Elastane
Fibre structure & physical properties
Fibre composition:
polyurethane
Diameter: Can be made to any diameter
Very fine: < 10 μm,
Fine: < 20 μm,
Medium: 20-50 μm,
Course: > 50 μm
Length: Filament
Staple length: continuous filament
short < 26 mm,
medium 26-29 mm,
long: 30-38 mm,
extra long: 39 mm and over
Natural fibre colour: White or nearly white colour
Microscopic Images (Cross sectional and SEM):
Soft, smooth, dog bone cross section shape
Comment:
A copolymer with soft and hard segment. Rubber-like elasticity is given by combining a soft segment which gives polymer elongation and a hard segment which gives polymer strength.
Fibre properties (Mechanical, Chemical and Thermal)
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (cN/dtex) :
Chemical Properties
Hydrophobicity: Hydrophobic
Moisture regain (%): 0%
Thermal Properties
Flammability: Melt, fuse and burn without shrinking away from the flame. They leave a soft fluffy, black ash and give off an acrid odour.
Sustainability considerations
End uses
Apparel: form fitting textiles, e.g leggings, swimwear, sportswear because of its high elasticity (stretching up to five times its length)
Videos
Materials using this fibre
Additional resources
Taylor MA, 2004. Technology of Textile Properties. Third edition. Forbes Publications, London, UK.
Zhong Z and Xiao C, 2008. Fabric composition and testing. In: Fabric Testing. Ed: Hu, J. Woodhead Publishing Limited, Cambridge, UK.
ISO/TR 11827:2012 Textiles — Composition testing — Identification of fibres.
Houck, Max M. Identification of Textile Fibers. Cambridge : Boca Raton: Woodhead Pub. in Association with The Textile Institute ; CRC, 2009. Print.
