Fiber Definitions — textile fibers, yarn fibers and fiber properties from Apparel Search
Spandex or elastane is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity. It is stronger and more durable than rubber, its major plant competitor, and when first introduced it revolutionised many areas of the clothing industry. Spandex is the preferred name in North America, while elastane is most often used elsewhere, and a well-known trademark for the fiber is Invista's brand name Lycra.
Spandex is the preferred name in North America, while elastane is most often used elsewhere. A well-known trademark for spandex or elastane is Invista's brand name Lycra; another trademark (also Invista's) is Elaspan.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission definition for spandex fiber is "A manufactured fiber in which the fiber-forming substance is a long chain synthetic polymer comprised of at least 85 percent of a segmented polyurethane."
First U.S. commercial spandex fiber production: 1959, DuPont Company.
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Current U.S. spandex fiber producers: Invista; Bayer Corporation
| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/spandex). 11/10/04 |
Spandex is rarely used alone. A few percent of spandex blended into cotton, wool, nylon or polyester transforms a fabric's fit: jeans keep their shape at the knee, a swimsuit stays sleek in the water, hosiery stays up without binding, and athletic wear moves with the body instead of against it. The segmented polyurethane chemistry behind the fiber explains the performance — soft segments that extend and hard segments that anchor the chain and pull it back, giving recovery that rubber, the natural elastic it displaced, could not match for durability. Because the fiber is stronger and more durable than rubber and resists body oils, perspiration, lotions and detergents, stretch garments built on spandex survive laundering and wear that would perish a rubber elastic.
The naming is regional and commercial at once: spandex — an anagram of expands — is the generic name in North America, elastane is used in most of the rest of the world, and Lycra and Elaspan are Invista trademarks for its spandex fibers; the producers listed for the United States are Invista and Bayer Corporation. On care labels the practical rules follow from the chemistry: chlorine bleach and high heat degrade elastane, so swimwear is rinsed after chlorinated pools and stretch garments are dried away from strong heat to protect the very elasticity they were bought for. Since its introduction in 1959, spandex has moved from foundation garments and surgical hose into nearly every category of clothing where the body bends, stretches or needs support — the clearest case in the fiber list of one invention quietly redesigning the whole wardrobe.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission definition for spandex fiber is a manufactured fiber in which the fiber-forming substance is a long chain synthetic polymer comprised of at least 85 percent of a segmented polyurethane. First U.S. commercial spandex fiber production was in 1959, by the DuPont Company.
Spandex can be stretched over 500 percent without breaking, can be stretched repetitively and still recover its length, and is lightweight, abrasion resistant, soft, smooth and supple, resistant to body oils, perspiration, lotions and detergents, with no static or pilling problems.
Spandex appears in apparel where stretch is desired for comfort and fit: athletic, aerobic and exercise apparel, swimsuits and bathing suits, brassiere straps and bra side panels, ski pants, slacks, hosiery, socks and belts, compression garments such as surgical hose, support hose and bicycle pants, and shaped garments such as bra cups.