Textile definition | Types of Textiles | Production Process

Textile definition

A textile is a flexible material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibers (yarn or thread). Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibers of wool, flax, cotton, hemp, or other materials to produce long strands. Textiles are formed by weaving, knitting, crocheting, knotting, felting, or braiding.

The related words "fabric” and "cloth" and "material" are often used in textile assembly trades (such as tailoring and dressmaking) as synonyms for textiles. However, there are subtle differences in these terms in specialized usage. A textile is any material made of interlacing fibers, including carpeting and geotextiles.

Fabric is a material that is made through weaving, knitting, spreading, crocheting, or bonding that may be used in the production of further goods (garments, etc.). Cloth may be used synonymously with fabric but is often a piece of fabric that has been processed.

The History of Textile

The term ‘Textile’ is a Latin word that originated from the word ‘texere’ which means ‘to weave’. Textile refers to a flexible material comprising of a network of natural or artificial fibers, known as yarn.

The first clothes, worn at least 70,000 years ago and perhaps much earlier, were probably made of animal skins and helped protect early humans from the elements. At some point, people learned to weave plant fibers into textiles. The discovery of dyed flax fibers in a cave in the Republic of Georgia dated to 34,000 BCE suggests textile-like materials were made even in prehistoric times.

The production of textiles is a craft whose speed and scale of production have been altered almost beyond recognition by industrialization and the introduction of modern manufacturing techniques.

Types of Textiles

Textiles are made from many materials, with four main sources: animal (wool, silk), plant (cotton, flax, jute, bamboo), mineral (asbestos, glass fiber), and synthetic (nylon, polyester, acrylic, rayon). The first three are natural. In the 20th century, they were supplemented by artificial fibers made from petroleum. Textiles are made in various strengths and degrees of durability, from the finest microfiber made of strands thinner than one denier to the sturdiest canvas. Textile manufacturing terminology has a wealth of descriptive terms, from light gauze-like gossamer to heavy grosgrain cloth and beyond.

1. Animal Textiles 

The textile which are we get from an animal such as sheep and goats are called animal textiles. Animal textiles are commonly made from hair, fur, skin, or silk (in the silkworms’ case). Examples- Wool, Silk, etc.

a. Wool: Wool refers to the hair of the domestic sheep or goat, which is distinguished from other types of animal hair in that the individual strands are coated with scales and tightly crimped, and the wool as a whole is coated with a wax mixture known as lanolin (sometimes called wool grease), which is waterproof and dirt proof. Woolen refers to a bulkier yarn produced from carded, non-parallel fiber, while worsted refers to a finer yarn spun from longer fibers that have been combed to be parallel. Wool is commonly used for warm clothing. Cashmere, the hair of the Indian Cashmere goat, and mohair, the hair of the North African Angora goat, are types of wool known for their softness.

Other animal textiles that are made from hair or fur are alpaca wool, vicuña wool, llama wool, and camel hair, generally used in the production of coats, jackets, ponchos, blankets, and other warm coverings. Angora refers to the long, thick, soft hair of the Angora rabbit. Qiviut is the fine inner wool of the muskox. Wadmal is a coarse cloth made of wool, produced in Scandinavia, mostly 1000~1500 CE.

b. Silk: Silk is an animal textile made from the fibers of the cocoon of the Chinese silkworm which is spun into a smooth fabric prized for its softness. There are two main types of silk: 'mulberry silk' produced by the Bombyx Mori, and 'wild silk' such as Tussah silk (wild silk). Silkworm larvae produce the first type if cultivated in habitats with fresh mulberry leaves for consumption, while Tussah silk is produced by silkworms feeding purely on oak leaves. Around four-fifths of the world's silk production consists of cultivated silk. Sea silk is an extremely fine, rare, and valuable fabric that is made from silky filaments or byssus secreted by a gland in the foot of pen shells.

2. Plant Textile

The textile which we get from different types of trees is called plant Textiles. Examples: Cotton, flax, jute, hemp, sisal, etc.

Grass, rush, hemp, and sisal are all used in making rope. In the first two, the entire plant is used for this purpose, while in the last two, only fibers from the plant are utilized. Coir (coconut fiber) is used in making twine, and also in floormats, doormats, brushes, mattresses, floor tiles, and sacking.

Straw and bamboo are both used to make hats. Straw, a dried form of grass, is also used for stuffing, as is kapok.

Fibers from pulpwood trees, cotton, rice, hemp, and nettle are used in making paper.

Cotton, flax, jute, hemp, modal, and even bamboo fiber are all used in clothing. Piña (pineapple fiber) and ramie are also, fibers used in clothing, generally with a blend of other fibers such as cotton. Nettles have also been used to make fiber and fabric very similar to hemp or flax. The use of milkweed stalk fiber has also been reported, but it tends to be somewhat weaker than other fibers like hemp or flax.

The inner bark of the lacebark tree is a fine netting that has been used to make clothing and accessories as well as utilitarian articles such as rope.

Acetate is used to increase the shininess of certain fabrics such as silks, velvets, and taffetas.

Seaweed is used in the production of textiles: a water-soluble fiber known as alginate is produced and is used as a holding fiber; when the cloth is finished, the alginate is dissolved, leaving an open area.

Rayon is a manufactured fabric derived from plant pulp. Different types of rayon can imitate the feel and texture of silk, cotton, wool, or linen.

Fibers from the stalks of plants, such as hemp, flax, and nettles are also known as 'bast' fibers.

3.  Mineral Textile

Asbestos and basalt fiber are used for vinyl tiles, sheeting, and adhesives, "transite" panels and siding, acoustical ceilings, stage curtains, and fire blankets.

a. Glass fiber: It is used in the production of ironing board and mattress covers, ropes and cables, reinforcement fiber for composite materials, insect netting, flame-retardant, and protective fabric, and soundproof, fireproof, and insulating fibers. Glass fibers are woven and coated with Teflon to produce beta cloth, a virtually fireproof fabric which replaced nylon in the outer layer of United States space suits since 1968.

b. Metal fiber: Metal fiber, metal foil, and metal wire have a variety of uses, including the production of cloth-of-gold and jewelry. Hardware cloth (the US term only) is a coarse woven mesh of steel wire, used in construction. It is much like standard window screening, but heavier and with a more open weave.

c. Minerals: Minerals and natural and synthetic fabrics may be combined, as in emery cloth, a layer of emery abrasive glued to a cloth backing. Also, "sand cloth" is a U.S. term for fine wire mesh with abrasive glued to it, employed like emery cloth or coarse sandpaper.

4. Synthetic Textile: The textile which is made from different types of chemicals such as polyester, acrylic, and nylon is called Synthetic Textile. Synthetic textiles are used primarily in the production of clothing, as well as the manufacture of geotextiles.

a. Polyester fiber: It is used in all types of clothing, either alone or blended with fibers such as cotton.

b. Aramid: Aramid fiber (e.g. Twaron) is used for flame-retardant clothing, cut protection, and armor.

c. Acrylic: Acrylic is a fiber used to imitate wools, including cashmere, and is often used in replacement of them.

d. Nylon: Nylon is a fiber used to imitate silk; it is used in the production of pantyhose. Thicker nylon fibers are used in rope and outdoor clothing.

e. Spandex: Spandex (trade name Lycra) is a polyurethane product that can be made tight-fitting without impeding movement. It is used to make activewear, bras, and swimsuits.

f. Olefin: Olefin fiber is a fiber used in activewear, linings, and warm clothing. Olefins are hydrophobic, allowing them to dry quickly. A sintered felt of olefin fibers is sold under the trade name Tyvek.

g. Lurex: It is a metallic fiber used in clothing embellishment.

h. Milk fiber: Milk proteins have also been used to create synthetic fabric. Milk or casein fiber cloth was developed during World War I in Germany and further developed in Italy and America during the 1930s. Milk fiber fabric is not very durable and wrinkles easily, but has a pH similar to human skin and possesses anti-bacterial properties. It is marketed as a biodegradable, renewable synthetic fiber.

i. Carbon fiber: It is mostly used in composite materials, together with resin, such as carbon fiber-reinforced plastic. The fibers are made from polymer fibers through carbonization.

Textile Production Process

Different types of textiles production processes are as below-

a. In weaving: Weaving is a textile production method that involves interlacing a set of longer threads (called the warp) with a set of crossing threads (called the weft). This is done on a frame or machine known as a loom, of which there are a number of types. Some weaving is still done by hand, but the vast majority is mechanized.

b. In knitting: Knitting, looping, and crocheting involve interlacing loops of yarn, which are formed either on a knitting needle, needle, or on a crochet hook, together in a line. The processes are different in that knitting has several active loops at one time, on the knitting needle waiting to interlock with another loop, while Looping and crocheting never have more than one active loop on the needle. Knitting can be performed by a machine, but crochet can only be performed by hand.

c. In spread Tow: It is a production method where the yarn is spread into thin tapes, and then the tapes are woven as warp and weft. This method is mostly used for composite materials; spread tow fabrics can be made in carbon, aramid, etc.

d. In Braiding: Braiding or plaiting involves twisting threads together into cloth. Knotting involves tying threads together and is used in making tatting and macramé.

e. In Lace: It is made by interlocking threads together independently, using a backing and any of the methods described above, to create a fine fabric with open holes in the work. Lace can be made by either hand or machine.

Carpets, rugs, velvet, velour, and velveteen are made by interlacing a secondary yarn through woven cloth, creating a tufted layer known as a nap or pile.

Felting involves pressing a mat of fibers together, and working them together until they become tangled. A liquid, such as soapy water, is usually added to lubricate the fibers and to open up the microscopic scales on strands of wool.

f. Non-woven: Non-woven textiles are manufactured by the bonding of fibers to make fabric. Bonding may be thermal or mechanical, or adhesives can be used.

Barkcloth is made by pounding bark until it is soft and flat.

Textile finishing process

Textiles are often dyed, with fabrics available in almost every color. The dyeing process often requires several dozen gallons of water for each pound of clothing. Colored designs in textiles can be created by weaving together fibers of different colors, adding colored stitches to finished fabric (embroidery), creating patterns by resist dyeing methods, tying off areas of cloth and dyeing the rest (tie-dyeing), or drawing wax designs on cloth and dyeing in between them (batik), or using various printing processes on the finished fabric. Woodblock printing, still used in India and elsewhere today, is the oldest of these dating back to at least 220 CE in China. Textiles are also sometimes bleached, making the textile pale or white.

Textiles are sometimes finished by chemical processes to change their characteristics. In the 19th century and early 20th-century starching was commonly used to make clothing more resistant to stains and wrinkles.

In the 19th century Eisengarn, meaning "iron yarn" in English, is a light-reflecting, strong material invented in Germany. It is made by soaking cotton threads in a starch and paraffin wax solution. The threads are then stretched and polished by steel rollers and brushes. The end result of the process is a lustrous, tear-resistant yarn that is extremely hardwearing.

In the 1990s, with advances in technologies such as the permanent-press process, finishing agents have been used to strengthen fabrics and make them wrinkle-free. More recently, nanomaterial research has led to additional advancements, with companies such as Nano-Tex and Nano Horizons developing permanent treatments based on metallic nano-particles for making textiles more resistant to things such as water, stains, wrinkles, and pathogens such as bacteria and fungi.

Textiles receive a range of treatments before they reach the end user. From formaldehyde finishes (to improve crease-resistance) to biocide finishes and from flame retardants to dyeing of many types of fabric, the possibilities are almost endless. However, many of these finishes may also have detrimental effects on the end user. A number of dispersing, acid, and reactive dyes (for example) have been shown to be allergenic to sensitive individuals. Further to this, specific dyes within this group have also been shown to induce purpuric contact dermatitis.

Although formaldehyde levels in clothing are unlikely to be at levels high enough to cause an allergic reaction, due to the presence of such a chemical, quality control, and testing are of utmost importance. Flame retardants (mainly in the brominated form) are also of concern where the environment, and their potential toxicity, are concerned. Testing for these additives is possible at a number of commercial laboratories, it is also possible to have textiles tested according to the Oekotex certification a standard that contains limits levels for the use of certain chemicals in textiles products.

Applications of Textiles

Textiles have an assortment of uses, the most common of which are for clothing and for containers such as bags and baskets. In the household, they are used in carpeting, upholstered furnishings, window shades, towels, coverings for tables, beds, and other flat surfaces, and in art. In the workplace, they are used in industrial and scientific processes such as filtering. Miscellaneous uses include flags, backpacks, tents, nets, handkerchiefs, cleaning rags, and transportation devices such as balloons, kites, sails, and parachutes. Textiles are also used to provide strengthening in composite materials such as fiberglass and industrial geotextiles. Textiles are used in many traditional crafts such as sewing, quilting, and embroidery.

Textiles for industrial purposes and chosen for characteristics other than their appearance are commonly referred to as technical textiles. Technical textiles include textile structures for automotive applications, medical textiles (e.g. implants), geotextiles (reinforcement of embankments), Argo textiles (textiles for crop protection), protective clothing (e.g. against heat and radiation for firefighter clothing, against molten metals for welders, stab protection, and bulletproof vests). In all these applications stringent performance requirements must be met. Woven threads coated with zinc oxide nanowires, laboratory fabric has been shown capable of self-powering Nanosystems using vibrations created by everyday actions like wind or body movements.

Conclusion

Textile is a subject without which civilized society is useless. Textiles must be used to keep pace with civilization.