Chapter 5 - Natural Protein Fibers

Natural Fibers from Goats

• Angora Goat = Mohair

• Cashmere Goat = Cashmere

How is the silk and wool protein molecular structure vary

wool = keratin

silk = fibroin

Hygroscopic

fibers with high moisture absorbency or regain and the ability to remain dry to the touch

Natural fibers from camel family

Camel hair

llama

alpaca

vicuna

guanaco

Amino Acids

• has amino group (basic) and carboxyl group (acid)

• protein are composed of amino acids

Wool V Silk

• Wool has more types of amino acids

• Amino acids in wool have large side groups

  • Wool is bulkier and less compact

  • wool has better resiliency

  • wool contains sulfur: more prone to insect damage

RESILIENCY in protein fibers

1. resists wrinkles

2. wrinkles hang out

3. fabrics hold shape

HYGROSCOPIC in protein fibers

1. Comfortable in cool, damp climates

2. Moisture prevents brittleness in carpets

WEAKER WHEN WET in protein fibers

1. handle carefully in the wash

2. wool loses 40% of its strength

3. silk loses 15% of its strength

SPECIFIC GRAVITY in protein fibers

1. fabrics feel lighter than cellulose fabrics of the same thickness

HARMED BY ALKALI in protein fibers

1. use neutral or slightly acid soap or detergent

2. perspiration weakens fibers

HARMED BY OXIDIZING AGENTS in protein fibers

1. Chlorine bleach damages fibers

2. Sunlight causes white fabrics to turn yellow

HARMED BY DRY HEAT in protein fibers

1. wool becomes harsh, brittle, and scorches easily (use steam)

2. while wool and silk can yellow

FLAME RESISTANCE in protein fibers

1. does not burn easily

2. self-extinguish

3. odor of burning hair

4. forms a black crushable ash

Unique wool

• Most valuable = Merino wool

  • 3-5 inches long and very fine

• 43% of Merino wool comes from Australia

• Most of US fine wool is produced in Texas and California

Solubility Test

Natural protein fibers are soluble in sodium hypochlorite

Wool surface

Wool has scales

Kemp

• Refers to the heaviest and coarsest of all hair fibers

• quite short

• don’t display dye colors very well

• MERINO WOOL CONTAINS NONE

Crimp

Merino Fiber Crimp = 30 crimp/inch

Low quality wool = 1-5 crimp/inch

• related to cohesiveness, elasticity, resiliency, and loft

• water absorption decreases crimp (wool is a biocomponent fiber)

Top 3 producers of wool

Australia = 22.1%

China = 13.5%

New Zealand = 9.4%

How much wool does USA make

about 0.6% of wool globally. we are ranked 28th

How much of the fiber produced globally is wool

1%

Stages in wool preperation

1. Shearing

2. Grading and sorting

3. Washing and scouring

4. carbonizing

Shearing

• Removing the wool from the sheep to make fabric

Raw wool (grease wool)

• newly removed wool

• contains 30% to 70% impurities by weight (sand, dirt, grease, dried sweat)

Grading

• Wool is sorted by fineness and courseness

• length of fiber

Sorting

The process of grouping textiles of similar characteristics to avoid creating problems in cleaning or to allow similar treatment

How is the quality of wool judged

• fineness

• length

• scale structure

• color

• cleanliness

• freedom from damage caused by environment or processing

Felting

a method of producing a fabric directly from wool fibers by interlocking the fibers scales

What produces Qivuit

Domesticated musk ox

what produces Yak

large ox in the Himalayan mountains

Washing and scouring

• To remove grease

• grease is purifies to lanolin and used in cosmetics, soaps, and creams

Carbonizing

• to remove particles of grass, burrs, and other plant material

• to get scoured wool

Types of wool

• lambs wool

• virgin wool

• recycled wool

Lambs Wool

From animal less than 7 months old

Virgin wool

Never been processed

Recycled wool

scraps of new woven or felted fabrics that are shredded back to a fibrous state and reused

• wool is one of the most recycled fibers

Care of wool

• dry cleaning is recommended

• if necessary, hand wash using warm water, avoid agitation, squeeze gently, air dry

• no chlorine bleach

• be cleaned before storage

Specialty animal hair fibers

• camelloids

  • llama

  • alpaca

  • vicuna

  • guanaco

• Angora Goat (mohair)

• musk ox

• angora rabbit
  
  

What fiber comes from ANGORA GOAT

mohair

ANGORA RABBIT makes what fibers

ANGORA fibers

Silk Fiber

• luxury fiber

• produced from the larvae of a moth

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Types of Silk

• Raw silk (filament, 1000 yards long

• Silk noils (silk waste)

  • filament breaks to staples

  • less expensive, less durable, more likely to pill

• Wilk Silk

  • less uniform in texture and color

  • staples

Top produers of silk

• china

• japan

• thailand

• india

How much silk does the USA produce

NONE

Characteristics of Silk

• fibers are very fine: 1.25 denier/filament

• natural luster in filament silk

• good moisture absorption

• excellent draping quality

• high strength

• usually expensive

Care of silk

• can be washed or dry cleaned - depends on type of dye used

• clean before storing