TABLE OF CONTENT
TOPIC
PAGE NO.
INTRODUCTION
AIM
THEORY
APPARATUS REQUIRED
PROCEDURE
OBSERVATIONS
CONCLUSION
PRECAUTIONS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INTRODUCTION
Fiber is a class of materials that are continuous
filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to
lengths of thread. A fiber is an elongated tapering thick-
walled plant cell that imparts elasticity, flexibility, and
tensile strength. Tensile strength of fibers can be
determined by hanging weights tied to it and
comparing the weight a string can hold. Traditionally,
natural fibers have been used in all cultures for making
utilitarian products. Different parts of the plant are
used. Fibers can be extracted from the bark (banana,
jute, hemp, and ramie), stem (banana, palm, and
bamboo), leaf (palm, screw pine, sisal, agave), husk
(coir), seeds (cotton), and grass (sikki, madhurkati,
benakati, munj). Animal fibers are obtained from a
variety of animal coats, and insect fibers from cocoons.
Even before the arrival of man-made fibers,
manufacturers could create hundreds of different kinds
of fabrics, differing mainly by fiber content, weight,
style of weave, or sheen. Here are just a few of these
historic fabrics, along with the natural fiber from which
they were originally made (nearly all can be made now
with other fibers, either natural or synthetic).They are
very important in the biology of both plants and
animals, for holding tissues together.
Human uses for fibers are diverse. They can be spun
into filaments, string, or rope, used as a component of
composite
materials, or matted into sheets to make products such
as paper or felt. Fibers are often used in the
manufacture of other materials. The strongest
engineering materials are generally made as fibers, for
example carbon fiber and Ultra-high-molecular-weight
polyethylene. The history of man-made fibers is less
than a century old; until 1910, there were no synthetic
or chemical fibers. Today, by mixing different
components, manufacturers can take the basic fibers
listed below and make them more waterproof or more
absorbent, warmer or cooler, thicker or thinner, stiffer
or more supple. Some, like polyester and spandex,
combine well with natural fibers, making fabrics that
wrinkle less or are more form-fitting.
Synthetic fibers can often be produced very cheaply
and in large amounts compared to natural fibers, but
for clothing natural fibers can give some benefits ,such
as comfort ,over their synthetic counterparts.
THEORY
Depending upon the source, various fibers can be
categorized as:
1. Animal fiber(e.g., silk and wool)
2. Vegetable fiber(e.g., cotton and linen)
3. Synthetic fiber(e.g., nylon and rayon)
Natural fibers can be classified according to their origin.
The vegetable, or cellulose-base, class includes such
important fibers as cotton, flax, and jute; the animal,
or protein-base, fibers include wool, mohair, and silk;
an important fiber in the mineral class is asbestos.
The vegetable fibers can be divided into smaller
groups, based on their origin within the plant. Cotton,
kapok, and coir are examples of fibers originating as
hairs borne on the seeds or inner walls of the fruit,
where each fiber consists of a single, long, narrow cell.
Flax, hemp, jute, and ramie are bast fibers,
occurring in the inner bast tissue of certain plant stems
and made up of overlapping cells. Abaca, henequen,
and sisal are fibers occurring as part of the fibro
vascular system of the leaves. Chemically, all vegetable
fibers consist mainly of cellulose, although they also
contain varying amounts of such substances as
hemicellulose, lignin, pectins, and waxes that must be
removed or reduced by processing. The animal fibers
consist exclusively of proteins and, with the exception
of silk, constitute the furor hair that serves as the
protective epidermal covering of animals. Silk filaments
are extruded by the larvae of moths and are used to
spin their cocoons.
With the exception of mineral fibers, all natural fibers
have an affinity for water in both liquid and vapour
form. This strong affinity produces swelling of the fibers
connected with the uptake of water, which facilitates
dyeing in watery solutions.
Unlike most synthetic fibers, all natural fibers are non
thermoplastic—that is, they do not soften when heat
is applied. At temperatures below the point at which
they will decompose, they show little sensitivity to dry
heat, and there is no shrinkage or high extensibility
upon heating, nor do they [15
become brittle if cooled to below freezing. Natural
fibers tend to yellow upon exposure to sunlight and
moisture, and extended exposure results in loss of
strength.
All natural fibers are particularly susceptible to
microbial decomposition, including mildew and rot.
Cellulosic fibers are decomposed by aerobic bacteria
(those that live only in oxygen) and fungi. Cellulose
mildews and decomposes rapidly at high humidity and
high temperatures, especially in the absence of light.
Wool and silk are also subject to microbial
decomposition by bacteria and molds. Animal fibers are
also subject to damage by moths and carpet beetles;
termites and silverfish attack cellulose fibers. Protection
against both microbial damage and insect attacks can
be obtained by chemical modification of the fiber
substrate; modern developments allow treatment of
natural fibers to make them essentially immune to such
damage.
AIM
To find the effect of acids and alkalis on tensile strength
of silk and wool fiber.
Apparatus Requirements:-
Cotton, wool, silk, polyester, hook, weight hanger,
weights.
Chemical Requirement:-
Hydrochloric acid( M/10) and sodium hydroxide(M/10 ).
PROCEDURE:-
1. Cut out equal length of wool and silk threads from
given samples. The threads should be nearly the same
thickness.
2. Determine the tensile strength of each fiber by tying
one end of silk Fiber to a hook which has been fixed in a
vertical plane. Tie a weight hanger to the other end. Let
the thread get straight.
3. Soak a given thread into a dilute solution of sodium
hydroxide for about 5 minutes.
4. Take it out of NaOH solution and wash it thoroughly
with water and dry it in sun or oven at 40°C.
5. Determine again the tensile strength of woolen
thread as explained in experiment 1
6. Now take another piece of wool thread and soak it in
hydrochloric acid for about 5 minutes. Take it out and
wash thoroughly with water. Dry it and again determine
its tensile strength.
7. Repeat the above procedure for the sample of Silk
fiber .
OBSERVATIONS
S.N Type Wt. Wt. Required Wt. Required
o. Of Required to to break the to
Fiber break the fiber after Break the
untreated soaking it in fiber after
fiber HCL soaking it in
NaOH
1. Silk
2. Wool
