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Learning ladderAll students:•must be able to describe the properties and uses of at least one natural and one manufactured fibre.

Most students:•should be able to compare a range of fibres and identify the products they could be used for.

Some students: •could be able to evaluate natural and manufactured fibres in terms of the environment and argue which fibres are more environmentally friendly.

Fibres and fabrics

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• Conduct a survey to find out what fibre people would prefer these products to be made from. Ask people to give reasons for their answer.

Introduction

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Fibres (1)• All fabrics are made from fibres. Some fibres grow on plants and animals.• You will have to know about a range of fibres for your exam, including:

cotton, wool, Viscose, Polyester, Elastomeric.• We will look at each one of these fibres in more detail later on.• A fibre is a fine strand that looks a little like a human hair. There are long or

short fibres and smooth or fluffy ones. What the fibre is like will have an impact on what the fabric it is made into is like.

• To make a fabric you need to twist lots of fibres together to form a yarn and these yarns are put together to make a fabric. We will look at this in more detail in another lesson.

• It is the law that a textile item must have the name of the fibre it is made from indicated on the product.

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There are two types of fibres – those that grow on animals and plantsand those that are manufactured. The ones highlighted are the main ones; in blue are the ones you need to know about for your exam.

WoolSilk

Cotton Linen Viscose Polyester

NylonAcrylic

Elastomeric

Fibres (2)

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Natural fibres• Natural fibres that grow in the ground

are called vegetable or plant fibres. All plants are made from cellulose fibres so you will sometimes hear this term. Cotton and linen are the most common vegetable fibres but there are other types, e.g. jute, hemp.

• Natural fibres that grow on animals are called animal fibres. Wool is the most common fibre but hair from other animals can also be used, e.g. Angora rabbit, Cashmere goat.

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• Source – grows on plants in hot, wet climates

• Physical properties – strong, resists abrasion, durable, absorbent, dries slowly, creases easily, cool to wear

• Aesthetic properties – fibres are 15–50mm long and fabrics tend to have a slightly fluffy surface because of this

• End uses – underwear, bedding, nightwear, t-shirts, shirts, dresses, jeans, towels, handkerchiefs

Source: www.cottonusa.co.uk/

What fibre am I? (1) Cotton

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• Fabric names – denim, poplin, terry towel, velvet, corduroy, chintz

• Aftercare – Can be washed and ironed at high temperatures, best ironed when damp, can be bleached

• Other facts – Mercerized finish can remove fluffy surface, commonly blended with Polyester

Source: www.cottonusa.co.uk/

What fibre am I? (2) Cotton

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What fibre am I? (3)• Source – the stem of flax plants that grow in wet

climates• Physical properties – strong, resists abrasion,

durable, absorbent, dries slowly, creases very easily, cool to wear

• Aesthetic properties – long fibres (25–40mm) which give fabrics a smooth and slightly shiny surface

• End uses – tablecloths, jackets, skirts, trousers, suits, handkerchiefs

• Fabric names – duck, holland, huckaback, crash• Aftercare – can be washed and ironed at high

temperatures (best ironed when damp), can be bleached

• Other facts – one of the earliest known fibres to man, dating back to the Egyptians

Source: www.irishlinen.co.uk/

Linen

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What fibre am I? (4)• Source – grows on sheep• Physical properties – very absorbent but doesn’t feel

wet, resists creases, warm, not very strong, felts/shrinks with heat and rubbing

• Aesthetic properties – scaly fibres, short fibres that make fluffy fabrics

• End uses – suits, sweaters, socks, scarves, blankets, carpets

• Fabric names – flannel, felt, tweed, serge• Aftercare – usually only washed by hand in low

temperatures as heat and movement causes shrinking, can’t be bleached, medium temperature iron, can’t be tumble dried and is normally laid flat to dry

• Other facts – can be blended with Polyester or Nylon to make it easier to look after

Wool

What fibre am I? (5)

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• Source – fibre is from the cocoon spun by the Mulberry caterpillar• Physical properties – strong, durable, doesn’t crease easily,

absorbent, warm/cool to wear, drapes well, smooth, shiny surface, damaged by deodorants and perspiration, weak when wet

• Aesthetic properties – long fibres give smooth, shiny fabrics

Silk

• End uses – underwear, scarves, dresses, blouses, flowers, ties• Fabric names – chiffon, satin, taffeta, damask, organza• Aftercare – hand wash in low temperatures as fibres are weak

when wet, and high temperatures and movement cause them to break and fabrics look permanently creased, can’t be bleached or tumble dried and should be dried away from direct sunlight, medium temperature when ironing

• Other facts – to maintain the long fibres the caterpillar is boiled alive. If it breaks out of the cocoon the fibres are shorter and give a lower quality fabric

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Manufactured fibres• Manufactured fibres originated from our desire to produce a

cheaper version of silk. • There are two types of manufactured fibres. • Regenerated fibres are those that start off from a natural origin,

e.g. wood pulp. The pulp is dissolved in chemicals and forced through a spinneret to produce fibres which are solidified.

• Synthetic fibres are made from crude oil and coal. When processed, the liquid is forced through a spinneret to produce fibres which are solidified.

• Both types of fibres can be engineered to have any shape and be any length, and this gives the final fabric different properties.

What fibre am I? (6) Viscose

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• Source – regenerated fibre made from wood pulp• Physical properties – very absorbent, creases, not very strong or

durable, not very warm • Aesthetic properties – can be made to be shiny or matte

depending on the shape of the fibre• End uses – lining fabrics, shirts, dresses, can be engineered to look

similar to cotton, wool or linen• Aftercare – wash and iron at low temperatures, can’t be bleached

or tumble dried• Other facts – can be more environmentally friendly if made from

sustainable wood pulp (Lyocell/Tencel)

What fibre am I? (7)

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• Source – synthetic fibre made from crude oil and coal• Physical properties – strong, crease resistant, not

absorbent, not warm, durable, thermoplastic, holds static

• Aesthetic properties – can be made to be shiny or matte depending on the shape of the fibre

• End uses – suits, dresses, shirts, rainwear, ties, scarves, workwear

• Aftercare – wash at up to 60 degrees, iron at medium temperature, tumble dry on low heat

• Other facts – often blended with cotton. Can be engineered into high performance fabrics that are breathable. Can be made from recycled plastic bottles

Polyester

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What fibre am I? (8)• Source – synthetic fibre made from crude oil and coal• Physical properties – strong, crease resistant, not

absorbent, not warm, durable, thermoplastic, holds static

• Aesthetic properties – can be made to be shiny or matte depending on the shape of the fibre

• End uses – carpets, shirts, dresses, jackets, suits, bags, umbrellas

• Aftercare - wash and iron at low temperatures, can’t be bleached

• Other facts – the first synthetic fibre to be discovered. It is also known by the name Polyamide. Can be engineered into high performance fabrics, e.g. Kevlar. Often blended with wool

Nylon

What fibre am I? (9)

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• Source – synthetic fibre made from crude oil and coal

• Physical properties – warm, not as strong and durable as nylon and Polyester, doesn’t crease, thermoplastic, not absorbent, pills, holds static

• Aesthetic properties – usually staple fibres so fabrics tend to be slightly fluffy on the surface

• End uses – sweaters, blankets, imitation fur, furnishings, socks

• Aftercare – wash and iron at low temperatures, can’t be bleached

• Other facts – often used to imitate wool, often blended with wool

Acrylic

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What fibre am I? (10)• An elastic fibre that is never used on its

own. It can be used either bare, covered or wrapped

• Source – synthetic fibre made from crude oil and coal

• Physical properties – strong, lightweight, crease resistant, dries quickly, very stretchy

• End uses – include sportswear, leggings, jeans, underwear, socks, swimwear and so on

• Aftercare – wash and iron at low temperatures, can’t be bleached

• Other facts – LYCRA® fibre is a registered brand name for elastane fibres

Elastomerics

Source: www.lycra.com

LYCRA® fibre is a trademark of INVISTA

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Thermoplastic properties• Synthetic fibres are ‘thermoplastic’. • This means that they have a low melting point. • This can be a disadvantage as it means you have to use a low

temperature when ironing synthetic fibres or the fabric melts. • These properties can, however, be used to permanently set in

creases or other shapes.

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Fabric blends• The properties of a fabric can be changed by combining two or

more fibres together. This is called a blend. • Blending fibres can make the production of a fibre cheaper and it

can add desirable qualities to a fibre, e.g. blending cotton and polyester produces a more crease resistant, quick drying fabric.

• The most common blending ratios are 70:30 and 50:50. • As well as Polyester and cotton, common blends are wool and

Polyester, wool and nylon, cotton and Viscose.

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Fibres and the environment• The production of both natural and manufactured

fibres and fabrics is very damaging for the environment. Both large amounts of energy and water are used along with dyes, chemicals and bleaches. Synthetic fibres are from non-renewable resources which will eventually run out, but that doesn’t mean natural fibres are necessarily any better, as their environmental impact can be significant.

• A lot of waste matter is also produced, much of which is hard to dispose of.

• Packaging and transportation of fibres and fabrics also adds to the environmental damage.

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Cotton – what’s your opinion?• Cotton occupies 3% of global

farmland but uses 25% of the world’s pesticides. Many of these pesticides are carcinogenic and damage the health of local farmers.

• Large amounts of water are used – one t-shirt uses 257 gallons of water in its production. This water is often diverted from other crops and from the local population.

• Intense farming leads to damaged top soil and poor quality land.

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Polyester – what’s your opinion?• Polyester is made from a non-renewable source. It’s production

creates greenhouse gasses and uses lots of energy and water. It is also non-biodegradeable so it doesn’t disintegrate quickly in landfill sites and can last for over 100 years.

• Plastic bottles can be melted down and recycled into polyester fleece fabric.

Fleece fabricsX 25 bottles

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Tencel – what’s your opinion?• Brand name for a high performance engineered Viscose fibre designed in the

1980s that is considered environmentally friendly. Also known as Lyocell• Source – regenerated fibre made from wood pulp from sustainable forests• Physical properties – absorbent, breathable, strong, anti-bacterial, strong

when wet• Aesthetic properties – staple fibre that fibrillates (splits) which can cause

bobbling. Surface effects such as brushing and suede finishes can be added easily and it makes the fibre more absorbent

• End uses – shirts, dresses, underwear, nappies, medical dressings• Aftercare - wash and iron at medium temperature (although generally limited

ironing is required), can be bleached, drip-dry recommended• Other facts – the solvent the wood pulp is dissolved in can be recycled and re-

used. The fibre is also biodegradable

www.tencel.at/index.php?id=61&L=1