Synthetic Fibres and Plastics
Plastics??
Synthetic Fibres
Natural Fibres
Natural Fibres are obtained from plants and animals.
Eg- Cotton, wool, silk, etc.
Wool
The synthetic fibres, are made by human beings.
Eg- Polyester, Acrylic, etc.
Fibres??
Thermosetting Plastics
Thermoplastics
Wool is the soft and curly hair which covers the body of a sheep. Wool is obtained from the fleece of sheep.
Sheep grow wool on their body and once a year, this wool is sheared.
Other animals also give us wool like goat, camel , yak, etc.
A fibre is a thin thread of a natural or artificial substance, that is used to make cloth and other things.
Plastic is also a polymer like the synthetic fibre.
All plastics do not have the same type of arrangement of units.
In some it is linear, whereas in others it is cross-linked.
Plastic articles are available in all possible shapes and sizes
Rayon
Nylon
Nylon is a man-made fibre.
In 1931, It was made without using any natural raw material.
It was prepared from coal, water and air.
It is the first fully synthetic fiber.
Nylon fibre is strong, elastic and light.
It is lustrous and easy to wash.
It is very popular for making clothes.
We use many articles made from nylon, such as socks, ropes, tents, toothbrushes, sleeping bags, curtains, etc.
Nylon is also used for making parachutes and ropes for rock climbing.
A nylon thread is actually stronger than steel wire. :
Rayon fibre was obtained by chemical treatment of wood pulp. This fibre was called rayon or artificial silk.
Although rayon is obtained from a natural source, wood pulp, yet it is a man-made fibre.
It is cheaper than silk and can be woven like silk fibres.
It can also be dyed in a wide variety of colors.
Rayon is mixed with cotton to make bed sheets or mixed with wool to make carpets.
Plastic which gets deformed easily on heating and can be bent easily are known as thermoplastics.
Eg- Polythene and PVC
Plastics which when moulded once, can not be softened by heating and break when try to bend are called thermosetting plastics.
Eg- Bakelite and melamine.
Cotton
Cotton is a natural, soft fiber that grows with the seeds of the cotton plant.
After, the cotton fiber is gathered from the plant, it can be spun into cotton thread.
Most of the cotton gathered to make cloth comes from crops grown on cotton plantations.