FIBERS

Class of High Polymers

 What are Fibers?
 A fiber is a fine, threadlike piece, with a length at least 100 times greater than the width.
Fibers are the raw materials (natural or manufactured) used to make yarns and fabrics
 Fibers contribute to the aesthetic, durability, comfort, appearance, and care of fabrics. They
determine to a large extent the end use of fabric and they influence the cost of fabrics.
 Fiber belongs to another important class of polymer.
 They are the strongest of the three different types of polymers, i.e. Plastic, Rubber, and
fiber.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF
FIBRES
 They have the strongest intermolecular forces of attraction.
 These forces due to Hydrogen Bonding. In fibers, elasticity is minimum due to strong
intermolecular forces.
 The molecules of these polymers are long, thin and threadlike.
 The molecules or chain are closely packed due to presence of strong intermolecular forces.
 They have high melting point and low solubility due to their crystallinity.
 Physical classification of fibers
Staple Fibers
 Any fiber with a practical, limited or
finite length is called “Staple Fiber”
 These usually range from 15mm to
1500mm in length.
 Examples include wool and cotton.
Filament Fibers
 All fibers having a practically unlimited
or infinite length are called filaments.
  Filament fibers are continuous (long)
fiber.
 Examples include silk and nylon.
classification OF FIBRES

fibers

Natural Man-made

Cellulosic protein Regenerated Manufactured

NATURAL FIBRES SYNTHETIC FIBRES

 Natural Fibers are made from plant,  Synthetic fibers are the result of
animal, and mineral sources. extensive research by scientists to
 improve on naturally occurring animal
Natural Fibers contain nitrogen.
and plant fibers.
 The most used plant fibers are cotton,
 Sir Joseph Swan invented the first
jute hemp, cellulose, etc. The widely
synthetic fiber in the early 1880s.
used animal fibers are animal hair(wool),
silk fibers, avian fibers (feathers)  His fiber was drawn from a cellulose
 liquid, formed by chemically modifying
Wool, silk, cotton, and linen are the most
the fiber contained in tree bark.
common example of natural fibers
 Rayan and acetate are common example
of synthetic fiber
Generic classification of synthetic fibers

Polyamides—linked by amino group

• Example: Nylon
• Stronger and more chemically inert than natural fibers

Polyesters—linked by ester group

• Stronger linkage than polyamides

• Linkage can be linear (flexible) or cross-linked (rigid)

Spandex—structurally similar to polyamide

• Made of segments of polyurethane connected to long

segments of polyesters
• Resulting spandex can stretch up to 600 times and recover
original strength
 Testing for identification
 Microscopic observation
 Burning—observation of how a fiber burns, the odor, color of flame, smoke, and the
appearance of the residue
 Thermal decomposition—gently heating to break down the fiber into the basic monomers
 Chemical tests—solubility and decomposition

Dyes
 Components that make up dyes can be separated and matched to an unknown.
 There are more than 7000 different dye formulations.
 Chromatography is used to separate dyes for comparative analysis.
 The way a fabric accepts a particular dye may also be used to identify and
compare samples
External structure

• External structure refers to the fibers morphology:

• Length (staple or filament)
• Diameter and size (denier)
• Cross-sectional shape
• Surface contour

Chemical composition

• Chemical composition refers to what fibers are made from.

• For example, cotton is made from cellulose and wool is made from protein.

Internal structure

• Internal Structure A monomer is the basic unit of a fiber.

• Polymerization is the process of joining monomers to form a chain (called a
polymer).
The length and shape of the polymers varies between fibres.
The Molecular (internal) structure of a fibre can determine its properties and end use.

Amorphous Structure
• Amorphous structure occurs in fibres when the polymers are in a RANDOM
arrangement and there are large distances between them,which results in fewer
binding forces and a weak structure.

Crystalline Structure
• Crystalline regions occur when the polymers are packed closely together and in
a parallel arrangement, allowing many binding forces and resulting in a stronger
fiber.