Fiber Definitions — textile fibers, yarn fibers and fiber properties from Apparel Search
Acrylic fibers are synthetic fibers made from a polymer, polyacrylonitrile, with an average molecular weight of about 100,000, about 1900 monomer units. To be called acrylic in the United States, the polymer must contain at least 85 percent acrylonitrile monomer, and typical comonomers are vinyl acetate or methyl acrylate. The polymer is formed by free-radical polymerization in aqueous suspension, then dissolved and spun into filament. Former United States brands of acrylic included Acrilan, Creslan and Orlon.
Acrylic fibers are synthetic fibers made from a polymer (Polyacrylonitrile) with an average molecular weight of ~100,000, about 1900 monomer units. To be called acrylic in the U.S, the polymer must contain at least 85% acrylonitrile monomer. Typical comonomers are vinyl acetate or methyl acrylate.
The polymer is formed by free-radical polymerization in aqueous suspension. The fiber is produced by dissolving the polymer in a solvent such as N,N-dimethylformamide or aqueous sodium thiocyanate, metering it through a multi-hole spinnerette and coagulating the resultant filaments in an aqueous solution of the same solvent (wet spinning) or evaporating the solvent in a stream of heated inert gas (dry spinning). Washing, stretching, drying and crimping complete the processing. Acrylic fibers are produced in a range of deniers, typically from 1 to 15 as cut staple or as a 500,000 to 1 million filament tow. End uses include sweaters, hand-knitting yarns, rugs, awnings, boat covers, and upholstery; the fiber is also used as a precursor for carbon fiber. Production of acrylic fibers is centered in the Far East, declining in Europe and now shut down (except for precursor) in the U.S. Former U.S. brands of acrylic were Acrilan (Monsanto). Creslan (American Cyanamid) and Orlon (DuPont).
Acrylic is lightweight, soft, and warm, with a wool-like feel. It dyes very well and has excellent colorfastness. It is resilient, retains its shape, and resists shrinkage and wrinkles. Acrylic has recently been used in clothing as a less expensive alternative to cashmere, due to the similar feeling of the materials. The disadvantages of acrylic is that it tends to fuzz (or pill) easily and that it does not insulate the wearer as well as cashmere. Many products like fake pashmina or cashmina use this material to create the illusion of cashmere to the consumer.
Acrylic is resistant
to
moths, oils, and chemicals,
and is very resistant to
deterioration from sunlight
exposure. However, static
and pilling can be a problem.
| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/acrylic_fiber). Modified by Apparel Search 10/17/08 |
| Textile & Clothing definitions and Glossaries: |
Acrylic fibers are produced in a range of deniers, typically from 1 to 15, either as cut staple or as a tow of 500,000 to 1 million filaments, so the same polymer can serve fine knitting yarns and heavy furnishing products alike. End uses include sweaters, hand-knitting yarns, rugs, awnings, boat covers and upholstery, and the fiber is also used as a precursor for carbon fiber, a role that depends on the same polyacrylonitrile chemistry. Production of acrylic fibers is centred in the Far East, declining in Europe and now shut down, except for precursor production, in the United States.
As a textile, acrylic is lightweight, soft and warm, with a wool-like feel that made it the standard wool substitute in knitwear. It dyes very well and has excellent colorfastness, it is resilient, retains its shape, and resists shrinkage and wrinkles, so a sweater keeps the fit it was sold with. It is resistant to moths, oils and chemicals, and very resistant to deterioration from sunlight exposure, which is why it appears outdoors in awnings and boat covers as well as in garments. The disadvantages are that acrylic tends to fuzz or pill easily, and static and pilling can be a problem in wear. Pilling matters most on soft, loosely constructed knits, exactly the construction used to imitate cashmere, so the buyer of an inexpensive cashmere-feel garment is trading the genuine fiber's insulation and surface stability for a lower price and easy care. Judged on its own terms rather than as an imitation, acrylic is a durable, colourfast, shape-keeping fiber whose best uses are the ones, sweaters, yarns, rugs and upholstery, where those properties are what the product actually needs.
The polymer must contain at least 85 percent acrylonitrile monomer. Acrylic polymer is polyacrylonitrile with an average molecular weight of about 100,000, and typical comonomers added alongside the acrylonitrile are vinyl acetate or methyl acrylate.
The polymer is dissolved in a solvent such as N,N-dimethylformamide or aqueous sodium thiocyanate, metered through a multi-hole spinnerette, and the filaments are coagulated in an aqueous solution of the same solvent in wet spinning, or the solvent is evaporated in heated inert gas in dry spinning. Washing, stretching, drying and crimping complete the processing.
Acrylic is lightweight, soft and warm with a wool-like feel, and it has recently been used in clothing as a less expensive alternative to cashmere because the materials feel similar. It does not insulate the wearer as well as cashmere, and many products sold as fake pashmina or cashmina use acrylic to create the illusion of cashmere.