Surface properties of Wool and Various Luxury fibers

AATCC;INDA;TAPPI;The Fiber Society2010 Spring Conference of the Fiber Society -- 12 May 2010 through 14 May 2010 -- Bursa -- 105817Luxury fibers have exclusive properties, which are rare and special. Production of these fibers in large scale is quite difficult and they are expensive in price. They are mostly used in blends with other fibers. Even the small quantities of these fibers improve the fabric properties in appearance, luster, thermal behavior and handle properties, which meet consumer expectations. There are various types of luxurious fibers, which have different physical and chemical properties that contribute to the fabric structure in exclusive ways. Since, they have different morphological properties, scales on the fiber surface, which affect the roughness of fiber and felting behavior, are also used for the classification and characterization of luxurious fibers, which have scales. Scale height measurement using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) has a wide usage to differentiate various animal fibers. Angora rabbit, cashmere, wool, silk, and mohair (angora goat) fibers were used in the study. The surface characteristics of these fibers were investigated and compared with each other. The scales on the fiber surface, which affect the roughness and felting behavior of fibers, were analyzed by SEM images