CARPET FIBRES

The textile industry makes use of a wide variety of textile fibres. However, not all fibres available are used, or indeed useful, in the production of carpets and textile floorcoverings.

Until the advent of manufacturing techniques such as tufting and bonding etc. carpets were manufactured by the various weaving processes and fibre usage in the carpet industry consisted mainly of wool for pile yarns and cotton and jute and other bast fibres for the backing yarns.

It is now possible to produce fibres from non-textile long chain polymers and to synthesise fibreproducing polymers from a wide range of chemical monomers. A variety of man-made fibres with different characteristics can therefore be produced.

IN ESSENCE A CARPET CAN BE CONSIDERED IN TWO SECTIONS: - The pile & The backing

The requirements of the fibre for each part of the carpet are different and it is therefore convenient to consider the properties of the fibre for each part of the construction.Natural fibre supply sources, e.g. sheep for the production of wool, are reasonably stable, however seasonal climate influences can cause short-term price stability. The basic raw material of most synthetic fibres is oil, which has an uncertain future regarding future availability and price.One of the main factors for an ideal carpet pile fibre is good resiliency, which is essential for providing good appearance retention properties and aesthetic appeal. Wool is excellent in his respect and in recent years improvements have been made to the synthetics. In general polypropylene and cellulosic fibres e.g. cotton have poor resiliency properties.

Absorbency of water vapour promotes relative freedom from static electric problems. Synthetic fibres because of their molecular structure usually give rise to more problems with static electricity, however even natural fibres can be prone to static problems if the relative humidity falls as a result of excessive heating and drying.

As regards cleanliness natural fibres, such as wool, need scouring to remove grease and other impurities whereas synthetic fibres are normally clean and white.

The cross-sectional shape of fibres can influence a number of parameters including lustre, soil-hiding and fibre resilience. A jagged cross-section for example can lead to rapid soiling and difficulty in cleaning.

With modern dyes and dyeing technology most fibres can be dyed to a reasonably wide colour range and with good fastness properties to light and other agencies such as water and shampoo. Some fibres are also proof against a wide range of chemicals including bleach. As far as synthetic fibres are concerned the use of fibre engineering can be used to impart soil hiding properties and anti-static properties.

John Hopkins