A unit of matter which is capable of being spun into a yarn or made into a fabric by bonding or by interlacing in a variety of methods including weaving, knitting, braiding, felting, twisting, or webbing, and which is the basic structural element of textile products.- It is a smallest textile component which is microscopic hair like substance that may be man made or natural.
They have length at least hundred times to that of their diameter or width.
HISTORY OF FIBRE
The history of fibres is as old as human civilization. Traces of natural fibres have been located to ancient civilizations all over the gobe. For many thousand years, the usage of fiber was limited by natural fibres such as flax, cotton, silk, wool and plant fibres for different applications.Fibers can be divided into natural fibres and man-made or chemical fibres. Flax is considered to be the oldest and the most used natural fibre since ancient times.
CLASSIFICATION OF FIBRES
- Natural Fibers
- Vegetable Fibres
- Animal Fibres
- Mineral fibers
- Man Made fibers
- Regenerated fibres
- Synthetic fibres
- Inorganic fibres
Any hair like raw material directly obtainable from an Animal, Vegetable or Mineral source that can be convertible after spinning into yarns and then into fabric.Under them there are various categories:
(1) Plant(2) Animal
(3) Minerals
Vegetable fibers
They can be further on classified as:
(a) fibre occurring on the seed (raw cotton , java cotton)
(b) phloem fiber (flax, ramie ,hemp, jute)
(c) tendon fibre from stem or leaves (manila hemp, sisal,hemp etc)
(d) fibre occurring around the trunk (hemp palm)
(e) fibre of fruit/ nut shells(coconut fibre – Coir) cotton and linen are the most important among them.
Bast fibres
- Low Lignin content – Linen or Flax (raw and bleached) and Ramie
- High Lignin content – Jute, Hemp
Cotton
The cotton fiber grows in the seedpod, or boIl, of the cotton plant. Each fiber is a single elongated cell that is flat, twisted, and ribbon like with a wide inner hollow (lumen). It is composed of about 90 percent cellulose and about 6 percent moisture; the remainder consists of natural impurities. The outer surface of the fiber is covered with a protective wax like coating, which gives the fiber a somewhat adhesive quality.
These characteristics combined with its natural twist contribute to making cotton an excellent fiber for spinning into yarn. Cotton yarn is used to make fabrics that are universally used for all types of apparel, home furnishings, and industrial applications.
Linen
The linen fiber is obtained from the stalk of the flax plant. The hair like fibers, which are held together by a gummy substance called pectin, comprise the core of the flax stalk. It, too, has a lumen and is composed of about 70 percent cellulose and 30 percent pectin, ash, woody tissue, and moisture.
Linen fiber is relatively smooth, straight, and lustrous. Linen fiber is more brittle and less flexible than cotton. It is more difficult to prepare and spin into yarn. Linen yarn can be very strong and lustrous, and is used for apparel, home furnishings, and upholstery.