Natural Fibers - fibers from the Nature
All fibres which come from natural sources (animals, plants, etc.) and do not require fibre formation or reformation are classed as natural fibres. The natural fibres are vegetable, animal, or mineral in origin. Some of the natural fibres like vegetable fibres are obtained from the various parts of the plants. They are provided by nature in ready-made form. It include the protein fibres such as wool and silk, the cellulose fibres such as cotton and linen, and the mineral fibre asbestos.
Textile fibers are normally broken down into two main classes, natural and man-made fibers.
"All fibers which come from natural sources (animals, plants, etc.) and do not require fiber formation or reformation are classed as natural fibers".
Natural plant and animal fibers have provided the raw materials to meet our fiber needs. No matter which climatic zone humans settled, they were able to utilize the fibers of native species to make products such as clothes, buildings and cordage. The use of composite materials dates from centuries ago and it all started with natural fibers.
"All fibers which come from natural sources (animals, plants, etc.) and do not require fiber formation or reformation are classed as natural fibers".
Natural plant and animal fibers have provided the raw materials to meet our fiber needs. No matter which climatic zone humans settled, they were able to utilize the fibers of native species to make products such as clothes, buildings and cordage. The use of composite materials dates from centuries ago and it all started with natural fibers.
"Natural fiber is any hair like raw material directly obtainable from animals, vegetables or mineral source and convertible into non woven fabrics such as felt or after spinning into yarns or woven cloth".
Natural fibers from vegetable fibers are obtained from the various parts of the plants. These fibers are classified into three categories depending on the part of the plant from which they are extracted. Those three categories are bast or stem fibers (jute, mesta, banana etc.), leaf fibers (sisal, pineapple, screw pine etc.) seed fibers (cotton, coir, old palm etc.). Many of the plant fibers such as coir, sisal, jute, banana, pineapple and hemp find applications as a resource for industrial materials. Properties of natural fibers depend mainly on the nature of the plant, locality in which it is grown, age of the plant, and the extraction method used.
A natural fiber also may be further defined as a agglomeration of cells in which the diameter is negligible in comparison with the length. In some applications, natural fibers are replacing glass fibers in reinforced polymers, where the tensile strength of the fiber is not as important as the specific stiffness. Natural fibre reinforced polymers are generally restricted for use in non-structural products.
In contrast, fibers from natural sources are provided by nature in ready-made form.
In contrast, fibers from natural sources are provided by nature in ready-made form.
Natural fibers include the protein fibers such as wool and silk, the cellulose fibers such as cotton and linen, and the mineral fiber asbestos.
Plant fibers can be further on classified as:
- Fiber occurring on the seed (Raw cotton, java cotton)
- Phloem fiber (flax, ramie, hemp, jute)
- Tendon fiber from stem or leaves (manila hemp, sisal hemp etc)
- Fiber occurring around the trunk (hemp palm)
- Fiber of fruit/ nut shells (coconut fiber – Coir)
Cotton and Linen (made from Flax pant) are the most important among them.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Natural Fibers
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Disadvantages
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