Science
97
Do you know how cloths are produced? Cloths are produced from yarn and yarn is produced from fiber which consists of smaller filaments. Basically fibers and filaments are the same things. In textile industries fibers mean the filaments used for weaving. In addition to yarn and textile, fibers are also used to make carpet, filter, electronic insulator etc. Fibers are very valuable resources and can be divided into two categories according to their sources. Cotton, jute, linen, silk, wool, hair, asbestos, metal fibers etc. which are naturally abundant are called natural fiber. On the other hand, polyester, rayon, dacron, nylon etc. made synthetically by the chemical reactions are called man made fiber. Among the natural fibers, cotton, jute, linen, and some others obtained from plants are called plant fibers. On the other hand, silk, wool, hair etc. obtained from animals are called animal fiber, whereas, asbestos and metallic fibers obtained as minerals in nature and they are called mineral fibers. Among the man-made fibers, rayons are obtained from cellulose and, that is why they are called cellulosic fibers. Cellulose is a fibrous material which makes plant and animal cells. Some artificial fibers such as nylon, polyester poly propylene, dacron etc. prepared from chemicals other than cellulose are called non-cellulosic fibers. Characteristics and Use of Fibers Whether a textile or garment is comfortable or not that depends on what type of yarn has been used, which in turn is related with the type of fibers. So characteristics of fibers are very important. Now let us discuss that. Characteristics of Cotton Fibers: Why do we feel comfortable with cotton cloths in summer? The higher thermal conductivity of cotton fiber results in quicker dissemination of heat produced in human body. Moreover, the spaces or pores between the yarns in cotton are wider compared to other fibers allowing easier air passing which gives us comfort. Cotton is the main plant fiber. From microscopic observation, it is seen that, cotton fiber looks like a tube, inside the tube there is a relatively thinner and narrower space named lumen initially. Fibers after separating from the fruit are dried in sun light and resulting tubular fiber which shrinks gradually to a twisted thread like material. There are 100250 natural twists/inch in each fine, long cotton fiber. During yarn manufacturing, the twisted parts are linked with each other finely which gives the better texture in cotton cloths. Garments made of cotton do not look very bright. However, the brightness and glaze can be increased by moisturization. Cotton fibers have strong affinity for most of the dyes and therefore, upon washing or heating, dye adsorbed in cotton fiber is retained. Strong inorganic acids damage the cotton fibers