Dr.J.

Rajeshwari

Introduction to Textiles

Unit–I Textile, Yarn and Fabric Construction 16 Hrs

Chapter 1: Meaning, Importance and Scope of Textiles, Classification of
Natural and Manmade fiber.
Meaning of Textile
The word ‘textile’ is from Latin, from the adjective textilis, meaning ‘woven’, from textus, the past
participle of the verb texere, ‘to weave’.
A textile (often called cloth or fabric) is a flexible artificial material made up of a network of natural or
artificial fibers (thread or yarn) formed by weaving or knitting (textiles), or pressed into felt. Textiles
include all kinds of clothing and shoes – in fact anything that you can wear.
Importance of Textile: Textile products play a vital role in meeting mans basic needs. We often only
consider textiles to be the clothes we wear. Obviously, the clothing industry is where the majority of
textiles are produced and used. However, textiles are also important in all aspects of our lives from
birth to death. The use of textiles has been traced back over 8500 years. The technological advances
of textiles in various industries do not always get recognized as they do in the clothing industry. The
following paragraphs describe some important roles that textiles play in other industries.

Food Industry:
Farmers wear protective clothing to spray their crops with pesticides. Textiles are used to cover
plants and wrap trees for protection from weather and insects. Coffee filters and tea bags are made
of a non-woven textile. The annual production of tea bag string would stretch around the equator 67
times.
Building Materials:
Textiles are used in our homes to insulate them from heat and cold. The furniture, on which we sit
and sleep, is composed of various types of textile products. . Textiles are used in roofing materials,
wire coverings, wall coverings, blinds, air ducts and window screens.
Transportation:
The transportation industry relies on textiles to line the beds of the roads before they are paved. A
tire gets seventy five percent of its strength from textiles. Kevlar aramid is often used to strengthen
radial tires because it is lightweight and five times stronger than steel. The interiors of all types of
transportation vehicles are covered with textiles. Textiles are also used in the brake linings, gaskets,
seals, seat belts, airbags and filters of vehicles. The Lear Fan Jet airplane body is composed of
100percent carbon fiber composite material. The heat shields on spacecraft are composed of a fiber
that will withstand 20,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Health Industry:
Textiles are used as life saving devices in the healthcare industry. The artificial kidney used in dialysis
is made of 7,000 hollow fibers and is only two inches in diameter. The Jarvik-7 artificial heart is
composed of over fifty percent textiles and has Velcro fittings. Over 150,000 people in the United
States have artificial arteries made of knitted polyester, which aids in preventing clotting and
rejection. The invention of disposable clothing helps prevent the spread of bacteria. Sutures for
wounds are now made of a dissolvable textile fiber. Casts for broken bones, surgical masks, bandages
and gloves are other examples of textiles used in the healthcare industry.
Protective Textiles:
Bulletproof vests are made of 7 layers of Kevlar 29 aramid, which can protect a person from a knife
slash and stop a .38-caliber bullet fired at a range of 10 feet.Firefighters and race-car drivers wear
apparel made of Nomex aramid to protect them from the extreme heat they encounter in their
professions.
Recreational Products
Sports equipment such as sailboats, hockey sticks, fishing rods, golf clubs, tennis rackets and canoes
are composed of textile fibers. Kevlar aramid is used in this type of sports equipment because of its
light weight and strength. Backpacks, balls, life jackets and artificial playing surfaces are also made of
textile fibers.
Miscellaneous Textile Products:
Other products composed of textiles that are not usually thought of as textile products are as
follows:
Toothbrushes
Hair Brushes
Dental Floss
Artificial Flowers/Plants
Book Bindings
Candle Wicks
Communication Lines
Circuit Boards

Uses of Textile:
Textile is a major component of material culture. It may be viewed as the products of technology, as
cultural symbols, as works of art, or as items of trade. The textile arts are a fundamental human
activity, expressing symbolically much of what is valuable in any culture.
Textiles have been used in almost every possible context where their properties are useful. Some of
the articles made from textiles are:
 Bags and other means of carrying objects
 Balloons, kites, sails, parachutes. Earlier aero planes used cloth as part of the construction
 Clothing
 Flags
 Furnishings and other home accessories
 Geotextiles
 Industrial and scientific uses like filtration
 Nets, Rugs and carpets
 Tents
Scope of Textile field

 The textile field is the separation from other fields but it contains work of other fields, so the
scope is open for both sectors.
 Following is the unique identity of the textile field and how it is connected with other sectors
are shown.
  It can include mechanical engineering work like the working of machines, drive, power,
torques, working principles, rollers, and stretchers for running of spinning and weaving unit
machinery.
 It includes civil engineering work like the arrangement of machines and the construction of
industry. (However, it can only apply to the beginning stage of the industry or during the
renovation of the industry.)
 It includes electric engineering work like power supply to all machines, electricity supply, their
variations, and consumption of powers according to machine types and their versions.
 It includes commercial work like trading of textile materials, their shipment, import-export,
area-wise textile materials and their market value, market demands of the product, and their
impact on production.
It also includes designing aspects like printing designs, the fashion industry, machinery designs, there
working principles as per their shape and materials.

as a job - Labour - no need to get a degree or any kind of educational background, anyone can do this
job after learning basic things regarding fieldwork. For instance - Anyone can work in spinning after
joining a special spinning training program or after developing some knotting and thread-finding skills
anyone gets a job in weaving. Garmenting factor is a vital example of this because most sewing
workers are not educated but they learn by experience and from skill development programs. This is
the bottom stage of the textile working sector. Tasks like cleaning, opening of machines, and load-
carrying are considered in this sector

 as a job - operator work - For this kind of job, some basic education background like up to
10th grade and up to 12th grade is enough. However, as labour job conditions workers
definitely required training before joining the industry. This is the second most bottom-level
work. Here, chances for growing up and promotion are higher but it depends on personal
interest and vision for work. Tasks like cleaning deeply of the machine, changes in machine
working conditions, and production variation are the task list that is performed by these
categories person.

 as a job - testing - For this sector of the job, Higher education background like up to 12 grade
and up college degree is required. It is not necessary that education in the textile field only.
(But if it is then it will help a lot and open a number of other opportunities) However, as a job
candidate for testing, one should need to pass a training program for testing or gain
knowledge about the working of all instruments. This is the most vital work category by
quality control or management aspects. Here, chances for growing up and promotion are
higher but it again depends on personal interest and vision for work. The salary is always
higher in the above categories. In addition, the working conditions of the lab are far better
than in fieldwork. This job becomes professional. Tasks like sampling, checking all necessary
parameters of the product, quality assurance, preparation of database, and working on
statistic tools are the tasks of technicians of the lab department.

 as a job - Researcher - For this sector of the job, Higher education background like up to a
college degree or master's degree in the textile field or related to this is required. However,
PhD students are more suitable as job candidates for researchers, one should require a deep
knowledge of the working of instruments and their Principals. This is the most vital work
 category for product quality improvement. Here, chances of growing up and promotion are
always higher. The salary is always higher in the above categories. Furthermore, working
hours may vary as per the selected project for research. This job is highly professional and
tracks each detail of the work. Tasks like checking all necessary parameters of the product,
quality variation, preparation of database, working on statistic tools, preparation of reports,
and thesis work are the tasks of the research department.

 as a manager - Production / Quality / General - Talking about this area of job opportunities is
always lower because it is broadly divided or involved a number of tasks. For this sector of
job, Higher education background like up to a college degree or managerial experience in the
textile field is vitally required. One should require brief knowledge about the working of
instruments and their Principals so that they can order their below workers properly. This is
the most vital work category for financial aspects. The profit and margin of any company can
mostly depend on the work accuracy of this department's job candidates. Here, the chances
of growing up and promotion are also higher. The salary is always higher in the above
categories. Tasks like checking all necessary parameters of the product monitoring the work
of each and every worker, inspecting the condition of the industry, managing the entire
Production line and ion, working on production and its efficiency, and fulfilling the buyer's
order within time are the tasks that manager need to perform.

Work of machine operator Fig-1

 The above categories are for job opportunities. You can find a job in any area of the above
category according to your interest and educational background. The salary for labour jobs
and operator jobs is nominal and it’s near or higher than the basic wages of work. Then
testing department which deserves more wages than these two categories. Finally, the
researchers and Manager come. It is obvious that this person gets higher wages than others
due to their educational and work impact.

 In all criteria final placement varies from company to company or person to person, therefore
their wages are also affected by a number of factors. Other parameters like the impact of
workers' work, the benefit of the company, turnover of the company, and location of the
company decide the salary of the job candidate. (As per news and current scenario, the textile
field has more opportunity due to its impact on countries' development.)

 Rather than job aspects, the Textile sector has also broad scope in the business field. Either at
a small scale or at a large scale, textile has the capacity to involve all in it with great scope.

 as a side business - Broker - Broker is a work that includes the work of contacts. With the help
of a database or contact list, you can contact two parties, one of them is a seller and another
 is the buyer. The capital investment to start this business is very basic. (In terms of machines
and offices purchases are absolutely negligible.) You can earn by contacting them or by 1-2%
of their deal transactions. However, this commission varies from place to place or from
product to product. A person with great arrangement skills and knowledge about the market
with proper contact with parties is beneficial for the beginning of this business. You can earn
as per your arrangement of deals and contracts. To start this it is advisable that first spend
some months with brokers who have experience and then gradually you start your own work.
This can be started even at a side business or in free time. Awareness of the market, product
price, details, and demand of sellers as well as buyers are required to do this small business.

 as a side business - trader - Becoming a trader or trading in the textile field is also connected
with buying and selling. It is similar to a broker but the difference is in investment. Brokers do
contact two parties and ask for money for their contract work, while traders do contact both.
But it buys from manufacturers and becomes a purchaser for them and then they sell to their
customer or to the buyer of the product and become a seller for them. Trading is a work
which includes also the work of contacts. With the help of a database or contact list, you can
contact two parties according to their demands and then arrange payment for buying and
selling. The payment is required to buy from manufacturers which depend on the quantity
and types of product that trade will be going traded. However, this investment is lower in
terms of machinery and land purchases. You can earn by commission or add value to the
product before selling. Another way of earning is buying in bulk and selling in retail so that
price variations become your profit. A person with great arrangement skills and knowledge
about the market with proper contact with parties is beneficial for the beginning of this
business. You can earn as per your arrangement of deals and contracts and from price
variation of products as per market values. For instance, someone buys cotton bales from
ginners at X rate in January month in bulk when the cotton price was at its bottom level and
then sells in march with X + Y price to the spinning industry also in bulk when the market price
is at its pick point in spinners’ country, so the trader earns Y amount of money. (Interest rate
and inflation were also affected but to make an easy example we ignored it.) To start this it is
advisable that first spend some months with brokers who have experience and then gradually
you start your own work. This can be started even as a side business or in free time.
Awareness of the market, product price, details, and demand of sellers as well as buyers are
required to do this small business.

 as a side business - Information sector - The information sector is a wide field, you can gain
knowledge from various sources, understand fundamental things, collect data, connect all the
information or make a final version of data so that you can sell that information to the person
who required them for their growth and product. You can earn by adding information and by
selling data to parties. For instance, textile magazines or the news latter industry gathered
information worked on them, organized them in a proper manner and then sell at a certain
price to their subscribers or customers. The capital investment for this business depends on
the scale of the business that you want to start. It includes charges of offices, sources
collection charges, employees' salaries, office expenses, and expenses of final product
formation that you deliver to your customers. One can begin this business as side work and
according to interest and revenue generation, they can grow. In addition making photos of
yarn, fabric, and garments have also been considered the scope of the fashion industry and it
can also generate a sufficient amount of revenue.
 as a side business - online content creation - As above mentioned that the information sector
has opportunities to grow, one can start this by doing this work completely online. You can
collect information through the internet, work on them and then sell it on various social
media or on a website. For instance, learn about machine works by reading books and making
videos about them with animation, and then uploading them on YouTube. You can earn by
ad-sense. In addition, making blog content, filming vlogs, making videos of animation, making
podcasts, and selling information subscriptions via websites are the core area of this business.
The capital investment of this business is only for computers and some other charges which
are nominal to starting of any other business. The revenue generation from this at the
beginning is very less, but if you stick with this business, then you can earn a lot within a few
years. One can begin this business as side work or from their free time and according to
interest and revenue generation, they can grow up into large teams and offices.

 as a small business - garments - Garment is a core field of textiles and one can be established
their business by producing garments from fabric. To start this business few sewing machines,
marketing arrangements, cutting tools, and workers are required. Capital investment is
moderate in this sector. In begging garments can sell in the local market and as the company
grows it can be spread up to large-scale branding. Knowledge of cloth retailers and contact
with weavers or in the textile fabric market for purchasing fabric is required to buy raw
materials and sell garments. It can be started from a single machine also. The price of the
garment can be decided as on the quality of the garment and the fabric used for it.

 as a small business - bale, yarn, fabric, garment trading - Starting trading of textile materials
as a business is almost similar to trading as a side business. It is just an aspect that one should
take regarding the seriousness of the business and the figure of annual turnover. Becoming a
trader or trading in the textile field is connected with buying and selling. Again, with the help
of a database or contact list, you can contact two parties according to their demands and
then arrange payment for buying and selling.

 as a moderate-level business - Import/Export - Import or export of textile products is also

well-known work in the textile field. The biggest example of this is Bangladesh. Exim as per
demands and market value with foreign country give huge benefit as per the deal. However,
capital investment is higher than internal trading but one can get a huge market
comparatively. In addition, deep knowledge regarding trade in foreign countries is also
required. For instance - all kinds of Exim documentation, be familiar with incoterms and
bodies, policy, and market analysis. With experience and with financial support this can
create a great future ahead.

 as a moderate-level business - Job work/finishing - Job work or finishing of the final product in
the textile field also have a vast range of activities and work. job work like printing on fabric,
applying dye on the fabric, doing embroidery work, and attaching accessories with garments
are types of job work. However, condensing of yarn, ironing of readymade garments, and
washing of grey fabric are the types of finishing processes. Basic knowledge regarding
processor machines is required from which we processed materials. In addition the contact of
parties or companies who are searching for job work. The capital investment is higher in the
above categories but less than the establishment of own production line. The profit of this
 depends on the number of product prices that you processed or depends on your specific
contract.

 as a moderate-level business - testing lab - Testing lab is a work of testing textile materials
parameters like fibre quality, yarn count, yarn strength, fabric parameters, and a number of
other factors measured in the textile industry. There are strong requirements for this
parameter testing because with the help of these parties deal with or track their production.
therefore it is vital to check frequently all materials and with each deal. As a result, testing
labs have always been in demand. It required a higher amount of money to establish a lab
with standard instruments and a lab atmosphere. Therefore capital investment is higher. (Not
compared to large-scale industry.) knowledge of testing instruments, textile material
parameters, and contact with parties are required. In addition, some standard procedures,
licenses, and documentation are required to establish a textile lab. The profit of this business
depends on the parameters that you test and their analysis, or on the number of samples you
test.

Classification of Natural and Manmade fiber.

Introduction:
Textile fiber is an individual, fine, hair-like substance, which forms the fundamental
components of all textiles. There are mainly two types of fiber. One is natural fiber and
another is synthetic or manmade fiber.
Natural fibers are extracted from plants and animals. Manmade fibers are polyester, rayon,
viscose staple fiber. It is a process of wood pulp chemically treated and processed to make a
fiber equal to natural fiber with same qualities.

Classification chart of textile fibers Fig-2

Natural fibers:
Natural fibers are those provided by Nature in ready-made form and need only to be extracted.
Natural fibers are divided into three main classes according to the nature of source (origin), i. e.
vegetable fibers, animal fibers, and mineral fibers as shown in Fig-2. Natural fibers such as cotton
fiber, jute fiber, wool fiber, hemp, kenaf, jute, sisal fiber, banana, flax, oil palm, etc. have been in
considerable demand in recent years due to their eco-friendly and renewable nature. In addition, the
natural fibers have low density, better mechanical and thermal properties and are biodegradable.
 Natural fiber classification Fig-3

Man Made fibers:

Man-made fibers are classified into synthetic and regenerated fibers as shown in Fig-3. The polymers
used for the spinning of synthetic fibers are chemical based, while regenerated fibers are derived
from a natural polymer, most commonly cellulose. Plyester, nylon, viscose, acetate, acrylic, carbon,
aramid, high performance fibers etc manmade fiber.
Man Made fibers:
Man-made fibers are classified into synthetic and regenerated fibers as shown in Fig-3. The polymers
used for the spinning of synthetic fibers are chemical based, while regenerated fibers are derived
from a natural polymer, most commonly cellulose. Plyester, nylon, viscose, acetate, acrylic, carbon,
aramid, high performance fibers etc manmade fiber.
Classification of manmade fiber
Difference between Natural Fiber and Manmade Fiber:
 Natural fiber vs man made fiber

SL/No Natural Fiber Man Made Fiber

The fibers which we get from nature re The fibers which are developed by man are
1
called natural fiber. called man-made fiber.

2 Generally fibers are hydrophilic. Generally fibers are hydrophobic

3 No. of molecule controlled by nature. No. of molecule controlled by man.

4 Length of the fiber is nature given. Length of the fiber is controlled by man.

No question about short or long staple

5 We get fibres as staple or filament.
fiber. It depends on man will.

6 Less strength and durability. More strength and durability.

No need to spinneret for spinning Spinneret is essential for filament

7
process. production.

The fabric made from natural fiber is Man made fiber is not comfortable and not
8
comfortable and good for health. good for health.

Natural fiber is not favorable for

9 Manmade fibers are favorable for finishing.
finishing.

Comparatively less durable than Manmade fibers are more durable than
10
synthetic fiber. natural fiber.

Fineness varies from one fiber to

11 Fineness depends on the manufacturers
another fiber.
 Natural fiber has a great demand as Synthetic fiber is widely used in every day
12
humans wear. life except humans wear.

Manmade fibers are not environment

Natural fiber is called environment
13 friendly. Some fibers are harmful for the
friendly.
environment like: Polypropylene.

Natural fibers needs to scouring and

Scouring and bleaching is done in very few
14 bleaching process before wet
cases
processing.

It is not possible to change in fiber

15 It is easy to change in fiber structure.
structure.

16 It is expensive. It is cheaper.

17 Bears crimp naturally. We have to give crimp manually.

Colors are added in the solution bath as

18 It grows with its natural color.
required.

19 It is easy to dye the fiber. Coloration is not as easy as natural fiber.

Dust and impurities could be there in No dust or impurities contain in synthetic

20
natural fiber. fiber.

The use of natural fibers are limited Manmade fibers are used in multi task than
21
than manmade fiber. natural fiber.

Synthetic fibres are made only from polymers found in natural gas and the by-products of petroleum.
They include nylon, acrylics, polyurethane and polypropylene. Millions of tons of these fibres are
produced all over the world each year.
Man made fibres is considered under two main headings.
 1. Natural fibres – fibre forming material is of the natural origin.
2. Synthetic fibres – fibre forming material is made from simpler substances.

Natural Polymer Fibres

The fibres in this category may be classified into the following sub groups.

1. Cellulose Fibres – Rayons in which the fibre is wholly or mainly cellulose

2. Cellulose ester fibres
3. Protein fibres
4. Miscellaneous natural polymer fibres

Synthetic Fibres
The use of natural fibre in the textile market is known to man from ancient times. However, the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries witnessed an era of industrial revolution resulting in
tremendous upsurge in fibre. Synthetic fibres may be classified with reference to their chemical
structure.
The following synthetic materials have become the basis of commercially important fibres.

1. Polyamides
2. Polyesters
3. Polyvinyl derivatives
4. Polyacrylonitrile
5. polyvinyl chloride
6. Polyvinylidene chloride
7. Polyvinyl alcohol
8. Polytetrafluoroethylene
9. Polyvinylidene dinitrile
10. Polystyrene
11. Miscellaneous polyvinyl derivatives
12. Polyolefins
13. Polyethylene
14. Polypropylene
15. Polyurethanes
16. Miscellaneous synthetic fibres.

List of Man Made Fibres

1. Rayon
Rayon and acetate are man-made fibres manufactured from a cellulose base, the cellulose being
normally obtained from wood pulp and cotton linters. Invented by Chardonnet, a French chemist
rayon was made cotton or wool pulp. He found that nitrocellulose fibres found in cotton or wood
pulp can be chemically changed into smooth and shiny cellulose fibre. First called Chardonnet silk,
this fibre was later named rayon. Its commercial production began in France in 1891.
2. Nylon
Nylon fibre was discovered in the 1930s. Only one type of nylon – nylon 6,6 was selected for
commercial production. Nylon-6,6 is made from two organic compounds each containing six carbon
atoms. Nylon fibre has a variety of uses. A high molecular weight nylon 66 is only obtained if
equimolecular amounts of the components are used. An excess of the components would terminate
the chain by formation of an acid or amino end group.

3. Polyesters
Exhibiting properties similar to nylon polyester fibre is made from a chemical compound called
ethylene glycol. Polyester fiber was invented in the United Kingdom in 1938. Its commercial
production began only in 1950. In 1972 it replaced nylon as the largest produced manmade fibre in
the world and is used mainly in making synthetic textiles.

Properties of manmade fibers

These materials are prized as fibres for their strength, resilience, heat and mildew resistance and
ability to maintain a pressed shape. It is worth separating man-made fibers from natural fibers such
as silk , cotton and wool.
Fiber is composed of non-starch polysaccharides including cellulose, dextrins, inulin, lignin, chitins,
pectins, beta-glucans, waxes, and oligosaccharides. There are two wide fiber types: soluble, and
insoluble. Dissolves soluble fiber in mud.