PRESENTATION ON FIBRES AND FABRICS

1. FIBRES AND FABRICS
To: Mrs. Roopali Dame By: Deepak Kumar
The Study of its Origin, Morphology to its role
in our Lives

2. CONTENTS
 HISTORY
 QUICK DEFINITIONS & TERMS
 INTRODUCTION & CLASSIFICATION
 IN DEPTH STUDY OF EACH OF IT’S:-
1. Definition
2. Origin
3. Production
4. Morphology
5. Uses
 CONCLUSION

3. HISTORY
The need for food, shelter and clothing has always inspired humans to
evolve and adapt. Every day need to cope with drastic situations has
compelled them to think ahead and come up with ideas that can make their
lives better and more comforting and this is how need for a better fabric has
always been an important part for human civilization.
The history of fibers is as old as human civilization. Traces of natural fibers
have been located to ancient civilizations all over the globe. For many
thousand years, the usage of fiber was limited by natural fibers such as flax,
cotton, silk, wool and plant fibers for different applications.
Fibers can be divided into natural fibers and man-made or chemical fibers.
Flax is considered to be the oldest and the most used natural fiber since
ancient times.

4. A glimpse of the fabrics from earlier times

5. FLAX ( LINEN), JUTE, KAPAAS, DRIED GRASS – OLDEST FIBRES

6. QUICK DEFINITIONS & TERMS
A Textile is flexible material consisting of network of natural
or artificial fiber often referred to as thread or yarn.
Fibers is defined as unit of matter characterized by
flexibility, fineness, and a high ratio of length to thickness.
Fabric refers to any material made through weaving,
knitting, crocheting, or bonding .
Apparel is anything that one puts on ones body. Clothing,
shoes, hats, gloves, & scarves are example of apparel items.

7. Fiber & Textile fiber
 Fiber:
 It is defined as one of the delicate, hair portions of the
tissues of a plant or animal or other substances that are
very small in diameter in relation to there length.
 A fiber is a material which is several hundred times as
long as its thick.
 Fibers have been defined by the Textile Institute as units of
matter characterized by :
 flexibility,
 fineness
 high ratio of length to thickness.

8. FIBRES
NATURAL FIBRES MAN-MADE FIBRES
PLANT FIBRES ANIMAL FIBRES
COTTON
JUTE
HEMP
RAMIE
LINEN
WOOL
SILK
RE-GENERATED
SISAL
VISCOSE
RAYON
MODIFIED
RAYON
ACETATE
RAYON
TRIACETATE
SYNTHETIC
POLYMIDE
POLYESTER
ACRYLIC
MODACRYLIC
POLYVINYL
POLYETHLENE
GLASS FIBER
CLASSIFICATION OF FIBERS

9. NATURAL FIBRES
Natural fibers include those produced by plants, animals, and geological processes.
They are biodegradable over time. They can be classified according to their origin.
HEMP
SISALJUTE
COTTON

10. FARM TO FABRIC – UNDERSTANDING COTTON

11. COTTON
 A unicellular, natural fiber that grows in the seed pod of the
cotton plant. Fibers are typically 1/2 inch to 2 inches long. The
longest staple fibers, longer than 1-1/2 inch, including the Pima
and Egyptian varieties, produce the highest quality cotton fabrics.
CHARACTERISTICS
 Comfortable soft and good absorbency
 Color retention
 Prints well
 Machine-washable
 Dry-cleanable
 Good strength
 Drapes well
 Easy to handle and sew

12. Uses of Cotton fabric
1. Bed linen and table linen
2. Soft furnishings and upholstery
3. Dresses and apparels
4. Medic kits and bandages
5. Towels and handkerchiefs

13. LINEN IN THE MAKING

14. Linen
A fabric made from linen fibers obtained from inside the
woody stem of the flax plant. Linen fibers are much stronger
and more lustrous than cotton. Linen fabrics are very cool and
absorbent, but wrinkle very easily, unless blended with
manufactured fibers.
Characteristics
• Length varies form 5oo cm. to 1m.
• The fiber are smooth straight and almost solid.
• The smoothness of fibers makes it good dirt & abrasion resistant.
• Has little resilience and creases badly.

15. Microscopic Image of Linen
LINEN FIBRE

16. USES OF LINEN
• Bed linen and table linen
• Soft furnishings and upholstery
• Suitable for glass cloth

17. SILK : IN THE MAKING

18. SILK
It is obtained from cocoons of certain species of caterpillars.
It is soft and has a brilliant sheen. It is one of the finest textiles.
It is also very strong and absorbent.
CHARACTERISTICS OF SILK
 High resistance to deformation
 Good insulation properties/cool in summer, hot in
winter
 Good affinity to dye
 Strongest natural fibre available
 Shimmers and shines
 Gets decomposed over time with sunlight and
atmospheric oxygen
 Low density makes it light and soft

19. USES OF SILK FABRIC
1.Curtains, wall covering
2.Duvet cover, bed coverings
3. Shirtings and suitings, men’s wear
4. Women apparels

20. SOME ANIMALS WHICH ARE REARED FOR WOOL
ALPACA CAMEL
GOATANGORA RABBIT SHEEP

21. WOOL
Usually associated with fiber or fabric made from the fleece of sheep or
lambs. However, the term "wool" can also apply to all animal hair fibers,
including the hair of the Cashmere or Angora goat or hair fibers of
camel, alpaca or llama.
• Fibers are not smooth
• Warm in nature
• Fire and acid resistant but vulnerable to alkalis
• Vary in lengths form 4 to 40 cm
• Extremely flexible and durable
CHARACTERISTICS

22. SOME ANIMALS WHICH ARE REARED FOR WOOL
LLAMA MUSK OXEN
MERINO CORRIEDALE

23. USES OF WOOL FABRIC
• Suitable for carpet and upholstery
• Blankets and soft furnishing
• Winter wears like gloves, scarf, sweaters
and pullovers

24. MAN-MADE FIBERS
It is also known as Manufactured fiber. Synthetic or man-made fibers
generally come from synthetic materials such as petrochemicals. But some
types of synthetic fibers are manufactured from natural cellulose; like rayon,
etc.
Some synthetic fibers are formed by long chains of carbon like polyethylene
and polyester, polyimide etc. Some of the man-made fibers we will be
studying are:
• VISCOSE RAYON
• POLYAMIDE
• POLYESTER
• ACRYLICS
• POLYPROPYLENE
• POLYETHYLENE

25. VISCOSE RAYON
The term “viscose” refers to the viscous organic liquid which is regenerated
into fibers for making the fabric. Viscose rayon is derived from cellulose, the
main constituent of plant cell walls. Thus, its semi-synthetic fiber.
Cellulose is treated with chemicals to make a fiber mimicking the qualities of
natural fibers, such as silk and cotton. Viscose fabric often looks like silk and
feels like cotton. Common trees and plants that are used in deriving viscose
are – bamboo, eucalyptus, pine, sugarcane etc.
It is the most common type of rayon. It is produced in much greater quantity
than the other commercial type.

26. RAYON: HOWS ITS’ MADE

27. Characteristics of Viscose rayon
1. Good absorbent, even better than cotton and linen
2. Prolonged exposure to sunlight also weakens the fiber due to moisture and ultraviolet
light of the sunlight.
3. Microorganisms (molds, mildew, fungus, bacteria) affect the color, strength, dyeing
properties and luster of rayon. Clean and dry viscose rayon is rarely attacked by mildew
4. Low resistance to abrasion and low elasticity.
5. Lustrous and is soft

28. USES OF VISCOSE RAYON
1. Soft furnishing and carpets
2. Bed sheets, bedspreads and slipcovers,
table covers, napkins
3. Suits and ties
4. Diapers and hygiene products

29. POLYAMIDE ( NYLON)
Polyamide fabric is a general term that is used to refer to a variety of different
fabrics that are made from strings of polyamide monomers. The most famous
form of polyamide fabric is nylon, but there are quite a few different varieties
of this textile.
These types of fabrics are derived from carbon-based molecules, which
means they are entirely synthetic.

30. CHARACTERISTICS & USES
• Produced in various forms.
• Melting point vary from 185 to 250 degree Celsius.
• Fabrics easy to wash and dry; should be washed frequently because
dirt is attracted.
• Great strength, elasticity and abrasion resistance.
BEDHSEETS
BAGSBELTS
UNIFORMS
CARPETS

31. POLYMER
Polyester is a synthetic fabric that’s usually derived from
petroleum. This fabric is one of the world’s most popular
textiles, and it is used in thousands of different consumer and
industrial applications.
Chemically, polyester is a polymer primarily composed of
compounds within the ester functional group.

32. CHARATERISTICS & USES OF POLYESTER
• Melts at 243°C.
• Very low moisture absorbency which makes dying difficult.
• More electrostatic than nylon or acrylics.
• Great resistance to sunlight.
• Resistant to most chemicals, stretching and shrinking,
wrinkle resistant, mildew and abrasion resistant
Polycotton Table LinenPolycotton Uniforms

33. ACRYLIC
1. Acrylic fiber fabrics are made from a synthetic polymer called acrylonitrile. This
type of fiber is produced by reacting certain petroleum or coal-based chemicals with a
variety of monomers, which means that acrylic fabric is a fossil fuel-based fiber.
2. Since acrylic fabric is one of the least breathable forms of textiles in the world, it
is desired in heat-retention applications. For instance, it is commonly used in athletic
equipment, and it’s common to see tracksuits, hoodies, and carpets, blankets, roller
brushes, upholstery, area rugs, protective clothing, wigs, hair extensions made from
acrylic fabric.
3.However, there are concerns that acrylic may be carcinogenic, so it may be
prudent to avoid contacting this fiber with your skin.

34. CHARACTERISTICS AND USES
• Good resilience and crease recovery
• Melts at 240°C
• Good resistance to chemical and sunlight
• Good heat retention capability
• Highly stretchable but prone to bubbling

35. POLYETHYLENE
High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (HMWP) is one of the world’s strongest
and lightest fibers. It is synthesized by long linear chains of ethylene.
Polyethylene fiber is, pound-for-pound, 10 times stronger than steel and up
to 40 percent stronger than aramids. It floats, resists chemicals and water, and
exhibits superior fiber-to-fiber abrasion.
It is used for making carpets, protective suits, tarps, carry bags etc.

36. CHARCTERISTICS & USES
• Non absorbent
• Melt about 120c
• Abrasion resistant
• Chemical resistant
• Can survive critical conditions

37. CONCLUSION
The basic knowledge about fibres and fabrics is very essential.
It helps you plan stain removal technique, plan the design of a
clothing apparel and most importantly helps you understand
the principle behind it which in turn will effect your selection
process for a specific linen, fabric, apparel for appropriate
region, person, weather and other conditions.
We studied some basic fabric, I hope it was informative and
knowledgeable. I will be humbled to receive your feedbacks to
make my presentation even better, thank you.