Wool fibre

wool-It's properties, morphological structure, process, end uses

1. Textile Fibre Wool Submitted by Arpita Tripathy Jyoti Patel Tulasi Kumar Nanda Department of Fashion Management Studies National Institute of Fashion Technology

2. Textile Fibers

3. What are fibers? Fibers are the basic units of all textiles. Fibers are put together to form a continuous strand, making a yarn. Yarns are woven or knitted together to make fabrics .

4. Introduction Wool is made from the fleece/hair of the sheep or lambs. It is the most common animal fiber people wear today, but its use goes back to early times. Crude wool fabrics have been found in the ruins of the Stone Age. Even then, people knew that the fleece of the sheep was softer and warmer than the skins of other animals. Sheep were the first animals to be domesticated and raised for their fleece. Australia is the largest producer of wool followed by china and new Zealand and India being the 7 th largest producer of wool In India Rajasthan is found to be the largest producer of wool among other state.

5. Animals which provide Wool SHEEP GOAT ALPACA YAK LAMA CAMEL

6. These animals have a thick coat of hair on their bodies because the hair traps air and air is a poor conductor of heat. So the hair keeps their body warm. The most common wool is sheep wool. Example – Merino wool. The wool obtained from Angora goats of Jammu Kashmir is soft wool used for making shawls. Example – Mohair wool The wool obtained from Cashmere goat is Cashmere wool. Wool is also obtained from Angora rabbit. Example – Angora wool Camel hair is also used as wool. Yak wool is common in Tibet and Ladakh Llama and Alpaca found in South America also yield wool.

7. Categories of wool Merino Wool: Merino sheep originated in Spain yields the best quality wool. These fibers are strong, fine and elastic fiber which is relatively short, ranging from 1 to 5 inches (25 – 125 mm). Merino wool has the greatest amount of crimp and has maximum number of scales. These two factors contribute to its superior warmth and spinning qualities. Merino is used for the best types of wool clothing.

8. Inside the Fibre Molecular Structure Composition Chemical Composition Keratin 33% Keratin is made up of Carbon 50% Hydrogen 12% Oxygen 10% Nitrogen 25% Sulpher 3% Physical Composition Grease 28% Suint 12% Different impurities 26% Mineral water 01%

9. Primary Properties of Fibers v/s Wool Strength : Wool is a weak textile Fibre and in moist condition it is even weaker. Warmth : It is the warmest Fibre. Durability : A single fiber can be bent 20,000 times. Absorbency : It has a large capacity to absorb moisture vapour and sweat next to the skin making it extremely breathable . Wrinkle Resistance: Each wool fiber is like a coiled spring that returns to its natural shape. Resiliency : The fibres recover quickly from creasing. Elasticity : It is very elastic. The molecular crimp is again responsible for it. Shape Retention : Resilient fibres retain their shape. Abrasion Resistance : It has an excellent abrasion resistance capacity due to its scale structure. Lusture : Finer fibres are more lustrous than the coarser ones. Static Electricity : Wool resists static electricity due to its ability to absorb moisture vapour.

10. Other specific physical properties of Wool Color : White, near white, brown and black. Tensile Strength : In dry condition- 1-1.7 In wet condition- 0.8-1.6 Elongation : Standard-25%-35% In wet condition-25%-50% Specific gravity : 1.3-1.32 Moisture regain : 16%-18% Effect of heat : Softens when heated with boiling water for long time. At 130 degree Celsius it decomposes. At 300 degree Celsius it chars. It does not continue to burn when removed from flame. Effect of sunlight : On long exposure fibres become discolored and develop a harsh feeling.

11. Chemical Properties Effects of acid: Wool is attacked by hot concentrated sulphuric acid and decomposes completely. Resists mineral acids. Nitric acid cause damage by oxidation. Effects of Alkalis Sensitive to strong alkalis. Caustic soda tends to dissolve it. Effect of water loses 10 to 25% of its strength when wet boiling will reduce Lusture and promote felting Effects of micro organism : it is affected by mildew if it remains wet for a long time. Dyeing ability : It could be dyed by basic dye, direct dye and acid dye .

12. Wool Care Dry cleaning is the recommended care method for wool items because the solvents do not harm wool and create less wrinkling fuzzing and shrinkage. Avoid tumble dry because it leads to excessive felting shrinkage Wool items should be dried flat to prevent strain While ironing the temperature must be kept low, so use a press cloth Steaming should be done with care.

13. Making of Wool into Yarn Shearing of Sheep : It is the process by which the woolen fleece of a sheep is cut off. Typical each adult sheep is shorn once each year.

14. Combing & Grilling the Wool: After the wool has been shorn and gathered, it must combed manually to remove any bulk dirt and to begin the process of separating out the short fibers. The discarded short fibres are called noils, and are grouped into shoddy and the longer ones are called tops. Combing is accompanied by Grilling, a process of evening out combed top.

15. Carding the wool Combing leads to Carded wool. In general there are two main systems of preparing carded fibre for yarn. Worsted System – Removal of nosils by combing and top preparation by grilling. The yarn is long and strong with hard surface. Woolen System – Noils are retained and it may or may not involve combing. The yarn is short and soft typically used for knitting.

16. Washing the Wool: This carded wool is then washed. Picked cotton balls and silk cocoons are also submitted to a process of carding and washing before they are spun . Washing ingredients & utensils Hot Water Laundry sink, large tub, or top- loading washing machine Few mesh Lingerie bags Dish soap Rubber gloves Drying rack with an old sheet over it.

17. Roving: After the wool is washed, it can be dyed into a color or left natural. The resulting combing and carding is known as roving. A roving is a long and narrow bundle of fiber. It is usually used to spin woolen yarn.

18. The wool fibers are then spun into yarn T here are two main methods used to produce woolen-spun yarns. These are: (a)Ring spinning (b)Mule spinning Mule-spun yarns generally are superior to ring-spun yarns but they tend to be much more expensive due to the slow production rates and high labor input .

19. The wool is ready to use

20. Wool yarn is then converted into fabric by the process of knitting and weaving.

21. Difference between worsted and woolen wool fabrics. Woolen fabrics have a soft feel and fuzzy surface,. They do not shine nor they hold crease They are heavier and bulkier. Worsted wool is smoother than woolen. They are shiny and do not sag. They hold crease easily and are less bulky.

22. Felting of wool The technique of felting, or the process of shrinking and bonding wool fibers together, through heat, agitation and moisture, causing the microscopic scales on wool fibers to interlock and tighten together, forms dense cloth with a soft texture. The two common methods of felting are 1 ) Needle Felting and 2) Moisture Felting

23. Needle Felting: The fine art of needle felting involves working with roving, or strands of raw wool fleece often used in felting and spinning projects, and using special barbed felting needles, piercing the wool, along with manual compression, to create the interlocking or matting together of the wool fibers. ' Moisture Felting: Moisture felting, or the water method of felting includes the application of heat from warm or boiled water, soap, and agitation through washing and pressing, either by hand or by machine, that causes the natural wool fibers to intertwine and shrink together to form a tightly woven cloth.

24. Advantages & Disadvantages of Wool Advantages Warmest Natural Fiber Natural Insulator Strong and Durable Lightweight Absorbent Wrinkle-Resistance Fire Retardant Stain Resistant A Natural Barrier to UV Disadvantages Shrinks easily Requires dry cleaning. Expensive

25. End Uses Clothing Blankets Horse Rugs Saddle cloths Carpeting Insulation Upholstery Wool felts cover piano hammers Used to absorb odors and noise in heavy machinery and stereo speakers. It has been traditionally used to cover cloth diapers. Merino wool is used in swaddle baby wrap blankets and infant sleeping bags. As an animal protein, it is used as soil fertilizer.

26. Medical Use They provide excellent protection when placed under the back, calves and heels. Wool wax: During wool processing one of the by-products produced which is known as lanolin, also called wool wax or wool grease. Medical grade lanolin is used as a cream to soothe skin, as it is hypoallergenic and bacteriostatic. Bedsore & pressure sore prevention: The dense 30 mm wool pile medical sheepskins provides an interface between the patient and the bed that reduces pressure, friction and skin moisture.

27. Wool Pillows: Wool and its blends can be used in pillow. It absorbs body moisture to reduce neck stiffness. Foot care: Pressure reduction and improved comfort and to cushion toes from corns and shoe pressure. Also it can be used in toes of ballet shoes. It is very ideal for diabetic foot care.

28. Wool in GeoTextiles It involves grinding up wool carpet and mixing the shredded product into the soil to grow grass. The soil containing the crushed wool carpet saw a 60% increase in dry matter production compared to the standard soil tested. Wool in Sportech It is special clothing and sports equipment to enhance protection, comfort and performance. Development of the new technologies and process like chlorination of the wool fibre makes it wearable next to skin and use as a base layer in sports textile garment.

29. FUTURE PROSPECTS OF WOOL Wool is a premium product, its price reflects global economics. The price of wool, of course, is much higher than cotton or man-made fibers. Technical fabrics and synthetics are fast becoming leaders in the fabric world, however they do not have the sustainability performance or even aesthetic that wool does. Wool’s longevity, performance and sustainability- along with its many new technical developments and end uses will make wool a fiber of the future.