ABSTRACT
The word “textiles” comes from the Latin textilis, meaning “woven”; but in textile science, textile is dened as any product made from bers. Thus textiles refers not only to woven fabrics but also to nonwoven fabrics, knitted fabrics, tufted fabrics such as carpets and bedspreads, and specially constructed fabrics [1]. Figure 38.1 depicts the major segments and linkages of the textile industry, from bers to products. The textile mill portion of the textile complex includes many chemical wet processes such as slashing, dyeing, printing, latex bonding, and nishing. In many of these processes, drying is required to remove the excess moisture in the porous materials to produce the desired product. For example, the typical steps used to produce latex-backed tufted carpet are shown schematically in Figure 38.2.
