INTD 503- Materials Topic: FABRIC Prepared by: Dr. Mamdouh University of Nizwa, Sultanate of Oman.

Fabrics in interiors are mostly used as: Upholstery cover materials for chairs, sofas, cushions etc. Bed and table covers Window treatment also known as drapery Woven floor coverings (carpets or rugs) Lesser used wall covering material

Criteria for selecting fabrics Green issues Useful life Maintenance requirements Color stability Shrinkage resistance Resistance to moth damage Fire resistance First cost Useful lifetime cost

Knowledge on fabric materials and construction is important to choose good fabrics. Some important terms: Fiber/fibers Yarn / yarns Construction Finish Dye or paint Special characteristics

Fiber Basic material from which the cloth is made. The most widely used fibers are grouped into : Natural fibers Artificial fibers made from natural and synthetic polymers. Mineral fibers Fiber blends

Natural fibers widely used are wool, mohair, cotton, silk and linen. Natural fibers in limited use are Jute, horsehair, cashmere, camelhair, and grass and palm fibers. Artificial fibers from natural polymers are acetate and rayon. Rayon is known by the names viscose rayon and art silk in textile industry. Trade names for acetate include Acele, Avisco, Celanese, Chromspun and Estron. Artificial fibers from synthetic polymers are acrylics, olefin, polyester, nylon, PVC and polyurethane.

Natural fiber

Artificial fiber

Mineral fibers are technically natural but of organic origin. Asbestos, metals like gold, silver, steel, copper etc., glass. Fiber blends are a combination of two or more fibers into one yarn. This maximizes strength and minimize weakness. Polyester and cotton, wool and nylon are useful blends.

Yarn Yarn is the term for the long continuous threads made from the fiber to construct fabrics. These yarns are of different types: Monofilaments- a single strand of the same fiber. Multifilament- several monofilament yarns twisted or plied together. Spun yarn-a continuous strand made from short natural fibers. Twisted yarns- spun yarns that are twisted to improve the strength. Plied yarns-several yarn strands wound together to increase thickness and strength. Produces varied textures and appearances. Slub yarns- yarn with irregular diameter produced by spinning yarns that are not combed or by mechanically introducing some irregularities. Stretch yarns-yarns that return to their original length after stretching.

Construction Construction is the way in which fiber is made into a cloth. Most familiar techniques use yarn as basic elements. List of most used fabric construction: Felting produces a homogeneous sheet of tangled-together fiber strands called batting through some chemical, heat or pressure processes. Film- synthetic materials like plastics are made into continuous sheets for using in certain applications like shower curtains. Woven fabrics- this is the dominant type of textile. These comes in variety of weaves. Knitting- uses single strands that are looped or threaded together.

Finishing Includes various processes that is done to prepare fabrics for use. Boiling, carbonizing with acid, shearing, calendaring (pressing between rollers) and fulling (controlled shrinkage) are parts of processing. Soil repellency, moth proofing, resistance to wrinkling, fire etc are achieved through finishing processes. Teflon- chemical process to aid soil and stain resistance. Zelan- makes cotton and rayon water repellent. Zepel increases stain resistance of fabrics.

Coloring Dyeing is the common method of coloring the fabrics. Piece dyeing of woven fabrics- produces solid colors. Yarn dyeing before weaving- permits color variation and patterns. Printing is another widely used way of coloring the fabrics. Resist printing- wax or starch is applied to block coloring when the cloth is dipped into dye and afterwards resist materials are washed out. Block printing- individual blocks are colored and patterns are printed. Roller printing- fabric is passed under mechanized rollers with individual color and pattern. Screen printing- separate screens for each color with blocked out areas and unblocked areas. Color is applied through unblocked areas to the fabric to be printed. This is the most economical way of printing.

Special characteristics Embroidery and needle work Quilting- layering together several fabrics. Tufted fabrics- tufts of fiber needled through the cloth base and anchored on the back with a coating. Coated fabrics imitates other material finishes. Solar cloth- uses heat set polyester coated with aluminum powder to achieve 60% reduction in heat transfer.