06-3. Fabric / synthetic fiber

So far, we have studied natural fibers and recycled fibers among the types of fibers.

Unlike natural fibers that we often hear like cotton, linen, silk and hemp.

 

Today, I will introduce a little unfamiliar synthetic fiber!

First of all, synthetic fibers are literally synthetic fibers.

A fiber made from petroleum compounds through chemical processing.

Starting with nylon, fibers with more diverse functions were developed, and synthetic fibers currently account for more than 50% of the global fiber market.

 

And synthetic fibers include nylon, polyester, acrylic, polyurethane, and polypropylene.

Nylon stockings

 

First, nylon is popularly used under the name nylon, but its official name is called 'polyamide'.

Nylon was originally called the brand name of a developer called DuPont.

The advantage of nylon is that it is strong and light enough to be difficult to break by hand.

In addition, the frictional strength is the best among all fibers.

And it is highly hygroscopic among synthetic fibers,

so it can be dyed in any color and wrinkles are not created.

We can see the use of nylon in stockings, socks, etc.

The downside is that it fluffs well and the static electricity is enormous.

 

Polyester

 

Next, polyester is the fastest growing fiber

and accounts for about 60% of total synthetic fiber production.

Polyester is most commonly used after cotton because it is easy and inexpensive to process.

The advantage is that it does not wrinkle well and does not deform easily.

It also has excellent strength and heat resistance.

However, the downside is that it has very low hygroscopicity and is difficult to dye.

So, if the yarn is made by mixing it with other fibers,

it withstands friction well and increases moisture absorption,

so it is widely used as a blended fabric.

 

Acrylic

 

Acrylic is a synthetic vinyl fiber, and is made of more than 85% of acrylonitrile.

In fact, acrylic was developed to replace wool.

It has high elasticity, has the advantages of wool such as warmth and soft touch,

and is highly useful because it also has light weight.

However, the downside is that, like nylon material, fluff is prone.

Because acrylic is made of short short fibers, it has a lot of fine hairs

and has a higher strength than natural fibers.

So, to compensate for this point, it is often used in combination with wool.

Because it is sun-resistant, it is suitable for outdoor use such as tents

that are not affected by the weather.

 

Polyurethane used in swimwear

 

Polyurethane contains 85% or more of polyurethane and is a high elastic fiber.

It is lightweight and highly elastic, and has good elasticity and resilience.

With the advent of polyurethane, it became possible to replace the natural rubber used in corsets,

and it was possible to give stability to swimsuits that were in danger of getting wet.

However, it has a disadvantage that it must be mixed with other fibers

because it has low strength and is weak to sunlight.

 

 

Polypropylene (PP) used in carpet

 

Polypropylene (PP) is like chemical time because the word itself is long.

So, it is also called PP for short in English.

First of all, when refining petroleum, this fiber produces a by-product called propylene,

which is produced by chemical bonding.

Among the fibers, it is the lightest, has the highest strength, has less wrinkles,

and has excellent heat retention.

In addition, it is actively used in packaging and coating materials

because it does not absorb water, is difficult to propagate bacteria,

and is well resistant to contamination.

 

In addition, it is also used as a reinforcing material

to manufacture ultra-high-strength concrete in the field of construction

 

 

 

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There are many types of fibers that have such a wide variety of characteristics.

But it doesn't end here.

Next time, let's take a moment to learn about super fibers and special fibers,

the last time of the types of fibers!

 

Thank you again today :)