why do some fibres are called synthetic ?Explain.
Answers
Explanation:
Some fibres are made by human beings and not obtained from plants and animals. These fibres are obtained by chemical processing of petrochemicals.. That is why some fibres are called synthetic or man-made fibres
Explanation:
Fibres appear in many forms on this earth. It can occur naturally or even made by some advanced processes in the laboratories. The naturally occurring fibre can be derived from various sources like the plants, animals, wooden structures, vegetables and fruits, minerals present in their natural form on earth, etc.
-Man-made fibres are synthesized in the industries for the uses in various fields and this is why they are called synthetic. Basically the word synthetic is used for anything which occurs both naturally in the environment as well as is made by the humans. Material made by the humans is termed synthetic.
-There are many polymers which occur in the environment naturally. Yet the man-made polymers are called synthetic polymers. Same is the case with fibres. Naturally occurring fibres from vegetables include cotton and jute which are used extensively in cloth industries. Wood fibre includes groundwood and pulps which is used in furniture and other construction industries.
-Animal fibre includes the fibres rich in protein like silk and wool which is used in textile industries. Mineral fibres also come under natural fibre and include asbestos groups. No industrial process is used for its extraction and so it comes under natural fibres.
-Synthetic fibres are extracted using various methods and so goes the name. Their structures and chemical properties are varied to make it more flexible and more useful. It is sub-divided into semi-synthetic and synthetic fibres. Semi-synthetic fibres are made from materials which have long chain-like structure in their natural form. Chains are not formed synthetically. Rayon is the best example for it.
-Synthetic fibres are completely man-made fibres. Mostly they are made of petrochemicals. They can be short fibres or long fibres depending on their lengths. Aspect ratio is used to determine if the fibre is short or long. Aspect ratio is the ratio of the length of the fibre to the diameter of the fibre. If the aspect ratio lies in the range of 20 to 60, the fibre is short fibre. Long fibres have a great aspect ratio of around 200 to 500. Some examples of synthetic fibres are fiberglass, silicon carbide fibre,carbon fibre, polymer fibre, etc.
Note: Man-made fibres are preferred over naturally occurring fibres because the synthetic fibres can be physically, chemically and mechanically altered to the ways in which they are wanted. This makes easy processing of those fibres without them breaking down or getting wasted or distorted. They also have a long life and more resistance. Their strengths are much more than the natural fibres.