ABSTRACT
Textile fibers are solids with distinct shapes. The primary task in fiber manufacture is to transform solid materials into a fiber configuration. This chapter shows the important events in the history of man-made fibers. Fiber manufacturing processes consist of liquefying a solid polymer, transforming it into the shape of a fiber, and then resolidifying the liquid. High strength polyethylene fibers are created through the extrusion of an ultra high molecular weight melt or gel state. There are so many different filament yarn constructions required by textile mills that it is quite impossible for the man-made fiber manufacturer to have all of them available, or make them on order. Instead the fiber producer sells several popular sizes, packaged usually on a standard spool. There are several methods of texturing yarns including air-jet, edge-crimping, false-twist, and gear crimping, knit-de-knit and stuffer box methods. The chapter reviews the objectives and working principles of the main operations involved in staple yarn manufacturing.
