A blend is a mixture of two or more

fiber Fiber or fibre (from la, fibra, links=no) is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often incorpora ...

s. In yarn spinning, different compositions, lengths, diameters, or colors may be combined to create a blend. Blended textiles are fabrics or

yarns Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, used in sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery, ropemaking, and the production of textiles. Thread is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern manuf ...

produced with a

combination In mathematics, a combination is a selection of items from a set that has distinct members, such that the order of selection does not matter (unlike permutations). For example, given three fruits, say an apple, an orange and a pear, there are th ...

of two or more types of different fibers, or yarns to obtain desired traits and

aesthetics Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed t ...

. Blending is possible at various stages of

textile manufacturing Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods ...

. The term, ''blend'', refers to spun fibers or a fabric composed of such fibers. There are several synonymous terms: a combination yarn is made up of two strands of different fibers twisted together to form a ply; a mixture or mixed cloth refers to blended cloths in which different types of yarns are used in warp and weft sides. Union or union fabric was a 19th century term for a blended fabric. It is no longer used.

History

Blending in textiles is an old practice which became more widespread after around 1980. Recognizing the growing popularity of blends, the Wool Bureau introduced the "Wool blend" mark in 1970 for blends containing a high percentage of wool.

Viyella Viyella is a blend of wool and cotton first woven in 1893 in England, and the "first branded fabric in the world".''Times'', 8 Sep 1987 It was made of 55% merino wool and 45% cotton in a twill weave, developed by James and Robert Sissons of Wil ...

was the oldest blended flannel structure, it was a twill weave of wool and cotton. Because of the cotton content, it can be washed more easily than an all-wool flannel. *An admixture of

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...

and

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

from

Hindustan ''Hindūstān'' ( , from '' Hindū'' and ''-stān''), also sometimes spelt as Hindōstān ( ''Indo-land''), along with its shortened form ''Hind'' (), is the Persian-language name for the Indian subcontinent that later became commonly used by ...

called Mashru is one of the earliest forms of "mixed cloth," . In the 12th century A.D., the industry was under the influence of Muslims. While Muslim men were not allowed to wear pure silk due to a religious admonition, a silk-and-cotton blend they made was permitted. It was known as "Mashru." Mashru was the name given to a group of mixed fabrics. Mashru is an Arabic word that literally means "permitted." *

Siamoise Siamoise is a term for various woven fabric varieties, usually cotton and linen blends, with patterns such as checks and stripes. Siamoise was so named because it imitated clothing worn by 17th century Siamese ambassadors. History At first, Si ...

was a 17th-century cotton and linen material.

Fibers for blends

Spun fibers

Any fiber has the potential to contribute to a blended fabric depending upon the intended use. Continuous testing is carried out to determine the best fiber blends and the percentages that are best suited to specific uses. Polyester is the most frequently used synthetic fibre, it has earned the name, "workhorse" fiber of the industry. The staple form of the Polyester fibers has been referred as "big mixer" because of its compatibility in blending. Polyester imparts many properties without affecting the properties of other fibers.

Bicomponent fibers

Bicomponent fiber are the fibers produced by mixing two different

polymer A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...

s to achieve the properties of both fibers. For example, Polyester and Nylon may be mixed together in

extrusion Extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile by pushing material through a die of the desired cross-section. Its two main advantages over other manufacturing processes are its ability to create very complex ...

. The polymers in the bicomponent may have entirely different physical and chemical properties.

Advantages

Products with blends, mixtures, and combinations may have properties that differ from those obtained with a single fiber. Blending may add value and may reduce the cost of the product. For example,

is most often mixed with other fibers, particularly synthetics. This blending can be used to make cotton-like

fabrics Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

with improved

functionality Function or functionality may refer to: Computing * Function key, a type of key on computer keyboards * Function model, a structured representation of processes in a system * Function object or functor or functionoid, a concept of object-oriente ...

such as wrinkle resistance and dimensional stability. The addition of

spandex Spandex, Lycra, or elastane is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity. It is a polyether-polyurea copolymer that was invented in 1958 by chemist Joseph Shivers at DuPont's Benger Laboratory in Waynesboro, Virginia, US. The g ...

to cotton improves the stretch of the product.

Spinning advantages

Uniformity

Blending is also used to describe the process of combining small amounts of the same fibers from various lots to produce a uniform result. The process is known as "blending" in spinning. The blending of similar kinds of fibers or different fibers is possible at various stages of yarn spinning, such as the blow room, draw frame, and roving.

Spinning weak fibers

Blending helps in spinning those fibers which are weak and difficult to spin. For example, milkweed fibers lack strength and cohesion.

Core spun yarns

In core spun yarns; a filament yarn is wrapped with staple fibers.

Spandex Spandex, Lycra, or elastane is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity. It is a polyether-polyurea copolymer that was invented in 1958 by chemist Joseph Shivers at DuPont's Benger Laboratory in Waynesboro, Virginia, US. The g ...

filament may be wrapped with cotton fibers to form a core spun yarn. These yarns are called "composite yarns."

Functional advantages

Comfort

Blends help in reducing the discomfort of certain synthetic clothing. Synthetic fibers, such as polyester, have a moisture regain rate of only 0.4'0.8 percent. Poor absorbency reduces the comfort of clothing that comes into direct contact with the skin. Blending polyester with absorbent fibers such as cotton improves the wearing comfort. Polyester-cotton blended clothing is more comfortable to wear in humid climates than polyester alone. A heavy pair of jeans made of 100% cotton that weigh can be cut down to , without compromising durability, by changing the composition to a blend of polyester 50% with cotton or nylon 20%.

Aesthetic advantages

Blends help to create a variety of aesthetic effects.:

Plated fabrics

Blending is also used to create many

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

and knitting structures, such as plated fabrics.

Burnt out patterns

Devoré is a pattern-making technique that involves dissolving

cellulosic Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of β(1→4) linked D-glucose units. Cellulose is an important structural component of the primary cell wa ...

fibers in acids. Typically, a polyester-cotton blend is used for this purpose.

Heather or melange fabrics

''Heather'' is a term used to describe a color effect created by combining two or more different colored fibers or yarns in a fabric. Grey melange, marl and gaspe are examples of blending fibers and yarns.

= Cross-dyed fabrics

= Blends are also used for cross-dyed fabrics. When

dyeing Dyeing is the application of dyes or pigments on textile materials such as fibers, yarns, and fabrics with the goal of achieving color with desired color fastness. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular c ...

fabric with two different classes of dyes in a blend, it is possible to dye both parts in completely different colors. It is called "cross-dyeing."

Economical products

Besides contributing to comfort and functionality, blends can produce economical materials. *

Camel hair Camel hair specifically refers to the fur from the body of a camel, but more generally refers to the fibre (and cloth) that may be made from either pure camel hair or a blend of camel hair and another fibre. Camel hair has two components: ''guard ...

can be blended with

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...

. Camel hair provides warmth without adding weight, and it is finer and more expensive than cotton, so a camelhair-sheepwool blend produces a lighter and warmer blend than sheepwool alone. *

Cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

is frequently blended with polyester; the blend is more economical than a 100% cotton product. * Cashmere (an expensive wool) and sheep wool are sometimes blended together to make the product cost-effective.

Nonwoven fabric advantages

Nonwoven fabrics Nonwoven fabric is a fabric-like material made from staple fibre (short) and long fibres (continuous long), bonded together by chemical, mechanical, heat or solvent treatment. The term is used in the textile industry, textile manufacturing industr ...

of various types can be manufactured using a blending process. A polyester and viscose blend is used in

baby wipes An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...

. For different items, distinct weight ratios are used.

References

{{wiktionary, Blend, blend, blended, blending Textiles Textile techniques