Types of Textile fiber

 

What is the textile fiber?

Textile Fiber is a threadlike strand which is used for spinning yarn. We can spin textile fiber into yarn by Spinning Lab Equipment .On the basis of source, we usually divide textile fiber into two categories. That is, natural fibers obtained directly from nature and chemical fibers manufactured by artificial processing.

Natural fibers

Natural fiber is the textile fiber obtained directly from the natural or artificially cultivated vegetables and artificially raised animals. It is an important source of materials for the textile industry.
There are many kinds of natural fiber. We can divide it into vegetable fiber, animal fiber and mineral fiber according to different sources. Cotton, hemp, wool and silk are used for textile for a long time. Among them, cotton and hemp are vegetable fibers, and wool and silk are animal fibers.
Except for mineral fibers, all natural fibers have a strong attraction for water in both liquid and vapor form. Because of this high affinity, the fibers absorb water and stretch, which aids staining in aqueous solutions.
Natural fibers, unlike most synthetic fibers, are non-thermoplastic; that is, they do not soften when heated. They are essentially insensitive to dry heat at temperatures below their point of decomposition, do not shrink or become highly flexible when heated, and do not become brittle when chilled below freezing. Natural fibers yellow when exposed to sunshine and moisture, and continuous exposure results in a loss of strength.

Vegetable fibers

Vegetable fibers are generally composed of cellulose. Cotton and hemp fibers are the main vegetable fibers.  ​

Cotton fibers
The production of cotton fibers is the largest in natural fibers. And they are very versatile. We can use it for sewing clothes, sheets, bedding and other articles of life. It can also be used as canvas and conveyor belt materials. Or we can make it into floc for heat preservation and filler materials.
Cotton fibers are divided into fine cotton and long staple cotton. Compared with fine wool cotton, long wool cotton is whiter, finer, longer and shinier. It is the best cotton variety and is generally used for high-grade fabrics.
Cotton fiber fabric has a low luster, a soft touch, good water absorption, and a strong heat preservation function. If it is not treated before leaving the factory, the resulting clothing have a high shrinkage rate, are difficult to recover from, wrinkle easily, and have poor elasticity.

Hemp fibers
​Hemp fibers are mostly used to make packaging fabrics and ropes. A portion of good quality hemp fiber can be used for clothing. Hemp is generally hard, not sensitive to alkali and acid. And it has good moisture absorption, moisture dispersion and air permeability.
Hemp fiber can be divided into three types:
1. Sisal hemp, hemp: long single fiber, hard feel, poor bleaching, mainly used for hemp rope sacks.
2. Jute: short single fiber, soft feel, poor bleaching, used for home textiles, curtains, sofas and so on.
3. Flax, ramie: short single fiber, soft feel, good bleaching, suitable for clothing (only suitable for loose clothing).
When compared to cotton cloth, hemp fabric has numerous similarities. Its strength is greater than that of cotton fabric, in addition to the qualities of cotton fabric. It has the highest strength of any natural fiber. Linen fabric is incredibly comfortable to wear. The color does not fade easily, it is more attractive and bright, it is not too cold to alkali and acid, and it does not mold easily after being damp.
Because newly woven linen fabrics shrink easily, they must be shrunk before leaving the factory. They will not shrink in the hands of our customers. Linen textiles are prone to creases, so take them out soon after washing, and shake them a few times. But if you hang it up, it can naturally recover and eradicate wrinkles, and because of its hefty weight, its drape is better than cotton, and it tends to harden after absorbing water.

Details about animal fibers and chemical fibers can be found here.