4.2e Textiles

• Techniek
• HBO
• Studiejaar 4

4.2e Textiles

Learning Objectives

At the end of the lesson, you will understand the historical and modern significance of textiles in various industries.
At the end of the lesson, you will be able to distinguish between natural and synthetic fibers and their properties.
At the end of the lesson, you will be familiar with the ethical considerations and environmental impacts of textile production.
At the end of the lesson, you will comprehend the processes involved in converting fibers to yarns and fabrics.
At the end of the lesson, you will be able to recognize the applications and implications of blending natural and synthetic fibers.
At the end of the lesson, you will understand the importance of recycling textiles and its benefits to the environment.

What do you already know about the evolution and applications of the textiles industry?

Evolution and Applications of the Textiles Industry

The textiles industry has evolved to include applications ranging from traditional clothing to technical textiles.

Ethical Considerations in Natural Fiber Production

The production of natural fibers has ethical implications, such as the modification of goat genomes to produce silk proteins.

Properties and Applications of Natural and Synthetic Fibers

Natural fibers like wool, cotton, and silk have properties of absorbency and strength but can be flammable and attacked by mildew.
Synthetic fibers, derived from industrial processes, include nylon, polyester, and Lycra, which have varying properties of resilience, thermoplasticity, and absorbency.

 Natural  Fibers

Natural fibres

Materials produced by plants or animals that can be spun into a thread, rope or filament.

Common examples include:

1. Wool
2. Cotton
3. Silk

Properties of Natural  Fibers

• Absorbency – is very high in natural fibres which usually allows the removal of perspiration from the skin - this property lead to engineers creating breathable fabrics.
• Easy to dye
• flammable
• Poor resilience as it has low elasticity
• Can be attacked by mildew ( fungus)
• Dimensionally stable
• Good conductor of electricity
• Good absorbency (fibres are hydrophilic)

Which property of natural fibers allows the removal of perspiration from the skin?

1. Flammability
2. Elasticity
3. Conductivity
4. Absorbency

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Synthetic fibers

Fibres originated from an industrial chemical process in which a polymer is forced through a small orifice know as a spinneret. The fibres are produced in continuous long lengths and are generally more smoother than natural fibres.

Their properties depends of the composition of chemical and their molecular structure.

What determines the properties of synthetic fibers?

1. Temperature during production
2. Length of the fibers
3. Chemical composition and molecular structure
4. Color of the fibers

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What is the process by which synthetic fibers are created?

1. Molding fibers from animal hair
2. Harvesting fibers from plants
3. Weaving natural materials together
4. Forcing a polymer through a spinneret

Conversion of Fibers to Yarns and Fabrics

The conversion of fibers into yarns involves carding, combing, drawing out, and spinning.
Fabrics are created through weaving, knitting, lacemaking, and felting.

Properties of Synthetic fibers

• Absorbency – Difficult to dye
• Good resilience
• resist mildew ( fungus)
• Thermoplasticity
• Dimensionally unstable
• Low absorbency 

Conversion of yarn into fabrics

A fabric is made of interlacing of yarn by weaving, knitting or braiding to produce a continuous sheet

Weaving

Weaving is done by a loom. Every woven piece of cloth is made up of 2 distinct systems of threads - known as the warp and filling (weft), which are interlaced in each other to form a fabric.

Knitting

Is the process of forming fabrics by looping a single thread, either by hand or by means of a machine. Knitting is carried on without making knots but rather through the formation of interlocking loops.

Therefore the destruction of one loop threatens the destruction of the whole web.

Two distinct variations of knitting occur: warp and weft knitting. Warp knitting is always done by machine and involves a series of zig-zag stitches in parallel columns along the length of the fabric as seen on the images aside.

Felting 

Felting is the process of entangling fibres with each others ( no yarns are created with this process). 

Felt is produced as fibers and/or fur are pressed together using heat, moisture, and pressure. Felt is generally composed of wool that is mixed with a synthetic in order to create sturdy, resilient felt for craft or industrial use. However, some felt is made wholly from synthetic fibers.

Felt may vary in width, length, color, or thickness depending on its intended application.

Recycling

Natural fibres such as wool, cotton, silk and linen as well as the most common synthetic fibres such as polyester, polyamides and acrylics can all be recycled.

Once collected, cleaned and sorted, recyclable textiles may be processed some to be re-spinned into yarn, others to be used in their fibrous state as insulation, padding or raw material for felting.

Cotton may be used to make high-quality paper.

Buttons, zips and other hardware may be recovered for reuse.

International Considerations in Textile Production

The international textile market raises ethical issues regarding labor practices in developing countries.

Ethical considerations should take precedence over economic benefits in the international textile market.

Yes, workers' rights should be the priority.

No, economic benefits are essential for growth.

Definition List

Natural Fibers: Fibers derived from plants or animals, such as wool, cotton, and silk, that can be spun into yarn. 

Synthetic Fibers: Man-made fibers produced through chemical processes, including nylon, polyester, and Lycra. 

Blending: The process of combining natural and synthetic fibers to form yarn, enhancing fabric properties. 

Definition List

Weaving: The interlacing of warp and weft yarns to produce fabric. Knitting: Creating fabric by interlocking loops of yarn. Felting: The entanglement of fibers to create a non-woven fabric. 

Lace-making: Crafting an openwork fabric by looping and plaiting threads. Recycling: The process of reusing and reprocessing textile materials to reduce waste and environmental impact.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.