The cross section depicts the shape of the various

textile 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 ...

fibers 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 incorporate ...

. Each textile fiber offers a distinct cross sectional appearance when seen under a

microscope A microscope () is a laboratory instrument used to examine objects that are too small to be seen by the naked eye. Microscopy is the science of investigating small objects and structures using a microscope. Microscopic means being invisibl ...

. The shapes vary from round to oval and flat, different shapes determines certain characteristics of the textiles. Though the majority of

synthetic fiber Synthetic fibers or synthetic fibres (in British English; see spelling differences) are fibers made by humans through chemical synthesis, as opposed to natural fibers that are directly derived from living organisms, such as plants (like cotton) ...

s have a circular cross section, but the shape could be altered or engineered during the

manufacturing process Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a ran ...

. The cross-sectional shape is responsible for certain physical properties of textile fibers such as the luster of textiles.

Significance

The cross-section of a fiber has an effect on the appearance, hand, drape, flexibility, and moisture wicking properties.The cross sectional shape or form of the fibers specifies their texture. Numerous physical characteristics such as hand, bulkiness, and luster are associated with cross sectional shape. Synthetic fibers with a more regular surface seem brighter than natural fibers with an irregular surface, with the exception 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 coc ...

, which has a regular surface. Different shapes have their own significance; for example, the trilobal cross section contributes several physical properties to the fibres, including strength and static properties, in addition to providing brightness.. Furthermore, the trilobal cross sectional shape of filament aids in the reduction of manufacturing defects.

Shapes

Textile fibers come in a variety of shapes and forms. The fiber shape of synthetic fibers is controlled with a device

spinneret A spinneret is a silk-spinning organ of a spider or the larva of an insect. Some adult insects also have spinnerets, such as those borne on the forelegs of Embioptera. Spinnerets are usually on the underside of a spider's opisthosoma, and are ...

during manufacturing (extrusion) process, whereas natural fibers conceive their shape with a variety of factors such as cellulose built up in plant fibers, and in silk, the shape of

orifice An orifice is any opening, mouth, hole or vent, as in a pipe, a plate, or a body * Body orifice, any opening in the body of a human or animal *Orifice plate, a restriction used to measure flow or to control pressure or flow, sometimes given specia ...

from where the

fibers are extruded. In hair fibers, it is

hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

follicle that is responsible for the shape.

References

{{Reflist Fibers Properties of textiles

Significance

Shapes

See also

References