Textiles

• Textiles are generally soft materials formed from small fibers grouped together through methods such as weaving.
• Their insulating properties and flexibility give them many uses.

• Fibers are the raw materials for textiles.
• Fibers obtained from plants and animals are called natural fibers, whereas those synthesized using chemicals are called synthetic fibers.

Natural Fibers

• Materials produced by plants or animals that can be spun into a thread, rope or filament.
• Examples:
  • Cotton
  • Hemp
  • Jute
  • Linen
  • Wool
  • Silk
• Properties:
  • Absorbency is very high
  • Low tensile strength
  • Not very elastic
  • Will burn but not melt in high temperatures

Examples of Natural Fibers

Wool

• Often used in clothing, upholstery, rugs, blankets, padding, insulation, mattresses and futon and cleaning pads.
• The properties of wool include:
  • Warm to wear
  • Absorbent
  • Dries slowly
  • Breathable
  • Soft or coarse handle
  • Can shrink
  • Good drape
  • Not durable
  • Creases drop out

Cotton

• Often used in clothing, bedding, furnishing, wall coverings, book binding tapes, tarpaulins, and threads.
• The properties of cotton include:
  • Cool to wear
  • Very absorbent
  • Dries slowly
  • Soft handle
  • Durable
  • Creases easily
  • Can be washed and ironed

Silk

• Often used in clothing, medical sutures, upholstery and bedding.
• Properties of silk include:
  • Warm to wear
  • Absorbent
  • Soft handle
  • Good luster and drape
  • Durable
  • Creases drop out
  • Can be dry cleaned

Synthetic Fibers

• Fibers made from a man-made material that are spun into a thread; the joining of monomers into polymers by the process of polymerization.
• Examples:
  • Polyester
  • Acrylic
  • Nylon
  • Rayon
  • Acetate
  • Spandex
  • Kevlar
• Properties:
  • Absorbency is very low
  • High tensile strength.
  • Highly elastic (like stockings etc.).
  • Will burn and melt in high temperatures.

Examples of Synthetic Fibers

Nylon

• Often used in clothing, parachutes, tents, tires and ropes.
• The properties of nylon include:
  • Water-resistant
  • Dries quickly
  • Lustrous (shiny)
  • High tensile strength
  • High durability
  • High elasticity

Polyester

• Often used in clothing, furnishings, seat belts, tents, transportation, upholstery, ropes, sails and fish nets.
• The properties of polyester include:
  • Low warmth
  • Non-absorbent
  • Dries quickly
  • Soft handle
  • Good drape
  • Very durable
  • Crease resistant
  • Easy care
  • Can be recycled

Lycra

• Often used for close-fitting clothing, sportswear and underwear.
• The properties of Lycra include:
  • Good handle and drape
  • Durable
  • Crease resistant
  • Stretchy
  • Easy care
  • Low warmth
  • Absorbent

Making of Fabrics

• To be made into a fabric, fibers must first be made into yarn, which can then be woven into a fabric.

Yarn

• A long continuous length of interlocked synthetic or natural fibers.
• A yarn is made of many fibers.
• Fibers are converted to yarns by spinning.

Fabric

• Fabric is made of many yarns.
• Yarns are converted to fabrics by weaving, knitting, lacemaking or felting.

Fabric Making Methods

Weaving

• The act of forming a sheet like material by interlacing long threads passing in one direction with others at a right angle to them.

Knitting

• A method for converting a yarn into fabric by creating consecutive rows of interlocking loops of yarn.

Lacemaking

• A method for creating a decorative fabric that is woven into symmetrical patterns and figures.

Felting

• A method for converting yarn into fabric by matting the fibers together.

Textiles Industry

• The continuing evolution of the textiles industry provides a wide spread of applications from high-performance technical textiles to the more traditional clothing market.

Ethics

• The economics and politics of the production and sale of clothing by multinationals can be a major ethical issue for consumers and the workforce.
• Many textiles are made in developing countries and the work conditions of the labor force is often repetitive, low skilled and in poor conditions.

• There are many ethical considerations attached to the production of natural fibers.
• The strongest natural silk known to man is harvested from silk spiders and notoriously difficult to obtain, and labor intensive.
• In an effort to produce higher yields, scientists have altered the genome of goats so that they produce the same silk proteins in their milk.

Recovery and Disposal

• A great amount of textile waste is produced each year that could go to good use or be a new source of revenue stream.
• Waste reduction, reuse and recycling of textiles results in:
  • Lower purchase prices
  • Reducing use of virgin materials
  • Reducing disposal costs and landfill
  • Generating less air and water pollution
  • Keeping materials out of the waste stream
  • Preserving the embodied energy used in manufacturing