Synthetic Fibres

Human made or Synthetic Fibres

Fibers that are made by man from chemical substances are called synthetic fibre. Example: Rayon, Nylon etc. The synthetic fibres are mostly obtained from petroleum. The fabric made up of synthetic fibres is called synthetic fabric.

Types of Synthetic Fibres : Depending upon the type of chemicals used for manufacturing synthetic fibres, there are four major types of synthetic fibres (or man - made fibres). These are :

(i) Rayon. (ii) Nylon (iii) Polyester, and (iv) Acrylic.

NOTE : Rayan is a man-made fibre made from a natural material called cellulose (obtained from wood pulp) Nylon, polyester and acrylic are fully synthetic fibres which do not require a natural material (like cellulose) for their manufacture. These fully synthetic fibres are prepared by a number of processes by using raw materials (or chemical compounds) of petroleum origin, called petrochemicals.

Advantages of synthetic fibres:-

They are more durable and easy to maintain.

They do not absorb much water, dry up fast and are wrinkle free.

They are not affected by moths and moulds.

These fibres have high lustre and they do not turn yellow with age.

They do not shrink on washing.

They need very little or no ironing.

They last longer as compared to natural fibres.

They are less expensive as compared to natural fibres.

Most synthetic fibres can handle heavy loads without breaking.

Disadvantages of synthetic fibre:-

They do not allow air to pass through it, hence are not good for summers.

They do not absorb sweat. Therefore, clothes made from synthetic fibres are very uncomfortable in summer or rainy season.

They easily melt and burn to form small sticky beads at a very high temperature. Therefore, there is always a risk of getting burns, especially in kitchen.

They are non – biodegradable and thus harmful for environment.

They get electrically charged in dry weather. This electric charge causes skin problems in some persons..

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Sample Questions

(More Questions for each concept available in Login)

Question : 1

A synthetic fibre obtained from renewable resources is ______________
A. Nylon	B. Polyester	C. Rayon	D. Acrylic
Right Option : C
View Explanation

Question : 2

Long chain of molecules containing thousands of smaller molecules called monomers is called __________________
A. Polymer	B. Plastic	C. Synthetic	D. None of these
Right Option : A
View Explanation