New Millennium Fibers

Tatsuya Hongu, Machiko Takigami, Glyn O. Phillips

• Publisher: Woodhead Publishing
• Year: 2005
• Print ISBN:
  9781855736016
• eBook ISBN:
  9781845690793
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Materials Science
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Looking forward to the future it is clear that today's narrow concept of fiber as a basic element for textiles, ropes and nets will become an outmoded notion. The emphasis will instead shift to new and exciting developments in fiber technology and their applications, exploring such fields as biomimetics, nanotechnology and biodegradability.New millennium fibers describes and identifies the scope of high-tech fibers. The present status and prospects of the fiber/textile technology are discussed and the high performance fibers are reviewed from origin to future applications, including carbon fiber.The themes of the book are summarised with a discussion on health care and the environment.As the 21st century progresses fibers will enter into more novel and unexpected applications. We are approaching the age of the wearable computer and organic electroluminescence wearable displays. New potential is open in the fields of car and aerospace industry, civil engineering, separation membranes using hollow fibers for artificial organs, biodegradable fiber for ecological conservation and fibers with biological functions.New millennium fibers explores the exciting roles that fibers will play in the future and will be an essential book for all of those in the textile and fashion industry involved in fiber development or use. - Keep up to date with the advances in fiber science - Explores new and exciting developments in fiber technology - Includes applications of new millennium fibers

1

Searching the roots of fibers

Publisher Summary

Fiber is a thin and long material with a certain level of tensile strength. New functionalities are required according to development of information science and technology, health, medical care, resources saving, energy saving, petroleum alternative energy, and global environmental conservation. This chapter describes fibers and textiles in general and identifies the scope of high-tech fibers. It presents the development prospects of the fiber industry for the next generation. It highlights the importance of fiber as materials and the expansion of advanced fiber technology into diverse industrial areas. New fibers have appeared to meet the changing social needs over the past 30 years, including super fiber, advanced composite materials, optical fiber, shingosen (ultra fine fiber), various functional fibers, comfort/healthcare fiber, etc. High-tech fiber is an expressive way to indicate that advanced science and technology have been used to produce this fiber. High performance fibers, such as the super fiber, high function fiber, which functions as a sensor and actuator, and high touch fiber, which possess a new hand-feel, as exemplified by shingosen, are examples of high-tech fiber. The chapter presents a summary of the concept of new fibers and their applications are found in diverse areas. It illustrates examples of high-tech fiber.

1.1 The importance of fiber in human life

An instinctive reaction is that organic fiber is nothing like as strong as metal. However, nylon, a superfiber, appeared which was stronger than metal in terms of tensile strength per unit cross-section. Organic fibers are light, but since some organic fibers possess a high tenacity/high modulus and much-improved heat resistance, these fibers have expanded into new industrial uses. When these fibers are incorporated into a resin to produce a composite material, the resulting advanced composite material (ACM) is light, strong and deform-resilient. This material surpasses metal, to some extent, in its mechanical properties. These ACMs are applied widely in the aero and space industries to replace aluminum alloys. ACMs are also being used increasingly in the civil engineering and construction industries. For example, in Kansai International Airport, which was built on land reclaimed from the sea, the ACMs have been used as geotextiles following the Kobe earthquake. Although the term ‘fiber’ tends to have old-fashioned connotations, the fact is that these new fibers have reached new performance levels and found new functions, which match social needs. Now fiber is applied widely in so many fields, which could not have been imagined even a decade ago. This book will describe this new range of fibers.

Tech-textile denotes the textiles applied in the high technology area, including the aero/space industry (as primary and secondary structural materials), the transportation industry (as tyres), the marine industry (as ropes and fishing nets), the civil engineering and construction industry (as reinforcing materials) and the sports industry (as tennis rackets, golf shafts and ski plates). The term ‘Tech-textile’, implying integrating technology into textiles, was first introduced at the EXPO for industrial textile materials at Frankfurt, and later at the EXPO in Japan. Figure 1.1 shows the development prospects of the fiber industry for the next generation. Figures 1.2 and 1.3 demonstrate the importance of fiber as materials and the expansion of advanced fiber technology into diverse industrial areas. New fibers have appeared in order to meet the changing social needs over the past thirty years, including superfiber, advanced composite materials, optical fiber, shingosen (ultra fine fiber), various functional fibers, comfort/healthcare fiber, etc.

1.1 Development prospects of the fiber industry for the next generation.

1.2 Importance of fibers as materials.

1.3 Expansion of synthetic fiber technology in diverse industrial areas.

1.2 What is high-tech fiber?

High-tech fiber is an expressive way to indicate that advanced science and technology have been used to produce this fiber. High performance fibers, such as the superfiber, high function fiber, which functions as a sensor and actuator, and high touch fiber which possesses a new hand feel, as exemplified by shingosen, are examples of high-tech fiber. The concept of new fibers is summarized in Fig. 1.4, and their applications are found in diverse areas as shown in Fig. 1.5 and summarized in Fig. 1.6. Figure 1.7 illustrates examples of high-tech fiber.

1.4 Concept of new fibers.

1.5 Utilization of fiber in various fields.

1.6 Applications of high-tech fibers.

1.7 Applied examples of high-tech fiber (from short to middle term).

High performance fiber, which has improved physical properties compared with conventional fibers, needs to be distinguished from superfibers. In general, fibers for commodity purposes need to possess appropriate physical properties including such mechanical properties as tensile strength and Young’s modulus, heat resistance, dyeability, weather resistance, alkaline resistance and acid resistance. A superfiber, which needs to be superior to high performance fiber, must have a tensile strength larger than 20 g/denier (or 2.2 GPa) and a Young’s modulus higher than 500 g/denier (or 55 GPa). Typical examples of superfiber are listed in Table 1.1. GPa (giga Pascal) is the international unit to express the strength and modulus of a material, and 1 GPa corresponds to the load of approximately 100 kg per 1 mm², which can suspend two p...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Copyright
• Preface
• Author contact details
• Chapter 1: Searching the roots of fibers
• Chapter 2: The new frontier fibers?
• Chapter 3: Superfibers
• Chapter 4: Carbon fiber expands towards the twenty-first century
• Chapter 5: High function fiber
• Chapter 6: Frontier of health and comfort fibers
• Chapter 7: Polymer fibers for health and nutrition
• Chapter 8: Fibers in medical healthcare
• Chapter 9: Developments in nanofibers for the new millennium
• Index