Textiles Exam 1

international trade

90% of the domestic market is from

natural

fibers like cotton, wool, silk, bamboo, and leather

manufactured

fibers like acrylic, nylon, and polyester

yarn

continuous threadlike strands of fibers twisted together

finishing

production process that adds additional treatment

major textile production segments

fibers→ yarns→ fabrics→ dyeing→ printing→ finishing

mills, converters, importers

primary sources of fabric

jobbers, retail stores, overseas agents

secondary sources of fabrics

mills

company that owns textile machinery and makes fabric

converters

buys griege (unfinished) goods to have dyed or finished

importers

direct--buys foreign fabric or manufactured textile products.

jobbers

buys from mills, converters, and garment manufacturers

retail stores

sell to home sewers

overseas agents

overseas representation of an exporter or importer

cotton

most common textile made in the US

global issues

air and water pollution, disposal, safety, and health

fair trade

indicates product is produced without labor exploitation, uses environmentally sustainable practices, and producers received fair prices

textile careers

need knowledge for understanding apparel, interior design, and home textiles

plant fibers

natural fibers from stems, leaves, and seeds

animal fibers

natural fibers (protein) from wool, cashmere, mohair, vicuna, and silk

spinnerette

device used to create filaments

dry spinning

fiber solution, mixed with a solvent, is forced through the spinnerette into warm air. Warm air evaporates the solvent (acetate, modacrylic)

wet spinning

fiber solution is forced through the spinnerette and then into a liquid solution (viscose, rayon, acrylic)

melt spinning

solid material is melted to form a liquid solution and then forced through the spinnerette and into cool air (glass, nylon, polyester)

physical attributes

length, shape, surface, longitudinal configuration, diameter

staple

short, refers to the length of natural fibers

filament

manufactured fibers, can be very long, silk

shape

light reflected decides luster. Flat, round, and multi-lobal

surface

hand, luster, wicking. Wool→scaly. Cotton→smooth. Rayon→serrated

crimp

refers to the bends and twists along the length of a fiber. Inherent in wool fibers

Longitudinal configuration

lengthwise. Straight, twisted, coiled, or crimped. Resiliency, elasticity, and abrasion resistance.

Diameter

thickness of the fiber. decides stiffness

chemical composition

cellulosic, protein, and synthetic fibers have properties that decide how they react to certain situations

molecular formation

arrangement of molecules. Manufactured fibers are easier to modify than natural fibers

Fiber-performance categories

aesthetics, durability, comfort, and safety

Aesthetics

properties relating to visual and tactile effects: flexibility, hand, luster, pilling, etc.

durability

properties relating to resistance to signs of wear: abrasion resistance, chemical effects, environmental conditions, strength

comfort

properties relating to physical comfort: absorbency, cover, elasticity, wicking

safety

properties relating to danger or risk of injury: flammability

flexibility

the capability of a fiber to bend easily and repeatedly without breaking

hand

the way fiber, yarn, or fabric feels when handled

luster

the light reflected from a surface

pilling

the formation of groups of short or broken fibers on a surface of the fabric

hydrophobic fibers

wool and what type of fibers tend to pill more?

resiliency

the capability of a material to spring back to shape after being creased, twisted, or distorted

specific gravity

the ratio of mass of the fiber to an equal volume of water at 4 degrees C. Acrylic is lighter than wool

static electricity

the frictional electric charge caused by the rubbing together of 2 dissimilar materials

thermoplasticity

ability of fibers to withstand heat exposure

abrasion resistance

the ability to resist wear from rubbing

chemical effects

fibers come into contact with chemicals: dyeing, printing, laundry

environmental conditions

_____ ______ effect fibers differently: wool attracts moths, nylon is weak in the sun, and cotton has poor resistance to mildew

strength

the fiber’s ability to withstand stress

absorbency

ability to take in moisture

cover

ability to occupy an area. Thicker fibers are better than thin fibers

elasticity

ability to increase in length under tension and then return to original length when released

wicking

ability to transfer moisture from one section to another

flammability

ability to ignite or burn

burning test

identification test that considers melting or burning characteristics, odor of the fumes, appearance, shape, feel, and color of the residue.

fiber identification tests

acetone test, chlorine bleach test, dry and wet strength test, chemical solubility test.

seed fiber

what type of fiber is cotton

bast fiber

what type of fiber is flax, bamboo, hemp, jute, ramie

leaf fiber

what type of fiber is sisal, pineapple leaf

animal fiber

what type of fiber is silk, wool, and other hair

natural fibers

plant (cellulosic), animal (protein), and mineral (asbestos)

manufactured fibers

natural polymer (acetate, rayon, lyocell), synthetic polymer (nylon, polyester, acrylic), inorganic (glass)

cotton

most important fiber. hydrophilic, no static, stronger when wet, no pilling, soft hand, cooling effect. little luster, poor elasticity, poor resiliency, resistance to alkalis but weakened by resin chemicals, weak at acid

stronger

cotton is ____ when wet

flax

oldest textile fiber. becomes linen. Medium-weight, strongest plant fiber, stronger when wet, hydrophilic than cotton, dries quickly (cooling effect), highest safe-ironing temperature • Fair resistance to abrasion, less durable than cotton, poor drape, poor elasticity and resiliency, vulnerable to mildew • End use: mostly for dresses, suits, jackets, tablecloths, napkins, and sheets

stronger

flax is ____ when wet and dries quickly

bamboo

• Stem of the plan • Sustainable: no agrichemicals, less water to raise • Coarse hand, so not extensively used

hemp

• Resemble linen but courser and harsher • Fast-growing with little pesticide • Strong and lightweight but has little elongation. environmentally friendly. Rope, canvas for sailing ships, jeans, twine, cordage.

jute (sackcloth)

India, Bangladesh; labor plentiful, cheap • Coarse and harsh, Resistant to microorganisms and insets, Low resiliency, mid-strength, Poor resistance to sunlight, colorfastness • Deteriorates in water • Usage: bagging, carpet backings (sustainable), furnishing.

deteriorate

jute will _____ in water

ramie/ china grass

• Strong, abrasion-resistant, low elasticity • Resistant to mildew/mold than other plant fibers • high absorbency, stiff and rough (similar to flax) • poor resiliency, elongation a problem • Quick-drying fiber • End use: apparel, interior furnishings, ropes, industrial threads

sisal

Yucca or cactus plants – in warm climate • Rough, coarse, woody • Strength, durability, resistance to degradation form saltwater – Good for cordage • Wall coverings, rugs and mats

leaf fibers

Pina: Philippines • fine, lustrous, strong • easily cleaned • for clothing and accessories

silk

Rounded, triangular shape with an uneven diameter • Medium-weight, excellent drape, luxurious hand, thinnest of the natural, luster, hydrophilic, little static, no pilling, washed or dry-cleaned • Fair resistance to abrasion, fair resiliency, strong but less strong when wet, weak to sunshine, yellowish with chlorine bleach, weakened and harsher by alkalis(soap)

China

_____ is the leading silk producer in the world

sericulture

production of silk

wool

Medium-weight, natural cream/brown/black, natural crimp, good resiliency, winkles gone with moisture, good hand, good drape, good elasticity, hydrophilic, hygroscopic, little static, highly resistant to acids, warm • Loses strength when wet, poor luster, dry clean, felting, vulnerable to moths, yellowish with chlorine bleach, weakened and harsher by alkalis, expensive, good abrasion resistance only when coarse, dry-cleaning

merino

_____ wool is the best: most crimp, best drape, most strength, best resiliency, best elasticity, softest hand, most scales on surface

felting

occurs with heat, moisture, and agitation. causes fiber surface scales to interlock with one another

angora

rabbit. • Very slippery due to its shape • Blended with other fibers • Hand knitting

alpaca

Durable, silky, very lustrous • Sweaters, ponchos, craft items

camel hair

Weak fiber with wool-like texture • Does not felt rapidly • Overcoats

cashmere

• Inner coat hair of an Asian Cashmere goat • Extremely fine, outstanding softness • Combing (not sheared) to collect the fibers • Three goats to one sweater • China is a leading country • Scarves, throws, sweaters, suits, luxury

cashgora

The breeding of cashmere and angora goats

mohair

• Strongest of the specialty animal fibers • Good abrasion resistance • Most resilient natural textile fiber • Little crimp: scales are flat, slippery surface, smooth hand, high luster

vicuna

Finest and softest of all wool and specialty fibers • Weak • Fine scales, smooth hand, high luster • Three times warmer than wool • Hypoallergenic • Rarest and most costly of the specialty fibers

yak

Traditionally used by Tibetan nomads  Fiber from undercoat is compared to cashmere at substantially discounted prices

micron system

International System of Units uses metric units for indicating measurements • Micron = 1/1000 of a millimeter

rayon and acetate

first semi-synthetic fibers

nylon

first synthetic fiber

generic names

For a new generic classification, a producer must spell out how the properties and composition radically differ from other classified fibers

marketing of manufactured fibers

Commodity fibers: without identification of the source

Fiber Trademarks: with identification by trademark

natural manufactured fibers

acetate, rayon, and lyocell

synthetic manufactured polymers

nylon, polyester, acrylic, olefin, spandex, PLA

acetate

Round shape with striations on the surface

Medium-weight with a luxurious hand, high resiliency, fair absorbency, no piling, inexpensive

Poor strength, weaker when wet but returns when dried, poor abrasion resistance, poor elasticity, dry-cleaned or carefully washed, weak at high temperature, gas fading–color change

triacetate

subclass of acetate.

Medium-weight fiber with luxurious hand and excellent drape, good resiliency excellent pleat and crease retention when heat-set, no pilling and occasional static, washed and dry-cleaned

Poor strength, becomes weaker when wet, poor elasticity, hydrophobic

rayon

• Serrated, round shape, Resembles cotton

• Viscose ____: Medium-weight fiber with good strength and hydrophilic, no static or pilling, weaker when wet, poor elasticity and resiliency, shrinkage, weak at mildew

• Cupro ____: much finer than viscose, high-priced lines, coat linings, lightweight dresses