Clothing and Textiles · Lesson 2

Fibre classification, cotton, linen, wool, silk, regenerated and synthetic fibres, identification tests, blends

WAECNECO

What the syllabus asks

WAEC: Fibre and fabric (meaning of fibre, yarn, fabric; classification; characteristics/properties; identification; combinations: blends and mixtures). Extends he8.2–8.3.

NECO: Fibre and fabric (meaning of fibre, yarn, fabric; classification; characteristics/properties; identification; combinations: blends and mixtures). Extends he8.2–8.3.

What you will learn

Define fibre, yarn, fabric, staple and filament.
Classify fibres with examples.
Describe production and properties of cotton, linen, wool and silk.
Describe regenerated and synthetic fibres.
Identify fibres by burning, microscope and chemical tests.
Relate properties to use and care, including moisture regain.
Explain blends and mixtures and reasons for them.
Select fibres for Nigerian conditions and purposes.

Key points

Fibre → yarn → fabric; staple vs filament.
Natural: cotton, linen, wool, silk; man-made: viscose, acetate, nylon, polyester, acrylic, elastane.
Cotton and linen are stronger wet; wool, silk, viscose weaker wet.
Wool felts because of scales; wash gently in warm water.
Synthetics are thermoplastic: heat-set pleats, cool iron, melt in fire.
Burning test: paper (cellulose), hair (protein), melt and bead (synthetic).
Microscope: convolutions (cotton), nodes (linen), scales (wool), striations (viscose).
Acetone dissolves acetate; hot caustic soda dissolves wool.
Moisture regain: polyester 0.4%, cotton 8.5%, wool about 16%.
Blends improve performance, appearance, cost and care.

Start here: Fibre, yarn and fabric: definitions and fibre requirements

Every fabric begins as fibre. To understand why a lace blouse creases, why a woollen cardigan shrinks or why a polyester shirt feels hot, you must understand fibres.

Fibre: a fine, hair-like unit, long in relation to its width, that can be spun into yarn. Fibres are either staple (short lengths measured in centimetres, such as cotton and wool) or filament (very long continuous strands measured in metres, such as silk and most synthetic fibres).
Yarn: a continuous strand of fibres or filaments, held together by twist, used to make fabric or for sewing.
Fabric: a pliable sheet of material made from yarns or fibres by weaving, knitting, crocheting, lace making, braiding, felting or bonding.
Textile: a general term for fibres, yarns and fabrics and products made from them.

Properties a fibre must have to be useful for textiles

Length: long enough to be spun; most cotton staple is about 2 to 4 cm, and fibres shorter than about 1 cm are hard to spin.
Strength (tenacity): able to withstand spinning, weaving and wear.
Flexibility: able to bend repeatedly without breaking.
Fineness: fine fibres give soft, smooth yarns.
Cohesiveness: ability to cling together during spinning; the twists of cotton and the scales and crimp of wool help.
Uniformity of length and diameter for even yarn.
Elasticity and resilience (ability to spring back).
Absorbency for comfort, and dyeability.

Staple and filament compared

Staple fibres	Filament fibres
Short; must be spun with twist	Continuous; may need little twist
Hairy, matt yarns; warm, soft	Smooth, lustrous yarns
Cotton, wool, flax, cut synthetic staple	Silk, filament nylon, filament polyester

Synthetic filaments can be cut into staple lengths so that they can be blended with cotton or wool: that is how polyester-cotton yarn is made.

Continue this lesson in the free app →

Practice questions

1. Cotton is a

seed (plant) fibre
bast fibre
protein fibre
synthetic fibre

Show answer

A: seed (plant) fibre
From the cotton boll.

2. Linen is made from

jute
sisal
kapok
flax

Show answer

D: flax
Flax stems give bast fibre.

3. The fibre with scales on its surface is

nylon
polyester
wool
cotton

Show answer

C: wool
Scales cause felting.

4. A fibre that burns with a smell of burning hair is

polyester
wool
cotton
acetate

Show answer

B: wool
Protein fibres smell like hair.

5. Nylon in a flame

melts and forms a hard bead
burns like paper with soft ash
does not change
smells of vinegar

Show answer

A: melts and forms a hard bead
Thermoplastic.

Key words

Staple: Short fibre length.
Filament: Continuous fibre.
Ginning: Separating cotton lint from seed.
Retting: Rotting flax stems to free fibres.
Scouring: Washing grease from wool.
Sericulture: Rearing silkworms.
Reeling: Unwinding silk from cocoons.
Degumming: Removing sericin from silk.
Spinneret: Nozzle that forms man-made filaments.
Thermoplastic: Softens and melts with heat.
Pilling: Small balls of fibre on fabric surface.
Moisture regain: Water held as % of dry weight.

Learn Fibre classification, cotton, linen, wool, silk, regenerated and synthetic fibres, identification tests, blends step by step, free.
The Cara's Tips app teaches every topic from the very basics, with quick checks, worked examples and exam practice. It works offline.
Open this lesson in the free app Download for Android