Page 8 - Curriculum Visions Dynamic Book

New fibres are being constantly invented to meet new needs. For example, Kevlar® and other such materials were developed both for their fire resistance and their use as safety gloves and bulletproof vests.
When people produce artificial fibres, they are rearranging the molecules of the material themselves, breaking down petrochemical (oil-based) raw materials into building blocks, which are then re-formed into new substances with new properties. Only after they have been created do artificial fibres and filaments go through the spinning and weaving processes to make fabrics, paper, or whatever is required.
It is important to regard natural and artificial fibres as complementary, not as competing fibres. Very often the two are used together, for each has its own unique properties. Artificial fibres dominate in the modern marketplace simply because they can be produced
at a fraction of the price of natural materials and because they can be designed to meet needs that natural materials sometimes cannot. At the same
time, natural materials have feel and durability that sometimes cannot be matched by artificials.
Fibres are chains of molecules
As you can see, fibres have a wide range of possible properties, which is the reason different fibres are used in different situations. Understanding their
properties, making the most of them, and even improving on their properties by molecular juggling is the role of materials science.
As we said at the beginning, most fibres (except glass and some other minerals like asbestos) are
chains of molecules containing carbon. The majority also contain hydrogen and oxygen.
(Left) This weatherproof protective clothing and the crate are made of the same material – a plastic. Both are strong and waterproof. But one is made into a sheet and so is rigid, while the other is made into a fibre and is flexible.
See Vol. 1: Plastics to find out more about the nature of plastics.
See Vol. 3: Wood to find out more about how paper is made from fibres.
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