Classification of Textile Fibers

The history of fibres is as old as human

civilization. Traces of natural fibres have
been located to ancient civilizations all
over the gobe. For many thousand years,
the usage of fiber was limited by natural
fibres such as flax, cotton, silk, wool and
plant fibres for different applications.

Fibers can be divided into natural fibres

and man-made or chemical fibres. Flax is
considered to be the oldest and the most
used natural fibre
since ancient times

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“fiber” or “textile fiber”

 A unit of matter which is capable of being spun into a yarn or

made into a fabric by bonding or by interlacing in a variety of
methods including weaving, knitting, braiding, felting,
twisting, or webbing, and which is the basic structural element
of textile products.

 It is a smallest textile component which is microscopic hair like

substance that may be man made or natural.

 They have length at least hundred times to that of their

diameter or width

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Classification of Fibres
 Natural Fibers
 Vegetable Fibres
 Animal Fibres
 Mineral fibers
 Man Made fibers
 Regenerated fibres
 Synthetic fibres
 Inorganic fibres
Classification of fibers can be done by:

Type (Natural and manufactured)

Length (Short staple, long staple,

continuous filament)

Size (Ultra fine, fine, regular, course)

NATURAL FIBRE
 Any hair like raw material directly obtainable
from an animal, vegetable or mineral source
that can be convertible after spinning into
yarns and then into fabric.
 Under them there are various categories:
 (1) plant
 (2) animal
 (3) minerals

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Vegetable fibers

they can be further on classified as:

(a) fibre occurring on the seed (raw

cotton , java cotton/Kapok)
(b) phloem fiber/ bast fibers (flax, ramie
, hemp, jute, kenaf)
(c) tendon fibre from stem or leaves
(manila hemp, sisal hemp etc)
(d) fibre occurring around the trunk
(hemp palm)
(e) fibre of fruit/ nut shells (coconut
fibre – Coir)
cotton and linen are the most
important among them.

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Vegetable fibres
 Bast fibres
 Low Lignin content – Linen or Flax (raw and bleached)
and Ramie
 High Lignin content – Jute, Hemp
(1) Cotton
 Cotton is a soft fibre that grows
around the seeds of the cotton plant
.cotton fibre grows in the seed pod or
boll of the cotton plant . each fibre is a
single elongated cell that is flat twisted
and ribbon like with a wide inner
hollow (lumen).
 Composition
 90% cellulose,6% moisture and the
remainder fats and impurities.
 the outer surface is covered with a
protective wax like coating which gives
fibre an adhesive quality.

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PROPERTIES
It has 8% moisture regain
 The cellulose is arranged in a way that gives
cotton unique properties of strength,
durability, and absorbency.
 it is fresh , crisp , comfortable , absorbent ,
flexible, has no pilling problems and has good
resistance to alkalis.
 it has poor wrinkle resistance, shrinkage, poor
acid resistance , less abrasion resistance ,
susceptible to damage by moths and mildew,
needs lots of maintenance and stains are
difficult to remove.
 its fibre length ranges from ½ inches to
2inches
 it has 10%increase in strength when wet.
 it has a flat twisted tube shape
KAPOK FIBRE
 Kapok fiber is a silky cotton-like substance
Kapok that surrounds the seeds in the pods of the
ceiba tree.
 Properties
 It can support as much as 30 times its own
weight in water and loses only 10 percent of
buoyancy over a 30-day period.
 It is eight times lighter than cotton
 it is extremely used as a thermal-insulator.
 it is also lightweight, non-allergic, non-toxic,
resistant to rot and odorless.
 since it is inelastic and too fragile, it can't be
spun.
 it has outstanding characteristics of lightness,
impermeability, thermal-isolation and eco-
friendly.

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BAST FIBRE
 Bast fibre (fiber) or skin fibre is fibre
collected from the Phloem (the "inner bark"
or the skin) or bast surrounding the stem

 Properties

 The bast fibres have often higher tensile

strength than other kinds, and are therefore
used for textiles , ropes, yarn, paper,
composites and burlap.

 They are obtained by the process called

retting

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JUTE FIBRE
Jute is one of the cheapest natural fibres and is
second only to cotton in amount produced and
variety of uses. Jute fibres are composed
primarily of the plant materials cellulose and
lignin .
Properties
 Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fibre that
can be spun into coarse, strong threads.

 The plant grows up to a height of 2.5m and its

fibre length is about 2m.
 it has a good resistance to micro organisms
and insects.
 it has low wet strength, low elongation and
inexpensive to produce

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RAMIE FIBRE
Ramie is one of the oldest fibre crops,
having been used for at least six
thousand years. It is also known as
china grass.

Properties
 Ramie requires chemical processing
to de-gum the fibre.
 it is fine absorbent ,quick drying
fibre, is slightly stiff and possesses
high natural lustre.
 its plant height is 2.5m and its
strength is eight times more than
cotton.

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 HEMP FIBRE

Depending on the processing used to remove the fiber from

the stem, the hemp naturally may be creamy white, brown,
gray, black or green.

Properties
 it is yellowish brown fibre
 Hemp fibers can be 3 to 15 feet long, running the length of
the plant.
 Characteristics of hemp fibre are its superior strength and
durability, resistance to ultraviolet light and mold, comfort
and good absorbancy

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COIR FIBRE

 Fibre mechanically extracted from dry

mature coconut husk after soaking.

 It is long, hard and strong fibre but

with lower softness, lower water
absorption capacity, and shorter life
than long retted fibre.

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ANIMAL FIBRES
 Animal fibers are natural fibers that consist largely of proteins
such as silk, hair/fur, wool and feathers.
 The most commonly used type of animal fiber is hair.

They can be classified further as

Hair Fibres (Staple) Secretion Fibres (Filament)
Wool Silk
Speciality hair fibres Spider Silk
(Insect fibre)

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SILK FIBRE
 silk is a natural fiber that can be woven into textiles.
It is obtained from the cocoon of the silkworm larva,
in the process known as sericulture
 properties
 it’s a fine continuous strand unwound from the
cocoon of a moth caterpillar known as the
silkworm.
 it is the longest and thinnest natural filament fibre
with the longest filament around 3000yards.
 it is relatively lustrous ,smooth, light weight,
strong and elastic.
 it is essentially composed of protein fibre and is
naturally a white coloured fiber.

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WOOL
 Wool is the fiber derived from
the fur of animals principally
sheep.
 properties
 it has the highest moisture regain
i.e., 14%.
 it exhibits felting property and is
easy to spin
 due to crimp present in it, it has
heat in stored within
 the length of the fibre is around 3-
15 inches.
 there are two types of wool
namely clipped or fleece wool
taken from live sheep and pulled
wool removed from sheep
already dead.
 merino wool is the best grade of
wool.
 In addition to clothing, wool has
been used for carpeting, felt,
wool insulation and upholstery.
MINERAL FIBRE
 Asbestos is the only natural mineral
fibre obtained from varieties of
rocks.
 properties
 It is fibrous form of silicate of
magnesium and calcium containing
iron and aluminium and other
minerals.
 It is acid proof, flame proof and rust
proof.
 Its particles are carcinogenic and
hence its use is restricted.
MAN MADE
Regenerated Fibres
 Cellulosic – Cotton linters and wood pulp
Viscose rayon, Cupra-ammonium, Cellulose
Acetate (secondary and triacetate), Polynosic,
High Wet Modulus (HWM)
 Natural man made fibre

 (A) Cellulosic fibres

 Cellulose is one of many polymers found in nature.
 Wood, paper, and cotton all contain cellulose.
Cellulose is an excellent fiber.
 Cellulose is made of repeat units of the monomer
glucose.
 The three types of regenerated cellulosic fibres are
rayon, acetate and triacetate which are derived from
the cell walls of short cotton fibres called linters.
 Paper for instance is almost pure cellulose
(B) Man made fibres:

From other Sources:

Mineral: Glass, Ceramic and Graphite
Metallic Fibres: By mining and refining of metals like
silver, gold, aluminum and steel.
Rubber Fibres: Sap tapped from the rubber tree.
( Fibre forming polymer is
either natural or synthetic)
RAYON
 Rayon is a manufactured regenerated
cellulosic fiber.
 it is the first man made fibre .
 it has a serrated round shape with smooth
surface.
 it loses 30-50% of its strength when it is wet.
 Rayon is produced from naturally occurring
polymers and therefore it is not a synthetic
fiber, but a manufactured regenerated
cellulosic fiber.
 The fiber is sold as artificial silk
 there are two principal varieties of rayon
namely viscose and cupra ammonium rayon.
ACETATE
 A manufactured fiber in which the fiber
forming substance is cellulose acetate.
 Acetate is derived from cellulose by reacting
purified cellulose from wood pulp with acetic
acid and acetic anhydride in the presence of
sulfuric acid.

The Acetate Fiber Characteristics

 Luxurious feel and appearance
 Wide range of colors and lusters
 Excellent drapability and softness
 Relatively fast drying
 Shrink, moth and mildew resistant
 Special dyes have been developed for acetate
since it does not accept dyes ordinarily used
for cotton and rayon.
Man made Synthetic Fibres
 Polyamides-Nylon 66, Nylon 610, Nylon 6 etc
 Polyester-Terylene, Terene, Dacron etc.
 Polyvinyl derivatives
 Polyvinylchloride
 Polyvinylchloride acetate
 Polyvinylchloride –Acrylonitrile
 Polyacrilonitrile
 Polyvinyl alcohol
 Polystyrene and Copolymers
 Polyvinylide Chloride and Copolymers
 Polyolefins
 Polyethylene
 Polypropylene
MAN MADE SYNTHETIC FIBRE
POLYESTER, NYLON
ARAMID, ACRYLIC
MODACRYLIC, SPANDEX
OLEFIN, VINYON
SARAN, NYTRIL
TEFLON / FLUOROCARBON

ALGINATE :
Minor fibre made of a jelly like
calcium alginate derived from
certain forms of sea weed used as
scaffolding in such fabrics as
surgical dressings which can be
dissolved away
 POLYESTER
 Polyester is a category of polymers which
contain the ester functional group in their
main chain.
 The term "polyester" is most commonly
used to refer to polyethylene terephthalate
(PET).
 it has a high melting temperature
 it can be dyed with only disperse dyes
 they are thermoplastic, have good strength
and are hydrophobic
 the fibre has a rod like shape with a smooth
surface.
 it is lustrous and its hand is crisp.
 it has excellent resiliency and is the best
wash and wear fabric.
 there are problems of static and pilling in it
NYLON  Nylon is one of the most common
polymers used as a fiber.
 There are several forms of nylon
depending upon chemical synthesis
such as nylon 4, 6, 6.6, 6.10, 6.12,
8,10 and 11.
 Nylon is found in clothing all the
time, but also in other places, in the
form of a thermoplastic material.
 Nylons are also called polyamides,
because of the characteristic amide
groups in the backbone chain.
 These amide groups are very polar
and are linked with each other with
hydrogen bonds.
 nylon is a regular and symmetrical
fibre with crystalline regions and
make very strong fibers.
 the fibre has a smooth rod like
shape with a smooth surface
RUBBER FIBRE
 Rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon
polymer that naturally occurs as a
milky colloidal suspension, or latex,
in the sap of some plants.
 The manufacturing process consists of
extruding the natural rubber latex into
a coagulating bath to form
filament.the material is cross linked to
obtain fibres which exhibit high stretch
 It can be synthesized.
 Natural rubber is essentially a polymer
of isoprene units, a hydrocarbon diene
monomer.
 Synthetic rubber can be made as a
polymer of oprene or various other
monomers
 The material properties of natural
rubber make it an elastomer .
 Rubber exhibits unique physical and
chemical properties.
 Rubber's stress-strain behaviour
exhibits the Mullins effect, the Payne
effect and is often modeled as hyper
elastic.

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Inorganic Fibres
 Glass – Silica sand, lime stone and other minerals
 Ceramic – Alumina, Silica
and
Graphite fibres - Carbon

 Metallic fibres- Aluminium, silver, gold and stainless steel

GLASS FIBRE
 It is also known as Fiberglass that is a material
made from extremely fine fibers of glass. Glass
fiber is formed when thin strands of silica-
based or other formulation glass is extruded
into many fibers with small diameters suitable
for textile processing
 it has a high degree of viscosity
 The basis of textile grade glass fibers is silica,
SiO2. In its pure form it exists as a polymer,
(SiO2)n.
 In order to induce crystallization, it must be
heated to temperatures above 1200°C for long
periods of time.

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 The first type of glass used for fiber was
soda-lime glass or A glass which was not
very resistant to alkali. A new type, E-
glass was Glass fibers are useful because
of their high ratio of surface area to
weight. However, the increased surface
area makes them much more
susceptible to chemical attack.
 By trapping air within them, blocks of
glass fiber make is used as a reinforcing
agent for many polymer products.
 it has a good thermal insulation, with a
thermal conductivity of 0.05 W/m-K.

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 Because glass has an amorphous structure, its properties
are the same along the fiber and across the fiber.

 Humidity is an important factor in the tensile strength.

Moisture is easily adsorbed, and can worsen microscopic
cracks and surface defects, and lessen tenacity.

 It has no effect on exposure to sunlight even after

extended periods.

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METALLIC FIBRES
 Metallic fibers are manufactured
fibers composed of metal, plastic-
coated metal, metal-coated plastic,
or a core completely covered by
metal. Gold and silver have been
used since ancient times as yarns for
fabric decoration. More recently,
aluminum yarns, aluminized plastic
yarns, and aluminized nylon yarns
have replaced gold and silver.
 They are made through laminating
process.
 Coated metallic filaments help to
minimize tarnishing.

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 When suitable adhesives and films are used,
they are not affected by salt water,
chlorinated water in swimming pools or
climatic conditions.
 If possible anything made with metallic
fibers should be dry-cleaned.
 Ironing can be problematic because the
heat from the iron, especially at high
tempatures, can melt the fibers.
 They are used mainly for decorative
purposes.

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