The document provides an overview of man-made fibers, including their history, classification, definitions, and applications. It discusses the major steps in the production of man-made staple fibers such as polymerization and spinning. The document also examines properties like crystallinity, molecular weight distribution, and structural models. Additionally, it provides insights into the global synthetic fiber market and common applications of various man-made fibers.

1. OVERVIEW OF MAN-MADE FIBRES
S/N NAMES REGISTRATION NUMBER
1 OCITI INNOCENT OLUR BU/UG/2016/1725
2 NAMIREMBE SUZAN BU/UG/2016/70
3 SHARIFA SHABAN BU/UP/2016/511

2. HISTORY OF MAN-MADE FIBERS
• The first man-made fiber was invented by a Swiss
chemist George Audemars in 1855 who produced
artificial silk.
• Frenchman Hilaire de Chardonnet, realized the first
industrial production of man-made fibers with
cellulose-based fiber (chardonnay silk) in 1891.
• In 1891, a new way to dissolve cellulose and spin
viscose yarn was introduced by Charles F. Cross,

3. CONT’D
• The first patent for the production of synthetic fiber
was filed by Fritz Klatte in 1913 relating to
polyvinylchloride fibers, though mass production was
till 1939.
• In 1930, Wallace H. Carothers from DuPont found the
first polyester out of which, it was possible to draw
fibers but due to its low melting point, he focused on
making polyamide.
• In 1935, Carothers succeeded in spinning polyamide

4. CONT’D
• In 1930, the German Paul Schlack produced polyamide
6(perlon fibers) but mass production started in 1950
due to the war.
• In 1941, J.R. Whinfield and J.T. Dickson invented in
England a melt spinning process for polyester by
polycondensation, which went into mass production
after the war.
• Polyester became the most important man-made fiber
type in the fiber industry.
• In 1942, Robert Hein spun polyacrylonitrile fibers after

5. TYPES OF MAN-MADE FIBRES
The whole group of man-made fibers can be sub-divided
into three major categories(sources where they are
derived):
• Natural polymers, which are man-made fibers derived
from nature.
• Synthetic polymers, which are man-made fibers
produced through additional or condensational
polymerization.

6. CLASSIFICATION OF MAN-MADE FIBER ( ISO
STANDARD)

7. DEFINITIONS (ISO STANDARD)
• Man-made fiber; generic name for filament yarn, staple fiber and
monofilaments.
• Filament; man-made fiber of very great length.
• Filament yarn; man-made fiber yarn comprising one or more
filaments.
• Monofilament; filament yarn comprising many filaments up to
30,000 dtex(tow)
• Monofilament yarn; filament yarn consisting a filament with
thickness of up to 0.1mm.
• Tow; filament yarn above 30,000 dtex.
• Staple fiber; fibers of limited length.

8. INTRODUCTION TO FUNDAMENTALS OF MAN-MADE
STAPLE FIBRE SPINNING
Production of man-made staple fiber includes the following
steps:
1. Polymerization.
• The term polymerization defines the process of
macromolecules formation through repetition of basic units.
• Polymerization reactions are activated and controlled during
the process by various parameters, as temperature, pressure,
catalyzers, reaction stabilizers.
• The number of repetitive units is termed degree of

9. CONT’D
• From processing point of view, polymerization can be
carried out by mass treatment, solution or dispersion
(suspension, emulsion).
• Engineering-wise; this process can be:
Discontinuous, reagents are entirely pre-loaded into the
reactor and as soon as polymerization is completed, the
products are unloaded. It’s best suited for small-scale
production.
Continuous, reagents are introduced at one end and

10. CONT’D
•The polymers can appear as follows:
Solution, to be conveyed to the spinning
department.
Melted polymer, to be conveyed to the spinning
department or transformed into grains(chips) for
subsequent use.
Suspension, from which the polymer is separated

11. CONT’D
2. Spinning
• This is the process of extrusion of molten polymers
through bored devices(spinnerets) which are able to
solidify in a continuous flow.
3. Dulling: this is the addition of a white dulling
agent (titanium dioxide in grains), to give the fibers a
“dull” appearance, which distinguishes them from the
untreated fibers.

12. CONT’D
• The fiber is termed on the basis of the added quantity of
titanium dioxide (dullness degree) as follows:
Bright fiber: a fiber without or with minimal quantities of
titanium dioxide.
Semi-bright fiber: a slightly delustred fiber(<0.25%).
Semi-dull fiber: delustred fiber with 0.25-0.5% titanium
dioxide contents.
Dull fiber: fiber with 0.5-1% titanium dioxide.
Super-dull fiber: fiber with 1-3% titanium dioxide.

13. CRYSTALLINITY
• Crystallinity refers to the degree of structural order in a
solid. In a crystal, the atoms or molecules are arranged
in a regular, periodic manner.
• The degree of crystallinity has a big influence on
hardness, density, transparency and diffusion.
• The long molecules of a typical fiber-forming material
are able to pack together closely alongside one another,
like sticks in a bundle of faggots. The regularity of
structure brought about by this arrangement results in
regions of crystallinity in the fiber.

14. CONT’D
• These are regions in which a number of molecules are
aligned in such a way that strong forces of attraction
hold the molecules together.
• The bonds developed in this way are not familiar to
chemical bonds, but they are stronger than the normal
forces of attraction exerted between individual
molecules.
• The degree of order introduced by these regions
determines the usefulness of a potential fiber. The

15. CONT’D
• The ratio of crystalline to amorphous regions has an
important influence on the properties of any fiber. In
natural fibers, it is by nature, but in case of man-made
fiber the crystalline-amorphous ratio may be controlled
to a large degree by the condition which the fiber is
produced. This process is known as ‘drawing’ or
‘stretching’.

16. STRUCTURAL MODELS
• The chemical structure of linear polymers determines the degree of
conformational mobility of the chain segments of these molecules.
Both chain mobility and molecular structure, in turn, greatly
influence fiber structure.
• Flexible chain molecules may crystallize partially to form structures
that conform with the classical crystalline–amorphous model(A).
• A: classical structural model of amorphous–crystalline fiber
polymers. Examples are polyamide, polyester, and viscose
rayon. Long period (l)10–30nm.

17. CONT’D
• Spandex fibers, on the other hand, have a special
domain structure, because the chemical structure of
these polymers changes considerably in the various
segments along the polymer chain(B).
• B: structural model of spandex fibers (polyurethane).
Length of hard segment 2.5nm; length of soft segment
15.0nm

18. CONT’D
• The relatively planar structure of aramids and poly-
heterocyclic compounds, their conformational rigidity,
and their tendency to form lyotropic structures in the
spinning solution are consistent with a structural model
in which the inter-crystalline segments are bridged(C).
• C: structural model of aramid fibers (p-structures). No
amorphous phases present; stretched molecules due to
lyotropic structures during fiber formation.

19. CONT’D
• Even more planar molecules form graphite like
structures(D).
• D: structural model of carbon fibers; graphite structure

20. MOLECULAR WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION
• Molecular weight distribution describes the relationship
between the number of moles of each polymer species
(ni) and the molar mass (mi) of that species.
• Different average values can be defined, depending on
the statistical method applied.
• In practice four averages are used, representing
the weighted mean taken with the mole fraction, the
weight fraction, and two other functions which can be

21. CONT’D
• Number average molar mass (Mn).
The number average molar mass is a way of
determining the molecular mass of a polymer.
The number average molecular mass of a polymer can
be determined by gel permeation
chromatography, viscometry.
It can be calculated by:

22. CONT’D
• Weight average molar mass (mw).
The weight average molar mass or weight is another
way of describing the molar mass of a polymer.
It can be determined by static light scattering, small
angle neutron scattering, x-ray scattering,
and sedimentation velocity.
It can be calculated as:

23. CONT’D
• Z average molar mass (mz), (z is for centrifugation;
from German zentrifuge).
The z-average molar mass is the third moment or
third power average molar mass. The z-average
molar mass can be determined with
ultracentrifugation. The melt elasticity of a polymer is
dependent on mz
It can be calculated as:

24. CONT’D
• Viscosity average molar mass (mv).
This determines the absolute viscosity of polymer
solution of different concentration.
It can be determined by a viscometer.
It can be calculated as:

25. GLOBAL SYNTHETIC FIBRE MARKET
• The global synthetic fibers market size was valued at USD
51,213.0 million in 2016.
• The superior chemical, physical and mechanical properties
of synthetic fibers are expected to support the market
growth over the forecast period.
1. Regional insight
Asia pacific is estimated to be the fastest-growing region
with a CAGR of 7.0% from 2017 to 2025.
Asia pacific was valued at USD 34,765.2 million in 2016.

26. CONT’D
The increased demand can be attributed to the presence of
a number of applications including clothing, home
furnishing, automotive, and filtration.
The growth of these application segments is expected to

27. CONT’D
2. Application insight
Synthetic fibers exhibit advantageous properties such as
strength, elasticity, lightweight, washability, softness,
cost effectiveness and special properties such as wrinkle
resistance, crease recovery, moisture resistance, and
high lustre. Owing to these factors, these fibers are
preferred in various applications including clothing,
home furnishing, automotive, filtration, construction,
toys, different types of ropes and net manufacturing.

28. CONT’D
The U.S. Market was valued at USD 4,301.6 million in
2016 and is anticipated to register a CAGR of 5.3% from
2017 to 2025. The rising demand from clothing industry
in the U.S. is expected to boost the growth.

29. CONT’D
3. Types insight
The demand for polyester fiber is growing on account of its
useful properties which include abrasion and chemical
resistance. The need for polyester is increasing as affordable
synthetic fiber in clothing application due to rise in middle-
class population in emerging economies.
Asia pacific region is leading in both the production and
consumption of polyester and the trend is expected to
continue over the forecast period. Polyester emerged as the
most significant segment holding share of 48.26% of total

30. CONT’D
4. Competitive insight
The market is fragmented in nature with the presence of several
global and regional players like Toray industries Inc., E. I.
Dupont de Nemours and company, lenzing AG, Indorama
corporation, Mitsubishi chemical holdings corporation and china
petroleum corporation, which comply with the regulatory
framework of different countries.
These companies invest in research and development of
synthetic fibers specific to applications such as filtration,
clothing and home furnishings. They are incorporating backward

31. APPLICATION OF MAN-MADE FIBERS
• Polyester: used as cushioning and insulating material in
pillows, garments etc.
• Cupro: linings, outwear; casual and formal wears with
comfort.
• Viscose: used in making dresses, linings, shirts, shorts,
coats, jackets and other outwears.
• Acetate: cigarette filters and women’s wear due to its
good luster.

32. CONT’D
• Zein: making tough and strong fabrics, warms as wool,
resistant to mildew, insects, sunlight etc.
• Casein fiber: used in blends with wool for soft handle
and warmth.
• Alginate fibers: used in food and drink industries,
pharmacies and chemical industries.
• Elastomer(rubber): specialized application where high
elasticity is necessary in textile structures(bicycle tubes,

33. CONT’D
• Polypropylene: packaging applications due to chemical
resistance and weldability.
• Polyacrylonitrile (PAN): pressure vessels, fishing rods,
military aircraft missile when oxidized.
• Modacrylics: used in where environmental resistance or
flame resistance is required.
• Vinyl fibers: application where low flammability in apparel
is required.
• Polyamide: high abrasion resistance and melting point;
clothing, automotive and body armor.

34. CONT’D
• Glass fibers: mats and fabrics for thermal, sound, electrical
insulation, high strength fabrics.
• Metal fibers: communication lines, stainless steel fibers used
in carpets.
• Carbon fibers: bicycle equipment due to its light weight,
rigidity, strength and stretch resistance.
• Polyurethane: used in home furnishings such as furniture,
bedding and carpet underlay
• Elastane/ spandex: tights, sportswear, swimwear, corsetry

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