Textiles
Animal hides, such as leather, provided the first material for the making of clothing; they came in one large, supple piece that could be cut to any shape and sewn together with thin leather strips. However, its hides were not ideal for all purposes or all climates. After thousands of years, early civilizations began to construct clothing from natural fibers (both animal and vegetable), thus creating the first textiles.
It is difficult to pinpoint the emergence of textiles, since the materials used decay easily. However, it is probable that the weaving of textiles was inspired by the weaving of mats, baskets, and other vessels. While these objects--dating as far back as 6500 b.c.--were made primarily from reeds and grasses, there soon began the use of other natural fibers for the creation of clothing.
The four most important clothing fibers were flax, wool, cotton, and silk. Flax fibers are the basis for linen cloth. They were first used in Ancient Egypt; the lightweight fabric was ideal for the hot, dry climate. Flax is a very difficult material to prepare for weaving, since the most useful fibers are found deep within the stalk. The flax stem must first be retted, a process originally accomplished by soaking it in stagnant water for several weeks. The now-pliable stalk is then dried and beaten to break the core and loosen the fibers. Next, the broken flax must be hackled, drawing out the light bast fibers from which the linen can be woven. Lastly, the fibers are spun into a yarn or thread thick enough for weaving.
The next important natural fiber was wool. This was a readily available material, since sheep have been domesticated since 4000 b.c. There are two types of fleece follicles: primary and secondary. Wool from the primary follicles is usually too coarse for use, and this type of fleece has been bred out of most modern animals. The secondary follicles produced fleece fibers that are fine, short, and somewhat scaly. These scales allow the fibers to interlock, so that little twisting is required to make wool yarn. Because they lock so readily, wool fibers also trap a great deal of air between them; this acts as an insulator, making wool an excellent material for colder climates.
While sheep are the most popular source of wool, the fleece of goats, camels, alpacas, llamas, and vicunas is also used. Another fabric, felt, can be easily made from most wools. If a quantity of wool is moistened, heated, and compressed, the fibers will lock tightly to create a thick, somewhat rigid material-the more wool that is used, the more rigid the felt will be. Since it is produce through compression rather than weaving, felt can be made into any shape: hats, shoes, carpets, and other products can be easily made from felt. Felt is also a very inexpensive material, since it is created through a one-step process.
Cotton, probably the most important natural fiber used in textile production, was discovered independently by the ancient Egyptian and Peruvian civilizations. Both civilizations found that cotton, once cleaned, was easily separated into fibers that could be spun into a strong yarn. Cotton fabrics are absorbent, washable, and smooth against the skin. Also, because it burns without odor, cotton is an ideal material for candle and lamp wicks.
The most recently developed natural fiber is silk. It is very strong and stretchable, and is valued for its sheen. The fiber was first harvested in China and India around 3000 b.c.. The silk moth, whose worm produces natural silk, thrives upon the leaf of the white mulberry tree. Silk manufacturers kept acres of mulberry trees, upon which the moth would lay its eggs. When the silk grub builds its cocoon it excretes a long, thin strand of fibroin, then coats it with sericin (known as silk gum). To obtain the silk, the cocoon must be collected before the worm emerges, for it uses an acid to burn through the cocoon. While the worm lies dormant, the cocoon is plucked from the tree and immersed in boiling water; this kills the worm and causes its cocoon to unravel.
Once uncoiled, a single strand of silk can be up to 1,093 yards (1,000 m) in length. Because the silk thread is so thin, it is usually combined with four or five other strands. As they are dried, the traces of silk gum still clinging to them help to form one stronger, thicker strand. The result is a natural yarn that is very easy to weave and sew.
In the late 1800s, chemists began experimenting with synthetic fibers. These had been anticipated much earlier by such great scientists as Robert Hooke and René Reaumur (1683-1757). None, however, had successfully produced such a fiber.
In 1883 Joseph Swan patented the first artificial fiber, made by forcing nitrocellulose through small holes. A few years later, Louis Comte de Chardonnet succeeded in creating an artificial silk called rayon; though recognized as an important discovery, rayon was not widely used by the textile industry until the 1930s.
In 1938, the next true textile revolution began in the laboratory of Dr. Wallace Hume Carothers, for in that year he invented nylon. Unlike previous man-made fibers, which were produced from wood pulp and other natural materials, nylon was completely synthesized--produced chemically from benzene, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen. Marketed by Du Pont, nylon was found to have applications almost everywhere fabric was used. It was strong, waterproof, and stretchable. Being synthetic, it could be formed into any shape, and when so formed would always return to that shape (such an ability is called memory pressing). Since the invention of nylon other synthetics such as terylene, acrylics, polyolefin, and bonded fibers have played important roles in the textile industry.
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