Physical properties of textile fibers?

Fiber length

In physical properties the most important is the fiber length on which the quality of yarns depends. For cotton if fiber length increases the quality of yarns will be good, but this is just opposite for wool. In jute the fiber length is too long that sometimes the fibers are cut into small pieces.

If the fiber length is too small it is difficult to produce yarn. Yarn is impossible if the fiber length is less than 0.5 inch. Thin fibers produce thin yarn and coarse yarn is produced from coarse fibers.

There are two types of fiber on the basis of length:

1. Continuous filament

2. Staple fiber

Continuous filament

Long and continuous fibers are called filament. Filaments are continuous in length which can be used as such form or cut into shorter staple fiber form. These fibers are collected from both natural and artificial source. Any natural fiber can be made into a filament. When only one filament is used in a yarn then it is called mono filament. When more than one filament are used in yarn then it is called multi filament.

Mono filament → 1.5 holes in spinneret.

Multi filament → 10-100 holes.

Staple fiber

When the length of fiber is short then it is called staple fiber. Stable fibers are manly shorter in length and related to natural fiber. All natural fibers without silk can be collected as staple fiber. Artificial fibers also collected as staple fiber.

Staple fibers are three types on the basis of length:

 

    Short staple: Length is less than 2 inch.

    Medium staple: Length is from 2-4 inch.

    Long staple: Length is more than 4 inch.

Strength

The capacity of a fiber to support a load is known as fiber strength. The strength is described as tenacity.

Tenacity = Strength/ linear density.

It is expressed as CN/Tex or N/Tex. The tensile strength is commonly described as the force required to reach break the increase in the length before breaking is known as extension.

Elasticity

It is the property to recover from deformation. The fiber may be elastic or plastic which depends upon fiber condition and surrounding environment.

Flexibility

Flexibility is that property to resist repeated bending and folding.

Cohesiveness

It is the ability of the fibers to cling together during spinning depends on crimp and twist. In natural fiber the property comes from nature but in artificial fiber this property is given by crimping.

Fineness

The term fineness describes the quality of a fiber. By this, we know how fine a fiber is. It is expressed by the terms count, tex, denier, tex per unit length etc.

1 Tex = 1 gm/1000m.

1 denier = wt. in gm/900m.

Fineness affects some fiber properties. Such as yarn count, yarn strength, yarn regularity etc.

Cross section

The cross section of a fiber determines the physical properties of fiber. It gives idea about strength, fineness that varies from fiber to fiber. The cross section shape of a fiber is important because it contributes to the surface appearance of the fiber. It helps to give properties of luster, bulk and body of the fibers, yarn and fabrics. It has effect in twisting, bending or shunning.

Crimp

It refers to the waves or bends that take place along the length of a fiber. It increases cohesiveness and resilience, resistance to abortion and gives increased bulk or warmth to fabrics. It also helps fabrics to maintain their softness or thickness, increase absorbency and show contact comforts bid reduces luster. A fiber may have one of the three types of crimp. Namely – Mechanical crimp, natural crimp or Inherent crimp and Chemical crimp.

Resiliency

It is the property of a fiber, which enables it to recover from certain load or stretch over a period of time.

Toughness

The ability of a fiber to endure large permanent deformations without rupture is called toughness.

Work of rupture

The area below the stress –strain curves provides a measure of the work required to break the fiber. It is called work of rupture and it commonly expressed in CN/Tex.

Appearance

It is expressed by length, fineness, cross-section cleanness and luster of a fabric. Generally short fibers are bulky and loss lustrous.

Density

The density indicates the mass per unit volume. The specific gravity of a fiber indicates the density relative to that of water at 4 degree Celsius.

Elongation

It is the ability to be stretched, extended or lengthened. Elongation vary at different temperatures and when wet or dry.

 

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