This document provides information on identifying natural and man-made textile fibers through burn, microscopic, and chemical tests. It discusses the identification of cotton, linen, silk, and wool fibers naturally as well as several man-made fibers including acetate, acrylic, nylon, and polyester. Burn tests examine how the fibers ignite and burn while microscopic analysis looks at fiber structure and chemical tests involve dissolving or coloring fibers using specified chemicals.

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REPORT
ON
TEXTILE FIBERS
BY : MUHAMMAD USMAN

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IDENTIFICATION OF NATURAL FIBRES :-
COTTON :-
Burn Test:
When ignited it burns with a steady flame and smells like
burning leaves. The ash lefties easily crumbled. Small
samples of burning cotton can be blown out as you would a
candle.
Microscopic Test:
• Itis a single elongated cell. Under the microscope, it
resembles a collapsed, spirally twisted tube with a
rough surface.
• The thin cell wall of the fiber has from 200 to
400convolutions per inch.
Chemical Test:.
The 70% acid can be used to discriminate
reconstituted cellulose fibers from cotton

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LINEN:-
Burn Test:
Linen takes longer to ignite. The fabric closest to the
ash is very brittle. Linen is easily extinguished by
blowing on it as you would a candle.
Microscopic Test:
• Under the microscope, the hair like flax fiber
shows severalsided cylindrical filaments with
fine pointed ends.
• The fiber somewhatresembles a straight,
smooth.
Chemical Test:
Linen are immersed in a 1% solution of fuchsinein
alcohol to give red rose color. Later ,they are
washed and immersed into ammonia, linen retains
the red coloration but cotton does not

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SILK:-
Burn Test:
Itis a protein fiber and usually burns readily, not
necessarily with a steady flame, and smells like burning
hair. The ash is easily crumbled. Silk samples are not as
easily extinguished as cotton or linen.
Microscopic Test:
• Itappears somewhatelliptical and triangular in
cross section when we see under the
microscope.
• Itis composed of fibroin, consisting of two
filaments, called brin which is held together by
service.
Chemical Test:
The use of concentrated cold hydrochloric acid will
dissolvethe silk and the wool fiber swells

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WOOL:-
Burn Test:
Itis also a protein fiber but is harder to ignite
than silk as the individual "hair" fibers are
shorter than silk and the weaveof the fabrics
is generally looser than with silk. The flame is
steady but more difficult to keep burning. The
smell of burning wool is like burning hair.
Microscopic Test:
• Under the microscope, wool’s cross
section shows threelayers- epidermis,
cortex and the medulla.
Chemical Test:
Wool can dissolvein 5% NaOH .

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IDENTIFICATION OF MAN-MADE FIBRES :-
ACETATE:-
Burn Test:
Acetate burns readily with a flickering flame that cannot
be easily extinguished. The burning cellulose drips and
leaves a hard ash. The smell is similar to burning wood
chips.
Microscopic Test:
• The cross sectional view has a bulbous or multi
global appearance with indentations.
• These indentations appear as occasional
markings
Chemical Test:
Acetate dissolves at20 °C, 60% sulfuric acid.

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ACRYLIC:-
Burn Test:
Acrylics burn readily due to the fiber content and
the lofty, air filled pockets. A match dropped on an
acrylic blanket can ignite the fabric which will burn
rapidly unless extinguished. The ash is hard. The
smell is acrid or harsh.
Microscopic Test:
• The cross sectional view has a bulbous or
multifocal appearance with indentations.
• These indentations appear as occasional
markings
Chemical Test:
Acrylic fibers will dissolvein 70 percent solution of
ammonium thiocyanate at 130 degree Celsius.
NYLON:-

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Burn Test:
Nylon melts and then burns rapidly if the flame remains on
the melted fiber. If i can keep the flame on the melting
nylon, it smells like burning plastic.
Microscopic Test:
• The basic microscopic appearanceis generally fine
,round, smooth, and translucent.
• Itis also produced in multilobal cross-sectionaltypes
Chemical Test:
Nylon dissolves At 100 °C, glacial acetic acid, but very
slowly.

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POLYESTER:-
Burn Test:
Polyester melts and burns at the sametime, the
melting, burning ash can bond quickly to any surfaceit
drips on including skin. The smokefrompolyester is
black with a sweetish smell. The extinguished ash is
hard.
Microscopic Test:
• Generally, polyester fibers are smooth and
straightand the cross-section is round.
• This general characteristics may be altered
to achieve certain characteristics.
Chemical Test:
Polyester is soluble in hot Meta cresol.