Classification of fibers

One can classify fibers in a variety of ways. For example, one may divide the whole field of fibers into apparel and nonapparel fibers, i.e. based upon the final use of fibrous material. The apparel fibers include synthetic fibers such as nylon, polyester, spandex, and natural fibers such as cotton, jute, sisal, ramie, silk, etc. Nonapparel fibers include aramid, polyethylene, steel, copper, carbon, glass, silicon carbide, and alumina. These nonapparel fibers are used for making cords and ropes, geotextiles, and structural applications such as fiber reinforcements 

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Classification of fiber-metal matrix composite systems ... 

The classification of fiberboards is best done on the basis of density, as there is a great deal of overlap when classifying by use only. Table 28.8 shows the density classification of fiber-boards as well as some of their major uses. Fiberboard factories equalize the mat of loose fibers between screens and rollers, whereas hardboard is press-bonded between hot plates to make it dense and strong. The dividing line between the two types of panels lies at a density of 0.5 g/cm3. Both are manufactured for many specific uses, and they vary accordingly. 

The U.S. HVI system for the classification of fiber quality and instrumentation for measuring other fiber properties are becoming more widely used all over the industrialized world, as well as in some developing countries for determining the proper laydown and mix for processing cotton in textile mills. Therefore, the U.S. system will be described in more detail than the other classing systems. Information also is given on how the various quality parameters can affect cotton fiber chemistry. 

Figure I. Schematic drawings of Hearles classification of fiber fracture types. (Reproduced with permission from Ref. 8.)...

In this chapter we examine the recent history of synthetic fiber production, provide a convenient classification of fibers, and then introduce the subject of strong and stiff fibers. Strong and stiff fibers came about in the second half of the twentieth century because of many improvements in synthesis and processing,... 

Figure 1.1 Classification of fibers based on fiber length. Also shown are the different product forms.

Rept. 9, A Descriptive Catalogue of Useful Fiber Plants of the World, Including the Structural and Economic Classifications of Fibers, 1897. 

A widely accepted classification of fibers is based on their location in the plant. Accordingly, the three principal categories are seed fibers, bast fibers, and leaf fibers. Fibers that do not belong to one of these three categories are classified as miscellaneous fibers. 

Such an approach to fiber classification appears to be systematic and objective. Unfortunately, plants do not always follow the pattern of roots, trunk, leaves, seed, or fruit. There are anomalies. For example, the banana-like plants, yielding abaca, do not have the woody trunk conventionally associated with other plants. Instead, its stem consists of layers of thick, crescentshaped (in cross section) sheaths wrapped around each other they reduce to spindly growths that unfurl from the stem and become the thick central stems of fronds (see Section 8.2.1). Botanically, the sheath-frond system is called a leaf consequently, the fiber extracted from the sheath is classified as leaf fiber. On the other hand, sisal or henequen fibers come from the swordlike leaves of their respective plants. Bagasse (from sugarcane) fiber, used for paper or fiberboard, comes from the stem, which is neither a leaf nor a woody trunk. Thus, the classification of fibers as seed, bast, leaf, or miscellaneous fibers is somewhat arbitrary. 

Table 2 Classification of fibers with tubular morphology...

Table 3 Classification of fibers without tubular morphobgy...

There are many different bioresorbable polymer systems based on different degradation mechanisms and having a range of physical and mechanical properties. However, the scope of our review will be restricted to only fiber-forming polymers. Those that are hydrolytically sensitive are discussed in this chapter, while enzymatically catalyzed bioresorbable polymers are presented in Chap. 6. Table 4.1 shows the classification of fiber-forming hydrolytically sensitive bioresorbable polymers. 

Table 4.1 Classification of fiber-forming hydrolytically sensitive bioresorbable synthetic polymers...

Ghetia, Shivang, Gajjar, Ruchi, Trivedi, Pujal, 2013. Classification of fiber optical sensors. Int. J. Electron. Commun. Comput. Tech. 3 (4), 442-445. 

The classification of fibers has been defined by many people, and it is generally accepted that they can be divided broadly into natural fibers and chemical fibers. Figure 3.2 shows the classification of textile fibers. 

Figure 1.2. Classification of fibers. This is different from the commonly used classification of textile fibers. In the textile fiber classification, fibers are divided into natural fibers and man-made fibers.

To rapidly evaluate the effects of process variables, online characterization of size, number concentration, and purity of carbon nanotubes is needed, and in this section we describe such an approach, wherein a DMA is employed. As noted in Section 9.2.2, the DMA is capable of online classification of fibers [42,44,45]. In addition, Maynard et al. have classified nanotubes using the DMA, although a method for determining CNT size was not explicitly developed [67]. 

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