chp. 4 Natural Cellulosic Fibers

Flashcards covering natural cellulosic fibers, including seed, bast, and leaf fibers, their properties, production, and end uses.

Natural cellulosic fibers are derived from __.

plants

Seed hair fibers are attached to the __ in the pod.

seeds

Cotton, kapok, and milkweed are examples of __ fibers.

seed hair

Bast fibers come from the fibrous part of the plant __.

stem

Flax, ramie, hemp, jute, and kenaf are examples of __ fibers.

bast

Leaf fibers come from the fibrous part of the __.

leaf

Pina, abaca, sisal, and seagrass are examples of __ fibers.

leaf

__ comes from the fruit husk of coconuts.

Coir

Cellulosic fibers generally have absorbency and heat conductivity.

high, high

A common characteristic of cellulosic fibers is their __ resiliency, causing them to wrinkle easily.

low

Cellulosic fibers have high __ conductivity, meaning they produce no static.

electrical

Cellulosic fibers are attacked by __ and ignite quickly, smelling like burning paper.

mildew

Cotton is known as the 'King of fibers' and is a __ fiber.

staple

__ mechanized cotton production in 1793.

Eli Whitney

Two main varieties of cotton grown in the U.S. are Upland and __.

Pima

A cotton '__' is a seedpod.

boll

The process to separate fiber from seed in cotton is called __.

ginning

Usable cotton fibers removed in the ginning process are called __.

lint

Cotton is graded based on length, color, cleanliness, fineness, and __.

strength

Pima and Egyptian cotton are examples of extra __ staple fibers.

long

The waxlike film covering the primary wall of cotton is the __.

cuticle

The central canal in a cotton fiber through which nourishment travels is the __.

lumen

Ribbonlike twists that characterize cotton fibers and help with yarn spinning are called __.

convolutions

Mature cotton fibers are nearly __ in cross-section with a thick cell wall.

circular

The cross-section shape of cotton is kidney-shaped with a hollow center core known as a __.

lumen

Only naturally colored cotton does not require __ or dyeing.

bleaching

__ is a registered trademark for pima cotton that meets specific brand criteria for softness, strength, and brilliance of color.

Supima

Cotton has poor __ abrasion resistance, showing wear at edges and areas of rubbing.

flexing

Cotton is hydrophilic, meaning it has good __ absorption.

moisture

Cotton fabrics are stronger when __, allowing them to withstand agitation during washing and drying.

wet

__ cotton is produced with organic farming practices and must meet specific criteria.

Organic

The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certifies organic cotton using __ standards.

international

Naturally colored cotton eliminates the need for dyeing and is considered __ friendly.

environmentally

In addition to apparel and interior textiles, cotton is widely used in household textiles due to its high __.

absorbency

The microscopic identification of cotton is relatively easy due to its visible __.

convolutions

__ fiber is used as fiberfill in life jackets because it floats on water.

Kapok

__ is a stiff, cinnamon brown fiber from coconuts used for indoor and outdoor mats.

Coir

Bast fibers lie in bundles in the plant stem and are sealed together by pectins, waxes, and __.

gums

The process of loosening bast fibers from the plant stem using microorganisms or chemicals is called __.

retting

Long, fine quality flax fibers are called fibers, while short fibers are called fibers.

line, tow

Flax fabrics are known as __.

Linen

The surface contour of linen fibers is straight with nodes that look like __.

bamboo

Linen is very strong and is even stronger than cotton when __.

wet

A major performance characteristic of linen is its very poor __ resistance.

wrinkle

Flax has good resistance to deterioration and rot when stored __.

dry

Flax can be differentiated from cotton by its longer __.

fiber length

__ is a bast fiber known for high strength, resistance to mold, and is easily blended with cotton and wool.

Ramie

__ is a bast fiber commonly used for burlap, fruit bags, and carpet backing, but has poor elasticity and UV resistance.

Jute

__ is often called the ultimate eco-friendly fiber, known for its versatility, better colorfastness, and breathability than cotton.

Hemp

Natural __ fiber maintains natural insect and microbial resistance and is absorbent, but has a coarse hand.

bamboo

__ is a leaf fiber processed from the leaf of the pineapple plant.

Pina

__ is a leaf fiber processed from the leaf of the abaca plant, a variety of the banana tree.

Abaca

__ is a leaf fiber primarily used for rope and twine.

Sisal