Spandex

Spandex has poor abrasion and tenacity, but it's stronger than natural rubber. Spandex is heavier than natural rubber but can be made to have a finer denier. It has poor absorbency but can be dyed, unlike natural rubber. It can resist chemicals,perspiration,andoil.However,chlorine can degrade it. Fabric spandex can stretch three to seven times their natural size, and return back to normal. It is made of long polymer chains that are coiled when relaxed and straightened when stretched out. An elastic yarn is when spandex is used as a core fiber that is covered by another fiber. This can resist abrasion, and give bulk and the properties of the covering fiber with the stretch of the spandex. It is resistant to insects andmoldbutwillturnyellowinsunlight.

History

Spandex was discovered by Otto Bayer in Germany during the 1930s. But Dupont’s William Hanford and Donald Holmes modernized the process in the 1940s. Which was later used by chemist Joseph Shivers, to create fibers, in 1959. It was originally created to replace latex rubber incorsetryandunderwear.

Technical Properties

Also named Elastane, spandex is melt-spun or solvent-spun. It is white or gray, with no luster. Thecross-sectioncanberound,peanut,aredog bone shaped. The fiber can be smooth or serrated and can be a monofilament or multifilament.