Textiles II – Fibres JSS3 Home Economics Lesson Note

CLASSES AND PROPERTIES OF FIBRES

 Fibres are classified into two main classes. Namely;

1. The natural fibres; are obtained from either plants e.g. cotton and linen; or from animals e.g. wool and silk.
2. The man-made fibres; are obtained from cellulose-based fibres e.g. viscose rayon and acetate or non-cellulose-based e.g. nylon, polyester, and acrylics.

PROPERTIES OF FIBRES

1. COTTON: Cotton is a vegetable fibre. It is made from cotton balls of the cotton plant. The cotton fibres surround the seeds of the cotton plant.

PROPERTIES OF COTTON

1. It absorbs moisture quickly
2. It is reasonably strong and durable
3. It washes well
4. It can be dyed easily
5. It is cool and comfortable to wear.

LINEN: This is a vegetable fibre. It is obtained from the stem of the flax plant. The flax plant grows in countries such as France, and Russia, it is not produced in Nigeria.

PROPERTIES

1. It is stronger than cotton
2. It is absorbent and cool to wear
3. It dries slowly
4. It washes well
5. It is a good conductor of heat.

WOOL; is an animal fibre. It is gotten from the hair of fleece of sheep. The hair of camel, Angora, rabbit, or angora goat can also be used. It is commonly produced in Britain, Australia e.t.c.

PROPERTIES

1. A wool fiber has a scaly appearance
2. It is stronger when dry than when wet.
3. It gives the smell of burning feathers when burnt.
4. It makes very absorbent fabrics
5. It is readily affected by bleach

SILK; is an animal fibre. It is produced by silkworms. Silk is produced chiefly in France, Italy, China, and Japan.

PROPERTIES

1. It is a very strong fibre
2. It is smooth and fine
3. It is warm to touch
4. It absorbs moisture easily
5. It is an expensive fibre

VISCOSE RAYON; is made by treating wood pulp or cotton liners with certain chemicals

PROPERTIES

1. It is not very strong especially when wet
2. 2. it has a smooth surface
3. 3. resemble sink in appearance only

ACETATE; it is made from wood pulp or cotton linters treated with acetic and acid acetic anhydride

PROPERTIES

1. it dries quickly
2.  it loses strength when wet 

NYLON;  is the family name for all synthetic polyamides

PROPERTIES

1. It is very strong
2. It is light in weight
3. It requires no ironing
4. It is durable.

MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF FIBRES

A COTTON; is processed from bolls by the following steps;

1. Ginning
2. Baling
3. Clearing
4. Carding
5. Combing
6. Drawing
7. Spinning
8. Dyeing
9.  Weaving

LINEN; Is produced from the stem of a flax plant by the following steps

1. Retting
2. Breaking and scorching
3. Combing
4. Spinning

WOOL; wool fibres are produced in two forms

1. Worsted yarn; this is made from long fibres
2. Woolen yarn; is made from short fibres

The major steps for the manufacturing of both forms are;

1. Clipping
2. Sorting
3. Scouring
4. Carbonizing
5. Carding
6. Spinning
7. Weaving

RAYON

1. The cellulose (wood pulp or cotton liners) is first purified
2. The cellulose is then treated with the right chemicals. It is then changed into a thin liquid.
3. The liquid is then forced through a nozzle containing many fine holes called a spinneret. The rayon filaments or fibres are produced.
4. The filaments are spun into yarns. The yarns are woven into fabric

Assignment

Outline the manufacturing process of the following

1. Silk
2. Nylon
3. Acetate.

EXPERIMENT AND TEST ON DIFFERENT FIBRES