Silk is a protein fiber made by silk worms and is the only that is a filament fiber.

Silk is a
filament spun by the caterpillars of various butter flies. Silk is a natural protein filament. It’s
filament density is 1.34 g/cm³ which make it a medium weight fiber. Very light weight silk
textile materials may be manufacturing from silk filaments.

Characteristics of Silk Fibers and Products

• A protein fiber
• Very long filament (up to a mile long)
• Spun by a caterpillar called a silkworm (but not actually a worm).
• Cultivated silk is from silkworms fed only mulberry leaves.
• Most valued for its “silky” feel
• Stronger than cotton or linen
• Damaged by chlorine bleach
• Sunlight can turn white silk yellow and weaken fibers
• Absorbs moisture
• Is resilient and elastic
• Does build up static electricity
• Dries quickly
• Perspiration can deteriorate and discolor dyes
• Requires delicate handling in cleaning
• Expensive

Major silk producing countries are:

1. China (about 70% of the world’s silk)
2. India
3. Thailand
4. North America
5. United Kingdom
6. Japan
7. Italy
8. France
9. Brazil
10. Turkey
11. Korea
Different types of silk:
Silk is usually referred to as the queen of the fibers. It is a product of the life cycle of the silk
cocoon. There are two major varieties of silk, viz. (a)
cultivated silk and (b) wild silk. Without these, there are various types of silk. Major types are
given below.

1. Silk
2. Wild silk
3. Thrown silk
4. Organize silk
5. Tram silk
6. Chappell silk

Manufacturing Process of Silk:

1. Sericulture
2. Sorting cocoons
3. Softening the sericine
4. Reeling
5. Throwing

Sericulture
Sericulture, or silk farming, is the cultivation of silkworms to produce silk. Although there are
several commercial species of silkworms, the caterpillar of the domestic silkmoth is the most
widely used and intensively studied silkworm.

The production of silk generally involves three processes:

• Moriculture – the cultivation of mulberry leaves.

• Silkworm rearing – promoting the growth of the silkworm.
• Silk reeling – the extraction of silk filaments from the silkworm cocoons.
Moriculture
Moriculture refers to the cultivation of mulberry plants, whose leaves are used as silkworm feed.
These plants can be grown via three different methods:
• Cultivation from seeds
• Root-grafting
• Stem grafting
The stem grafting method is the most commonly used method for mulberry plantation.
Silkworm Rearing
In sericulture, the silkworm rearing process begins with the laying of eggs by the female silk
moth. Typically, 300-500 eggs are obtained from one female silk moth. These eggs (laid on a
paper/cardboard sheet) are then disinfected with the help of a 2% formalin solution.
A feeding bed is prepared on a rearing tray by sprinkling chopped mulberry leaves onto it. The
hatched larvae are transferred into this tray via a process known as brushing. In order to maintain
humidity, foam strips are soaked in water and placed on the tray.
After reaching maturity, the larvae begin searching for hospitable places to begin their pupation.
At this stage, the body of the silkworm shrinks and becomes translucent.
Silk Reeling
Inside the cocoons, the larvae undergo metamorphosis and turn into pupae. The harvesting of silk
from these cocoons is the final stage of sericulture. First, the pupae inside the cocoon are killed
by boiling the cocoon and exposing it to steam and dry heat. This process is called stifling.
Now, the silk filaments are removed from the dead cocoon via a process called reeling. When the
cocoons are placed in boiling water for approximately 15 minutes, the adhesion of the silk
threads reduces, enabling the separation of individual filaments. These filaments are twisted into
a thread with the help of a series of guides and pulleys. This silk is then re-boiled in order to
improve its lustre.

2) Shortening Cocoons:
The cocoons are shorted according to colore, shape & texture.

3) Softening the sericine:

Silk filament is a double strand of fibroin, which is held together by a gummy substance called to
service or silk gum. After the cocoon has been sorted, they are put through a series of hot and
cold immersions, as the service must be softened to permit the unwinding of the filament as one
continuous thread.

4) Reeling:
Reeling in the process of unwinding the silk filaments from the cocoons and combining them
together to make a thread of raw silk. As the filament of the cocoon is too fine for commercial
use, three to ten strands are usually reeled at a time to produce the desired diameter of raw silk
which is known as “reeled silk”. The useable length of the reeled filament is 300 to 600 m.
5) Throwing:
The production of yarn from reeled silk know as throwing consists adding twist or of doubling
further twisting these strands into the desired size. When two or three of silk multifilament are
twisted together to from heavier threads, this process is called throwing.
6) Bailing
The silk filament is reeled into skeins, which are packed in small bundles called books, weighing
2 to 4.5 kg. These books are put into bales weighing about 60 kg. In this form raw silk is shipped
to silk mills all over the world.

Chemical Composition of Silk:

✓ Fibroin--------- 72-75%
✓ Sericin -------- 22-23%
✓ Wax and fat ---1.4-2.7%
✓ Mineral salts ---0.3-1.6%
✓ Ash---------------0.1-0.5%
Composition of silk fibroin:
✓ Glycine ----------40.5%
✓ Alanine----------25%
✓ Tyrosine-------11%
✓ Arginine -------1.5%
✓ Lysine ---------0.9%
✓ Histidine -------0.8%
 ✓ Proline --------1%
✓ Leucine -------2.5%
✓ Serine --------1.8%
✓ Phenyl alanine –1.5%

Physical properties of silk:

• Specific gravity → 1.34% gm/cm³
• Moisture → MR %=11
• Strength
▪ Tenacity → 3-6gm/tex
▪ Elongation → 13-20%
• Elasticity: Breaking extension: = 23.4%, Recovery = 52% at 5%
• Effect of light: Change color in sunshine.
• Absorption Resistance: Good
• Dimensional Stability: Good
• Fineness 1–3.5 dtex
• Diameter 10–13 μm
• Fiber length 700–1500 m
• Density 1.37 g / cm3
• Breaking strength → 25–50 cN / tex
• Color → Lustrous white

Chemical Properties of Silk Fiber:

The following are the chemical properties of the silk fiber. They are:-
Effect of Acids: The Fibroin of silk can be decomposed by strong acids into its constituent
amino acids, and in moderate concentration, acids cause a contraction in silk. Besides, dilute
acids do not attack silk under mild conditions.
Effects of Alkalis: Alkalis causes less damage to silk fiber than wool. Weak alkalis such as soap,
borax, and ammonia cause little appreciable damage. Finally, it dissolves in solutions of
concentrated caustic alkalis.
Effect of Organic Solvent: Silk is insoluble in the dry-cleaning solvents in common use.
Effects of Insects: Insect does not affect silk markedly.
Effect of Mildew: Mildew affects slightly this silk fiber.

Advantages of silk fabric:

1. Luxurious hand (the feel of a fiber, yarn, or fabric to the wearer)

2. Excellent drape (a fabrics ability to fold while worn)

3. Wonderful luster (reflection of light on fabric)

4. Hydrophilic

5. Stain resistant

6. Strong but lightweight

Disadvantages of silk fabric:

1. Fair abrasion and resiliency

2. Turns yellow if bleached

3. Poor resistance to exposed sunlight

4. Expensive

5. Degrades over time with exposure to oxygen, making it difficult to preserve

End users of silk fabric:

Silk in use: Silk has been the queen of fibres for centuries. It is used for luxury fabrics and high
fashion cloths and items but its durability extends its use to sports-wear and other contemporary
applications. It is preferable to dry-clean silk but certain silks can also be hand laundered.
Minimum handling and good rising to make sure all soap washed off are the precautions. It
should be dried in shade or at ironing, medium temperature should be used. Bleaching should be
done only with perborate of hydrogen peroxide or chlorine will destroy the material.
Apparel: luxury items, wedding dresses, evening gowns, blouses, scarves, neckties

Interiors: pillows, wall hangings, draperies, upholstery

Fiber Identification (Wool and Silk)

Wool:

It is slow to ignite burns with a characteristic smell, flickering flame, sizzles and curls. It can be
extinguished easily, as the fabric ceases flaming when the fire is withdrawn. Wool ash is dark
and crisp, and it falls into an irregular shape that can be crushed easily. The ash has a strong
animal odor resembling burning feathers and hair, which indicates the presence of an animal
substance or of a fibre obtained from an animal. The characteristic odor of burned wool is due to
the sulphur in it.
Pure Silk
It burns slowly and ceases flaming when the fire is withdrawn. The ash of silk appears in the
form of round, crisp, shiny black beads, like the ash of wool can be crushed easily with fingers.
The ash has an animal odour less pronounced than that of wool, as silk does not contain sulphur

Microscope Test

Wool Fibre
Wool fibre is irregular and roughly cylindrical, tapered at the end, and multi-cellular in structure.
Under the microscope, a cross-section shows three fundamental layers – the epidermis, the
cortex, and the medulla.

The epidermis, or outer layer, consists of scales or flattened plates ranging from 1000 to 4000 to
an inch. These scales give the fibre its cohesive quality. They vary in type; from those having
smaller, finer scales with smoother edges to those having coarser scales with irregular edges.
Silk Fibre
Silk fibre as it comes from the cultivated cocoon is called bave. Under the microscope, this bave
appears somewhat elliptical. It is composed of fibroin, consisting of two filaments, each of which
is called abrin, held together by sericin, a gummy substance that gives the bave a rather uneven
surface. As the sericin is removed by the hot water, the two brin filaments appear clearly as fine
and lustrous, somewhat triangular-shaped transparent rods.

Wild, or tussah, silk maybe distinguished from cultivated silk by its coarse, thick form, which
appears flattened. Cultivated silk is a narrow fibre with no markings. Wild silk is a broader fibre
with fine, wavy, longitudinal lines running across its surface, giving it a dark hue under the
microscope.