Fiber ID Guide
Fall 2011
*
* Plain weave pattern
* Manufactured
* Odorless when you burn it
* Resistant to heat & fire
* Neutral
* Fiberglass is usually used as the
outer layer of casts
Chemicals
Reaction
Acetone
N/A
Bleach
N/A
NaOH
N/A
HCl
N/A
H2SO4
N/A
Daria Capaldi
SPANDEX
BY JULIA WALSH
Synthetic Fiber
 Stretchy material
 No real weave pattern, more of just
fibers melted together
 Almost like rubber
When burned it melts
 Has a chemical odor
Acid or Base – N/A
Other chemical reactions – N/A
Interesting use
 Zentai suit, full body spandex suit
 No real purpose
Manufactured Fiber
Burning
• Will burn after the flame
is put away,
• It has an odor similar to
burning paper
• It does not have and
afterglow when it is
pulled away form the
fire, cotton does.
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•
Acids
• Rayon is composed of
cellulose fiber, made of
natural occurring
polymers.
• When burning it will
burn acid gases ,
making it an ACID
Chemical Solutions
• Bleach: Discharge Color
• Acetone: resistant to
acetone
• Weak base: Resistant to
weak bases
• HCL: Color changing
• H2SO4: Resistant, only
a slight change in color
It is usually fond in apparel and home
furniture.
Low wet strength, it might shrink when
wet.
Acetate (man made)
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Very fine and thin strands
Plain weave pattern
When burnt it actually melts and smells like
vinegar and burning wood
• Decomposition: weak acid
• Will completely dissolve in acetone
- Might oxidize and ignite with the air in bleach
- It does not react with sodium hydroxide
- It will be disintegrated entirely by both
hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid
-
Besides cloth acetate fibers are used in
cigarette butts
Tim and Brian
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Blended laminated
Nonwoven cloth
Man-made fiber: Produced by matting, condensing,
and pressing woolen fibers
ACID
When burning: smells like burnt hair
Reaction nearing flame: instantly ignites
Behavior in flame: Burns for some time
Chemical
Reaction
Acetone
No Change: Absorbs liquid
Bleach
No Change: Absorbs liquid
NaOH
No Change: Absorbs liquid
HCL
Color change
H2SO4
No Change: Absorbs liquid
**Felt is used everywhere from the automotive industry, to musical instruments
and home construction**
Silk
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Tight weave fabric, straight fiber
Burnt-smells like burnt hair
Begins to melt as soon as it nears flame
Catch on fire when placed in flame
Goes out as soon as it leaves flame
“Base” fiber
Chemical testing
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Jennifer Carr
Bleach-turn yellow
Acetone-do nothing
NaOH-turn brown
HCL-brighter color
H2SO4-brighter color
Used to make parachutes in WWII
Bamboo
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Fibers can be woven into any number of materials
and fabrics
Smells like burned grass/wood
Takes a long time to light and burns steadily and
consistently
“Base” or “Acid” depending on what type of soil it
grows in
Chemical tests
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Jennifer Carr
Bleach-bleach out the color and destroy the fiber
Acetone-no effect
NaOH-separate the fibers
HCL-slight bubbling
H2SO4-hardens fibers
Bamboo can be made into sheets similar to silk,
satin, and Egyptian cotton without many of the
undesired qualities
Burlap
Plain Weave
Resembles a checkered board
The warp and weft are interchangeable
Burlap is a form of Jute
Tendency to fray at the edges
Manufactured
Artificial
Continuous
When burning smells like wood burning
Acid
In the firer it burns very slowly and it keeps
burning till there is nothing left except for ash
• Burlap is used for potato sacks that are used in
potato sack races
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Sarah
Strauss
Fiber
Acetone
Bleach
NaOH
HCL
H2SO4
Burlap
Shrinks
The fiber
breaks
up and
changes
color to
purple
Completel
y changes
color and
absorbs
Color
purple
Changes
color
purple
Acrylic
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•
•
•
•
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Airplane windows are made out of acrylic
Synthetic
Neutral
When near a flam it fuses and shrinks
In the flame it flares puckers and melts
Leaving the flame it continues to burn and melt
It smells like burnt plastic
Fiber
Acetone
Bleach
NaOH
HCL
H2SO4
Acrylic
n/a
n/a
yellowish
n/a
n/a
OLEFIN
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Synthetic fiber
Twill weave
Low flammability
In flame it melts
Smells like burning plastic
It is a neutral
Used in rugs, rope, and vehicle interior
Acetone
Bleach
NaOH
Break up
Starts to
Breaks
break up up/
absorbs
HCL
H2SO4
Soaks up
Nothing
COTTON
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Has a plain weave and straight fibers
Smells like a scented candle when burned
In fire it completely burns
It is an acid
It comes from a plant
The cotton hulls are used for fertilizer, fuel, and
packing.
Acetone
Bleach
NaOH
HCl
H2SO4
No change
Soaks some
of it up
It breaks up
It soaks it up
No change
Jute
• Natural fiber
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▫ Vegetable fiber
Weave: plain weave
Frayed when cut
Smoke smells like burning wood
Burns slowly
Acid
Chemical tests
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Acetone-breaking apart a lot
Bleach- change to a yellowish color
NaOH- no reaction
HCl- no reaction
H2SO4-no reaction
**woven into curtains, chair
coverings, carpets, area rugs,
hessian cloth, and backing for
linoleum
Polyester
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Synthetic Fiber
Weave: Satin weave
Straight when cut
Smells like melted plastic when burning
Burns fast
**polyester is used for insulating
Acid
material for houses
Chemical tests
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Acetone- no reaction
Bleach- no reaction
NaOH- breaking apart
HCl- no reaction
H2SO4- no reaction
Hemp
Claudia Drinnan
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Plain weave, straight pattern
Smells like incense; natural smell
Hemp burns when in fire, shrivels up and
blackens
Acid
Natural
How it reacts in:
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Acetone: no change
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Bleach: lost color
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NaOH: no change
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HCl: no change
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H2SO4 : no change
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Hemp can be used in detergent, jewelry,
body care products, art supplies, food
products, paper and biomass fuels
LINEN
Description
 Weave
 Regular fire smell
 Caught on fire quickly and burns quick
 Acid
 Acetone –unraveling
 Bleach- very foggy
 NaOH, HCl, and H2SO4- no reaction
Interesting fact
 Used in loafers
KEVLAR
Description
 Very tight weave pattern
 Smells like burning paper when burnt
 Takes awhile to catch on fire
 Base
 Acetone- partially dissolves the substances
 Bleach- Slowly decomposes
 NaOH- Deteriorates the fibers individually
 HCL- No reaction
 H2SO4- No reaction
Interesting Use
 Used in shelters for protection against tornadoes and high
forced winds.
Canvas
Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric
used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and
other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also
popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically
stretched across a wooden frame. It is also used in such
fashion objects as handbags and shoes.
Modern canvas is usually made of cotton or linen,
although historically it was made from hemp. It differs
from other heavy cotton fabrics, such as denim, in
being plain weave rather than twill weave. Canvas
comes in two basic types: plain and duck. The threads
in duck canvas are more tightly woven.
Canvas burns very slowly and it is not easy to put out.
When it is burned it smells like burned paper. Canvas is
an acid. Over 3 under 1 weave pattern. Man-made.
Fiber
Bleach
Acetone
Weak Base
HCl
H₂SO₄
Canvas
Nothing
Nothing
Got Lighter
Nothing
Nothing
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Weave pattern is clean cut
and straight.
Smells like burnt plastic
It burns quickly and
disintegrates.
Nylon is a base, both litmus
papers turned blue.
Nylon
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Acetone
Bleach
NaOH
HCl
H2SO4
N/A
N/A
Fell apart
N/A
N/A
Nylon Jacket
Nylon is used in
panty hose
Individual Nylon Fiber
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Weave pattern is clean cut
and straight.
Smells vinegar, burning
wood.
It burns easily, flickers then
melts.
The litmus papers are both
red, which means it is an
acid.
Acetone
Triacetate translucent, disitegrates
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Bleach
NaOH
HCl
H2SO4
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Used in Dresses, coats and
sports apparel.
Triacetate Fiber
Triacetate Suit
Bryan Fink
Tim Rainey
Description:
 Man-made
 Smell when Burning: Something overcooked in an over (burnt)
 How it reacts/burns in fire: Burned at a slow pace and it didn't
completely disintegrate leaving black residue at the bottom of the
test tube.
 Decomposition: Base
 Reaction in all test solutions: It had no reaction in every single
test solution except for the Bleach which caused the fiber to
bubble and fizz.
Interesting Fact: In addition to clothing, wool has been used
for blankets, horse rugs, saddle cloths, carpeting, felt, wool
insulation, and upholstery