Fibrous Materials Uses

Introduction

In simple words, we can define fibrous materials as materials made up of fibres that are bundled together. The basic component of these fibres is proteins or polysaccharides $\mathrm{[C_{x}(H_{2}O)_{y}]}$. They are usually very strong and lightweight. Some examples of these materials are cloth, fibreglass, paperboard, etc.

Fibrous materials are broadly classified into two main types: Natural and Synthetic or Manmade fibres.

Natural fibres are the fibres that we obtain naturally either from plant or animal sources. For example, we obtain wool, leather, hair, and silk from animals whereas we obtain rubber, cotton, and jute from plants.

Synthetic fibres are those fibres that are prepared in the laboratory using chemical substances. For example, nylon, rayon, glass, polyester,

Fibrous Materials Uses

• The basic component of fibrous materials is fibres and fibres are widely used in the manufacturing of yarns, fabrics and construction industries.

• Fibrous materials are used in making concrete stronger and more durable. They are also used as thermal and acoustic insulators.

• These materials also find their use in medical science to make artificial joints, heart valves etc.

• They are also used in the manufacturing of plastics, ceramics and different parts of an automobile.

Examples of Fibrous Materials

Examples of natural fibres obtained from plants

Fibrous materials	Uses
Cotton	Clothing, furnishing, industrial uses
Jute	Household products, sacks, papers
Flax	Clothing, manufacture of ropes, high-quality paper
Hemp	Insulation purposes, manufacture of shoes, building materials

Examples of natural fibres obtained from animals

Fibrous materials	Uses
Wool	Blankets, carpets, clothing
Leather	Belts, bags, shoes
Silk	Clothes, parachutes, medical uses
Hair	Medical uses, construction, agriculture

Examples of man-made fibres

Fibrous materials	Uses
Glass	Tableware, housing, mirrors
Superabsorbent	Diapers,construction,feminine hygiene products
Optical Fibres	Medical industries,decoration, defence
Silica Carbide	Cutting tools, sandpapers, grinding wheels

Examples of fibres are obtained from mixing natural and man-made fibres. These fabrics are more durable and of superior quality.

What are the uses of Fibrous Materials?

Due to the strength of these materials, they have a variety of applications in different manufacturing processes. Some of their applications are mentioned below −

• Application in civil engineering − In civil engineering fibrous materials are used in both structural reinforcement and non-structural applications. They are used in improving the quality of concrete, it makes concrete stronger and more durable. A permeable fabric, called geotextile fabric, is widely used in the filtration, drainage and separation of soils.

• Thermal Insulation − Fabric materials do not allow the passage of air from within and thus prevent the transmission of heat by the process of convection. It reduces the number of collisions between the molecules that reduces the heat lost by the process of conduction. This helps in making these fabrics good thermal insulators.

• Acoustic insulators − These materials are found to be excellent sound insulators. They have a porous structure that dampens the sound resonances. Due to this reason, they are used in various sound studios and auditoriums.

• Mixed fabric and fabric reinforcement − Various types of fabrics are mixed and added additives to improve the quality and durability of the fabrics. These fabrics obtained are thereafter used in different textiles industries. For example, cotton yarns are added to lycra yarns to give extra comfort and stretch to denim jeans.

• Yarns − Fibres are often used in the form of yarns as the multi-layered fabric is more flexible and stronger than single-layer yarn. They are used for knitting and making woollen clothes.

• Others − These fabrics find their use in making different household daily use substances, like glass, plastics, cardboards etc.

Production of Fibrous Materials

Natural fibres are obtained from plants and animal sources, while manmade fibres are obtained from petrochemical and mixed fibres or semisynthetic fibres are obtained by mixing natural and manmade fibres.

Production of fibrous materials requires low-density fibres. They are wedged together and stuck between the pleats of regular cartridge filters. This makes it very difficult to remove them while cleaning the pulse and so it develops into less pressure on the filter. Let us understand this process with a detailed production process of one natural fibre, silk and one man-made fibre, glass.

Production of Silk

The process of production of silk requires different methods. Let us understand these methods step by step.

• Sericulture − The eggs laid by silkworms are incubated in a controlled environment until they hatch into caterpillars. This process takes around 6 weeks. After that, they start spinning cocoons by rotating around its body.

• Thread extraction − The cocoons are then placed into boiling water. This softens the gum that is holding the threads together. Then each thread is carefully reeled into long threads.

• Dyeing − After the silk thread is washed, they are bleached and dried before dyeing. Dyeing of silk involves different traditional as well as modern methods.

• Spinning − This method generally unwinds the dyed fibres onto a bobbin.

• Weaving − This is the step in which the final piece of silk comes together. There are different ways in which silk can be woven.

Production of Glass

The different methods included in the production of glass are discussed below −

• Batching of raw materials − Silica sand, calcium oxide, soda and magnesium are weighed and mixed into batches under computerised control. The clarity of glass depends upon the purity of these components.

• Melting of raw materials in a furnace − These raw materials are passed from a mixing silo to a five-chambered furnace. The temperature of this furnace is around 1600°C.

• Drawing the molten glass onto a tin bath − The molten glass is then floated onto a bath of molten tin at a temperature of around 1000°C.

• Cooling of the molten glass in the annealing lehr: Once the temperature of the glass reaches 600°C, it is then passed to the annealing chamber. The glass is then annealed as it is hard enough to pass over the rollers.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we discussed fibrous materials- their uses, examples and production. These materials are either obtained naturally or made by adding several additives to make them flexible and durable. They are broadly divided into two types, i.e. natural and man-made fibres. Natural fibres are obtained from different natural sources like plants and animals, while man-made or synthetic fibres are artificially prepared using chemical substances.

These fibres are of more varied uses in different industries. They are very useful for our daily needs as they are used directly or indirectly in all the things that we use in our daily lives. They are used in the manufacturing industries, textiles, medical science civil engineering industries etc. Thus we can conclude by saying that these fabrics are the basic requirements of all the other industries.

FAQs

1. What do you mean by thermal insulation in fibrous materials?

Thermal insulation of fibrous materials is used in capturing the air within the fibres that prevents the transmission of heat by the process of convection. It reduces the number of collisions between the gas molecules which helps in the reduction of heat produced by conduction.

2. Define mixed fibre?

Mixed fibre is a fibre obtained by blending natural and man-made fibres. By doing so, we can improve the quality of the fabric. For example, terrycot is a fabric obtained by mixing terylene and cotton.

3. What is the use of fibrous materials in medical fields?

In medical fields, these fibrous are used in making artificial joints, heart valves and other medical implants. These fibres are used because they do not cause any harm to the body and they are biocompatible.

4. Is rubber a natural or man-made fibre?

Rubber is a natural product obtained from plants, while vulcanised rubber is a man-made fibre obtained by adding additives to the natural rubber.

5. Give one use each of fibreglass and carbon fibre?

• Fibreglass is a very strong and lightweight material, so it is a common material for building boats.

• Carbon fibre is used in making racing cars as it is very strong and stiff.