FABRIC
• Fabric- a general term
referring to any
material that is
woven, knitted or
somehow made into
cloth.
8/16
Yarn 8/17
• Yarn- a general term
referring to any
material that is
woven, knitted or
somehow made into
cloth.
Warp
• Warp- in weaving, the
yarns placed on the
loom first. They run
lengthwise on the
fabric.
• Weft or filling yarns
are woven over and
under the warp yarns.
8/18
WEFT
• Weft- The
crosswise filling
yarns that are
interwoven with
the lengthwise
warp yarns to
make a fabric.
8/19
Warp and Weft
Selvage
8/20
• Selvage- the woven
edge of fabric,
running parallel to the
warp. The selvage
keeps the textile from
fraying. It is often
used to identify the
manufacturer or
provide a color check.
Selvage
PLAIN WEAVE
• Plain Weave- The
most used basic
weave. Each filling
yarn alternates
crossing over and
under each warp
yarn. Like a window
screen or a tennis
racket.
8/23
TWILLWEAVE
• Twill Weave- One of
three basic weaves.
Recognized by the
diagonal “twill line” or
“rib” visible in the
finished fabric.
8/24
SATIN WEAVE
• Satin Weave- A weave in
which each yarn crosses
over four to twelve other
yarns before going under
another. The distance the
yarn covers is called a
“float.” Because of these
long “floats” the satin
weave is flat, smooth,
and lustrous. Usually
made of silk or manmade fibers that give a
lustrous, shiny
appearance.
8/25
Basket Weave 8/26
• Similar to Plain
Weave, but 2 weft
threads are interlaced
with two warp
threads.
Terry cloth 8/27
• A slack-tension, warpyarn pile fabric with
loops on one of both
sides of the fabric.
Two sets of warps
and one set of filling
yarns are used. It
may have a jacquard
pattern.
Un-Cut Pile Weave 8/30
• Produced by
additional threads in
the weft and warp that
form loops or tufts of
yarn that stand out
form the surface of
the fabric. These
loops may be cut,
uncut or a
combination.
Terry cloth
corduroy
Cut-Pile Weave 8/31
• 3 dimensional
structure made by
weaving an extra
set of warp or filling
yarns with the
ground yarns so
that cut yarn loops
create a pile
Velvet
Leno Weave
• a locking type weave in
which two or more warp
yarns cross over each
other and interlace with
one or more filling yarns.
• used primarily to prevent
shifting of yarns in open
fabrics.
• Sheers, semi sheers, and
casements (coarsely
woven sheers
9-1
Jacquard Weave 9/2
• Requires an intricate series of
hole-punched cards that tell
the machine which threads to
raise and which threads to
drop.
• produce patterned fabrics.
• costly because it involves
more time and skill in making
the Jacquard cards to produce
new pattern
• Damask , brocades
tapestries
Grain in Fabric
• effects the way fabric will hang
and drape
• refers to the way threads are
arranged in a piece of fabric
• Lengthwise grain runs
parallel to the selvagestrongest and most stable
• Crosswise grain runs
perpendicular to the selvedge
of the fabric or the cut edge of
the fabric as it comes off the
bolt.
• Bias grain runs on a 45
degree angle to the selvage
9/3
9/7
Microban®
• antimicrobial protection
(microbes can double in
number every 20 minutes)
• built-in to products during the
manufacturing process to
provide continuous
antimicrobial protection
• fights the growth of odor
causing bacteria, mold and
mildew to keep fabrics cleaner
and fresher for the useful life of
the fabric
9/8
VELCRO®
• brand name of fabric
hook-and-loop
fasteners which have
been used for 50 years
• consists of two layers: a
"hook" side, which is a
piece of fabric covered
with tiny hooks, and a
"loop" side, which is
covered with even
smaller and "hairier"
loops.
X 20 magnification
9/9
Natural Fibers
• Found in nature
and require little or
no processing to
be used.
• Made from plant
and animal
sources
• Cellulosic - plant
• Protein- animal
• mineral
9/10
cellulosic
Plant fibers include
stems, leaves, and seed
hairs found in plant
Cotton
Flax -Linen
Jute
Ramie
flax
Jute
Protein 9/13
• Wool
• silk
Mineral Fibers 9/14
• Asbestos
• Comes from deep in the earth’s
crust
• Found in veins or cracks of
solid rock
• Fibers are resistant to fire, heat,
and acid
• Nonconductor of electricity –
was used in insulation
• Is now banned in US because it
was found to cause cancer
Cotton 9/15
• Believed to have
been grown in
India during the 4th
century B.C.
• Used in early
Rome
• Most plentiful of
natural fibers
Cotton boll
seeds
Cotton Gin 9/16
• designed and
constructed by Eli
Whitney (Yale) in
1793
• machine that
automated the
separation of
cottonseed from the
short-staple cotton
fiber (50 lbs. daily)
Cotton 9/17
Advantages
• Takes and holds color
well
• Washes easily, easy
care, comfortable
• Can be woven into sheer
or heavy weight fabric
• Flexibility
• Not damaged by sunlight
and most chemicals
Disadvantages
• Not as durable as other
fibers
• Wrinkles easily
• Can mildew and fade
• Absorbs moisture easily
• Cost varies according to
quality of fiber, weave, ad
finish
Quality of Cotton Fiber
• Determined by 3 factors
• Color of ginned cotton
(cotton fibers separated
from cottonseed
1. Color ranges from white
to yellow white
2. White, Light Spotted,
Spotted Tinged, Yellow
Stained
9-27
• Purity(absence of foreign
matter) and quality of
ginning process
• Length of fibers (inherited
genetic characteristic of
the seed variety) weather
,nutrient deficiencies and
excessive cleaning may
affect fiber length
• USDA rates cotton
Organic Cotton 9/29
• grown using methods and • Twice as expensive as
materials that have a low
conventional cotton
impact on the environment • Additional costs related to
• Produced following statelower fiber yield per acre,
fiber-certification standards requirements for
where organic farming
processing in facilities
practices have been used
free of harmful chemicals
for at least 3 years
and smaller quantities of
• No synthetic commercial
fibers processed
pesticides or fertilizers are • represents 0.76 percent
used
of global cotton
production. (2009)
ORGANIC COTTONSEED 9/28
• used for animal feed
• Organic cottonseed
oil is used in a variety
of food products,
including cookies and
chips.
EGYPTAIN COTTON
• comes ONLY from Egypt
where the humid conditions
and rich soil along the Nile
River Valley create the
perfect conditions to grow
long cotton fibers
• falls under the classification
of an ELS (extra-long staple)
cotton
• Fiber staples can range from
1 1/2 inches to 2 1/4 inches.
(about twice the size of other
cotton fibers which allows
fibers to be spun into very
fine yarns
9/29
• Highest quality is a fabric
count of 1000 to 1200
• Softer and more durable
than other cotton
• American version of
Egyptian cotton is known as
Pima cotton. (Pima Indian
Reservation in Arizona in
early 1900’s to meet demand
for quality long staple cotton
Egyptian
cotton
logo was
trademark
ed in 2001
LINEN 9/30
• Made from flax fibers
(found in the stem of the
flax plant)
• oldest of all fabric
• evidence has been found
in Swiss lake dwellings
dating from 8000 B.C.
• ancient Greece-evidence
of a linen industry is
shown on 4,000 year-old
tablets
• lightweight and
breathable fabric
• More expensive than
cotton
• since 1970, linen fabric
production for apparel
has increased from 5% to
70%.
• Today, Western Europe,
Ireland in particular,
dominates flax and linen
production in both
quantity and quality.
LINEN 10/1
•
•
•
•
•
•
Advantages
Strong, especially when
wet
Comfortable, pliable,
lustrous
Not damaged by sunlight
and chemicals
Washable
Takes and holds color
Absorbent
Disadvantages
• Wrinkles easily if not
chemically treated
• Fades
• stiff
• Difficult to clean
• Absorbs moisture easily
RAMIE 10/4
• Also known as rhea,
grasscloth, and China
grass
• Been used for several
thousand years in
China
• A tall perennial plant
that requires a hot,
humid climate
• Fast growing and can be
harvested every 60 days
• Has to be cut, not pulled
• Has been grown in the
Everglades and Gulf
Coast regions of US, but
not currently
• Produced in China,
Philippines and Brazil
Ramie
•
bast fiber – part of a
plant stem
• one of oldest textile fibers
–used in mummy cloths
in ancient Egypt during
the period 5000-3000B.C.
• Very durable
• long, fine fibers are
naturally white and
lustrous with an almost
silky appearance.
October 6
• requires chemical
processing to de-gum the
fiber.
• Blends are more common
than pure ramie - most
typical is 55 %ramie/45 %
cotton
• Blends - available in
woven and sweater knit
form. (Cotton and wool)
RAMIE 10/7
Advantages
• High absorbency
• Greater strength when
wet
• hold shape well ,
• introduce a silky luster to
the fabric appearance
Disadvantages
• possesses little elasticity and is
somewhat brittle and stiff
which causes fiber breakage
where creased or folded
repeatedly
• Wrinkles easily
• Will not dye as well as cotton
• Very brittle and fibers will
break if folded repeatedly
JUTE
• Used in Biblical times
• 61% cellulose
• One of cheapest
fibers
• Grown throughout
Asia-chiefly India and
Bangladesh
10/8
• Primary fibers are
short and brittle
• One of weakest of the
cellulosic fibers
• Creamy white to
brown in color
• Used to produce
coffee bags carpet
backing, rope and
twine
Manufactured/ Synthetic Fibers 10/11
• Originally designed to
improve the quality,
durability, and ease of
care of fibers
• Designed to resist soil,
mildew, and insects
• Made from substances
such as wood pulp,
petroleum, and coal
• Produced in labs through
chemical processes
• Mimic natural fibers
because they look, feel,
and act like them
• Have many desirable
characteristics: generally
strong, have ability to
spring back to their
original shape, don’t
wrinkle and are easy to
care for
Protein Fibers 10/12
• Are of animal origin
• Wool and specialty
wools are the hair and
fur of animals
• Silk is the secretion of
the silk caterpillar
• Are luxury fibers
today
Protein Fibers 10/13
Wool
Silk
• Animal hair fibers – sheep’s
• Fiber formed from
wool
extruded filaments
• Alpaca, camel, cashmere goat,
• According to legend –
llama, vicuna, guanaco, and
discovered about 2540
the angora goat (mohair),
B.C.
quivit (hair from musk ox),
angora rabbit hair
• Produced from the larvae
• Used since 4th century BC
of silkworms
• Used for clothing and some
• Known as sericulture-was
household articles in early
kept secret for manyyears
Egypt, Greece, Asia, an Middle
East.
Wool
ADVANTAGES
• Resilient
• Flame retardant
• Resists abrasion
good insulator
• Can be woven into a variety of
textures
• Dyes well
• Cleans well, resists dirt\
• Absorbs up to 20% of its weight in
moisture without feeling damp
• Doesn’t wrinkle easily
10/14
Disadvantages
• Yellows with age
• Shrinks
• Can be damaged by
moths
• Expensive
• Requires
professional
cleaning
• Can cause allergies
• Weak, especially
when wet
Manufactured/Synthetic Fibers
10/19
• During the past 5
decades, production
and consumption has
steadily increased
• Today over 80% of
fibers used
• Comprise 75% of
U.S. textile market
•
•
•
•
•
•
Used for: Apparel
Furnishings
Medical applications
Construction
Transportation
Aerospace
applications
• Environmental
applications
Manufactured regenerated
fibers 10/20
• Produced from naturally
occurring polymers (very
large molecule made by
connecting many small
molecules)
• Polymers do not occur
naturally as fibers and
processing is needed to
convert them into fiber
form
• Starting material is
cellulose and protein
• 3 regenerated
cellulosic fibers :
rayon, lyocell and
acetate
Rayon 10/21
• First commercially
successful
manufactured
regenerated fiber
• Cellulose fiber
regenerated from
wood pulp
• Production began
around the beginning
of 20th Century
• Referred to as “Artificial
Silk”
• Name RAYON was not
officially adopted until
1924
• Called VISCOSE IN
Europe
• Used in apparel- from
lingerie to suits, dresses,
and sportswear
• Often blended with
polyester
Acetate 10/22
• Originated in Europe
• Dreyfus brothers
experimented with
acetate in Switzerland
• Brothers moved to
England during WWI –
acetate was used as a
coating for the fabric
wings of WWI airplanes
• After war-they perfected
the process of making
acetate fibers
• 1924 became the 2nd
manufactured derivative
cellulose fiber in U.S.
• Dry spun methodpolymers are dissolved in
a solvent of acetate to be
formed into fibers
• First thermoplastic (heatsensitive fiber)
• Fabric melts under a hot
iron
Lyocell
• Developed by Courtlands,
a European fiber
manufacturer
• Introduced in early 1990’s
as a type of Rayon
• Development was
prompted by a concern
about Rayon’s negative
impact on the
environment
• First produced under
brand name Tencel
10/25
• Solvent spinning –
cellulosic starting material
(wood pulp) is directly
dissolved in an organic
solvent- fiber is
regenerated from that
solvent
• Produced in both Europe
and U.S.
• Properties are more like
cotton than any other
regenerated fiber
Synthetic Fiber Production 10/26
• Made from chemicals
synthesized from
petroleum by-products
and other chemicals
• Chemists discovered that
when a glass rod was
pulled away from a
chemical compound, it
formed a fine filament
that was strong, elastic,
and flexible
• Are produced in similar
way
• Thick syrupy liquid is
forced through tiny holes
in a spinneret
• Each tiny hole produces a
fiber
• A spinneret can produce
a few dozen fibers or as
many as several
thousands at a time
Synthetic Fiber Production 10/27
• Shape of spinneret holes
can be altered so that
fibers of different cross –
sectional shapes can be
produced – round,
octagonal, hollow, threesided, or other shapes
• The shape of the fiber
gives certain qualities like
luster, sparkle, and ability
to hide soil, or hold heat
to the body
• Can be solution dyed –color
is added to the syrup before
fiber is made – the color is
more permanent
• Most fibers a ARE NOT
solution dyed because the
process makes the fibers
more expensive and less
responsive to changes in
fashion colors
• Solution dyed fibers cannot
be dyed another color later
Manufactured and Synthetic Fibers10/28
Can be engineered to
enhance performance
like:
• Fire resistance
• Soil resistance
• Bacterial resistance
• Heat resistance
Examples:
• Fibers for swimwear can
be produced so that they
resist fading from
sunlight, salt water or
swimming pool water
• Fibers for bath towels can
be produced to provide
continuous antimicrobial
protection
ACRYLIC
• Synthetic fiber
• Developed in the 1940’s
• Both dry and wet spinning
methods are used
• Have been called the “warmth
without weight”
• Wet spun fibers can have
cross-sections varying from
round to bean shape
• Dry spun methods have a dogbone shape
• Fibers are soft, warm,
lightweight and resilient
10/29
• Fabricated into woven and
knitted fabric construction
• Often blended with other fibers
especially wool
• Good fiber for sweaters, suits,
coats, and socks
• Superior to wool in their easycare properties and are
nonallergenic
• Declined from 15% to 5%
of world fiber production
• Manufacturing has moved
from U.S and Europe to
China, Taiwan, and India
ACRYLIC
•
•
•
•
Advantages
Resist wrinkling during
use and care
Mildew, microorganisms,
and moths will not harm
acrylic
Lower cost competitor for
wool
Resistant to sunlight –
superior to polyester and
nylon
Nov. 1
•
•
•
•
Disadvantages
Shrink when exposed to
high temperatures
Will “pill”
Low moisture absorbency
Generate static electricity
Nylon
• First synthetic fiber and first
fiber developed in U.S.
• Inventor was Wallace
Carothers –chemist working
for Dupont Company in 1928
(research program)
• Generic name NYLON was
proposed in 1938 by Dupont
• First nylon product a nylon
bristle toothbrush which went
on sale on Feb. 24, 1938
• Women’s stockings went on
sale on May 15, 1940
Nov. 3
• became unavailable to civilian
consumers, because nylon
was used extensively during
WW II (1939-1945)
• During WW II Nylon replaced
Asian silk in parachutes
• Also used to make tires, tents,
ropes, ponchos and other
military supplies
• Could be heat-set and
permanent pleats became a
reality
NYLON Nov. 4
•
•
•
•
•
•
ADVANTAGES
Strong and Elastic
Easy to launder
Dries quickly
Retains its shape
Resilient and responsive
to heat setting
Resistant to damage from
oils
DISADVANTAGES
• Extensive washing and
drying in a dryer can lead
to piling
• White Nylon should be
washed separately to
avoid it turning gray
• Has a tendency to
“Scavenge” colors picking
up surface color easily
from other fabrics
POLYESTER 11/9
• English researchers
experimented and
manufactured polyester
fibers called Terylene
• Introduced to U.S. in
1951 under name of
Dacron
• Dupont bought the
English patent and
started manufactured
polyester in March 1953
• Often referred to as the
workhorse fiber of the
industry
• most widely used synthetic
fiber in U.S.
• Used alone or blended with
other fibers
• Used for apparel and
furnishings
• First use of polyester
filament fibers was in knit
shirts for men and boluses
for women
POLYESTER 10/10
Advantages
•
•
•
•
Good strength
Wrinkle resistant
Mildew resistant
Retains heat-set pleats and
crease
• Resistant to stretching and
shrinking
• Easily washed –quick drying
• Polyester is extensively
recycled-products made from
recycled polyester include
apparel and carpeting
Disadvantages
• Lack absorption
• Consumers like recycled
polyester, but the cost is
usually higher
OLEFIN 11/11
• In the 1920’s attempts were
made to polymerize ethylene
(a byproduct of natural gas)
• Ethylene was polymerized
(formation of polymers) and
used as an important plastic
during WW II, but filaments
made from it did not have
sufficiently consistent
properties for use in textiles
• In 1954 in Germany, Karl
Ziegler developed a process
that raised the melting point of
polymerized ethylene filaments
– but it was still too low for
many uses
• In Italy Giulio Natta
successfully made linear
polypropylene polymers of
polypropylene polymers
suitable for most textile
applications
• By 1957, Italy was producing
olefin fibers
• U.S. production of olefin
started in 1960
• Fibers are often called
polyolefins, but the
FTC(Federal Trade
Commission) specifies the
generic name olefin
Olefin Fiber Uses 11/12
• APPAREL
activewear and
sportswear
socks, thermal
underwear, lining fabrics
OLEFIN 11/12
• AUTOMOTIVE
Interior fabricsused in or on kick
panel seat
construction, truck
liners
OLEFIN 11/12
• Home Furnishings
Indoor/outdoor carpet;
carpet backing,
upholstery and wall
coverings, furniture and
bedding construction
fabrics
OLEFIN 11/12
• INDUSTRIAL
Carpets,
disposable,
durable nonwoven
fabrics; ropes,
OLEFIN 11/15
Advantages
•
•
•
•
•
Colorfast
Quick drying
Stain and soil resistant
Sunlight resistant
Very lightweight –(olefin fibers
have the LOWEST specific
gravity of all fibers
• Dry hand (the way a fiber feels
to the sense of touch)
• wicks (ability of a fiber to
transfer moisture along its
surface) body moisture from
the skin
Environmental Impact
• Easier fiber to recycle than
most other fibers
• Olefin is seldom dyed, so the
environmental problems
related to dyeing are minimal
• Can be engineered for specific
end uses, so the problems
related to recycling or
disposing of finishing
chemicals is of little concern
SPANDEX 11/16
• First manufactured elastic
fiber was introduced in
1958 and called Lycra
• Known as elastane in
many other parts of the
world
• Superior to rubber in
strength and durability
• Name was coined by
shifting the syllables of
the word expand
Uses of Spandex 11/17
• used to support, shape,
or mold the body or to
keep textiles from
stretching out of shape
during use
• Used primarily in knit
foundation garments,
action wear, intimate
apparel, shape wear,
hosiery, furnishings and
narrow fabrics
• Medical uses-surgical
an d support hose,
bandages, and
surgical wraps
• Blends of 2% to 40%
spandex with other
fibers are common
• Spandex yarns are
woven or knitted
SPANDEX
Advantages
• Spandex is resistant to
the body oils,
perspiration, lotions and
cosmetics that degrade
rubber.
• Has a good shelf life and
does not deteriorate with
age as quickly as rubber
11/18
Disadvantages
• Extended exposure to
light may cause
discoloration of some
types of white spandex
but does not deteriorate
the fiber seriously
• Should not be subjected
to very hot water or
excessive heat from
ironing
CARDING 9/28
• Carding- a process in
which raw fibers
(cotton, wool, etc.)
are untangled and
partially straightened
by drawing them
through a series of
sharp points. After
carding, fibers are
combed.
8/27