,
Acrylic, etc. are synthetic fibers.Viscose is a regenerated cellulose fiber.
 DEFINITION OF TEXTILES & TEXTILE FIBERS…

• Definition of textile fibers:

Textile fibers can be spun into yarn or processed into textiles such as woven fabric, knit fabric, lace, felt, non-
woven fabric, etc. In addition, the length of the textile fibers should be at least 5mm, then it will be spin-able
and it must be supple, flexible, and strong enough. Textile fibers should have other properties such as length
(staple: 15mm -150 mm), strength (tenacity), elasticity (recovery percentage), moisture regain (MR%) and
moisture content (MC%), fineness (length: width = 1000:1), luster, and crimp, etc.
 ALL THE FIBERS ARE NOT TEXTILE FIBER

• All the fibers can not be textile fibers because textile fibers should possess some essential qualities. It should
have sufficient strength, length, fineness, elasticity, crimp, and friction power to protect biological agents' effects.
It should be available too. Cotton, jute, etc. are textile fibers. They have the above qualities, but fibers like
human hair are only fibers and not textile fibers as they do not possess qualities like strength, elasticity,
appearance, etc. So we can say, all the fibers are not textile fibers.
CLASSIFICATION OF TEXTILE FIBERS WITH EXAMPLES
 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF TEXTILE FIBERS

• History of textile fibers:

• Traditionally, natural fibers have been used in all cultures for making utilitarian products. Different parts of the plant
are used. Fibers can be extracted from the bark (banana, jute, hemp, ramie), stem (banana, palm, bamboo), leaf
(palm, screw pine, sisal, agave), husk (coir), seeds (cotton), and grass (sikki, madhurkati, benakati, munj). Animal
fibers are obtained from a variety of animal coats, and insect fibers from cocoons.
• Even before the arrival of man-made fibers, manufacturers could create hundreds of different kinds of fabrics,
differing mainly by fiber content, weight, style of weave, or sheen. Here are just a few of these historic fabrics, along
with the natural fiber from which they were originally made (nearly all can be made now with other fibers, either
natural or synthetic).
 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF TEXTILE FIBERS…

• Angora (wool) Broadcloth (wool) Brocade (silk) Calico (cotton) Cashmere (wool)
• Chiffon (silk) Chino (cotton) Corduroy (cotton) Crinoline (flax) Damask (silk)
• Denim (cotton) Flannel (wool) Gabardine (wool) Georgette (silk) Jacquard (silk)
• Kente (silk) Lawn (flax/cotton) Linen (flax) Mohair (wool) Muslin (cotton)
• Organdie (cotton) Organza (silk) Oxford (cotton) Pongee (silk) Sateen (cotton)
• Satin (silk) Seersucker (flax) Serge (wool) Shantung (silk) Sharkskin (wool)
• Taffeta (silk) Tulle (silk) Tweed (wool) Velour (cotton) Velvet (silk)
 PROPERTIES REQUIRED FOR AN IDEAL TEXTILE FIBER

Essential properties are those properties that a textile fiber must possess to qualify as a textile material. The essential
properties of an ideal textile fiber include:
• High length to width ratio:
For any fiber to be spun made to yarn and then into fabrics is that their lengths must be more than their widths. The
minimum length to width to ratio is 100:1.
The length of fibers is also a basis for classifying them into two groups: staple and filament fibers. Staple fibers are
short-length fibers and generally obtained from natural sources except for silk while filament fibers are long-length
fibers.
In addition, the width of fiber refers to the diameter. This is measured in microns and determines the fineness of fibers.
A point to note here is that the diameter of the synthetic fiber depends on the size of the spinneret hole.
Also, finer fibers are softer, more pliable, and have better drapability.
 PROPERTIES REQUIRED FOR AN IDEAL TEXTILE FIBER…

• Tenacity:
Tenacity is also referred to as the strength of the textile fiber. It is the force required to break the fiber. The
strength is basically classified into three types on the basis of force direction of force: 1. Tensile strength (Uniaxial
Force) 2.Tear strength (Biaxial Force) 3. Bursting strength (Multi-axial Force).
Each fiber must possess a certain amount of strength to be able to bear the mechanical and chemical processing
that it undergoes during the manufacturing processes. When determining the tenacity of fiber, it helps us to
understand how the fiber will bear the force both in dry and wet conditions. For example, cotton is stronger
when wet as compared to wool which is weak in a wet state.
 PROPERTIES REQUIRED FOR AN IDEAL TEXTILE FIBER…

• Flexibility:
Flexibility is regarded as how much flexible or pliable a fiber is in order for it to be made into yarns and thereafter
into the fabric for easy movement. Certain products require a fabric that is flexible; one such example is
automobile seat belts.
Let’s understand this property with an example: we have certain fibers that are composed of wood but these do
not find application in industrial textiles due to lack of flexibility. While materials made from glass or metallic fibers
possess low elasticity and are stiffer, ruling them out to be used in the apparel sector.
And so, this property helps us to identify fibers intended for the end-use of a product.
 PROPERTIES REQUIRED FOR AN IDEAL TEXTILE FIBER…

• Spinning quality or cohesiveness:

Cohesiveness is the property of the fibers to adhere to each other during the yarn manufacturing process. The
process of spinning makes the fiber surface resistant to friction and it is this lack of mobility that enables the
fiber to stick together when being spun into yarns.
There are some inherent irregularities in the longitudinal or cross-section of the natural fibers which permit
them to hold to each other during the fiber arrangement. Wool, for instance, has an inherent crimp and scales on
its surface that imparts a high degree of cohesiveness. And in the case of synthetic fibers, it is the long length of
fibers that brings cohesiveness. Also, smooth filament fibers undergo texturing techniques that bring a certain
amount of curl, crimp or loop contributing to cohesiveness.
 PROPERTIES REQUIRED FOR AN IDEAL TEXTILE FIBER…

• Uniformity:
Uniformity is an important property of fibers because it is even yarns that make fabric uniform in appearance and
consistent performance. Uniformity is also associated with strength and other properties such as uniformity in
length and thickness.
The natural fibers are since procured from natural sources such as sheep hair, silkworm, seed hair, etc. and so are
subjected to differ from each other in length, thickness, or quality. For instance, wool fibers sheared from the sheep
have various grades depending on the area from which it is taken for example fibers on the lower leg and
underbelly are prone to contamination due to the vegetable matter that entangles in them during grazing while the
best quality is achieved shoulder, sides, and back of sheep.
However, synthetic fibers are more uniform since the yarns can be cut into the desired length and the diameter
can be determined by the holes of the spinneret, they pass through during chemical spinning processes.
STANDARD STRUCTURE OF TEXTILE FIBER
 DIFFERENT BONDING OF FIBERS

• What is fiber bonding?

Fiber bonding methods in which preformed fibers are layered or woven and then hot-melted or glued together by
solvent exposure is another technique for forming porous materials.
The fibers in paper bond to each other by six different mechanisms: interdiffusion, mechanical interlocking, capillary
forces, Coulomb forces, hydrogen bonding, and Van der Waals forces.
• What is bonded wool?
Bonding is a process that combines woven wool with another element (at time resin) to make it more durable,
somewhat waterproof, and tighter in the weave, while keeping the wool's natural power to retain heat. Military
uniforms are generally made of bonded wool.
 WORLD PRODUCTION & CONSUMPTION OF TEXTILE FIBERS

• World production of textile fibers:

In 1975, approximately 24 million metric tons of textile fibers were produced worldwide. By 2020, that number
had nearly quintupled, surpassing 108 million metric tons. Worldwide production volume of chemical and textile
fibers from 1975 to 2020 (in 1,000 metric tons). Natural fibers such as cotton or wool had a production volume of
27.4 million metric tons, whereas chemical fibers accounted for the remaining 80.9 million. Chemical fibers include
synthetic fibers such as polyesters or polyamides and manmade cellulosic fibers like viscose or rayon.
• Consumption of textile fibers:
In terms of fiber, global consumption crossed 100 million metric tons in 2016 and it has been growing with 2019
recording consumption of 108 million metric tons. The majority of fiber demand is met by synthetic fibers (63%),
with cotton coming in second (25%).