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FIBERS
ROBERT S. CASEY, W . A . Sheufler Pen Co., F t . Madison, Zowa (:.
q. GROVE, J R . ~ ,State Uniuersit? of louxz, Zowa City, Zoum
I
S A ORblALprewar years ovex hi e arid one half billioii p,ou~i& of fibers were consumed in this country, approximately 45.7 pounds per capita. Of this total, cotton accounted for almost four billion pounds, and wool and rayon for about one half billion .ache In 1946 (8, 9, IO), cotton consumption was 4,613,111,100 3ounds and wool consumption 748,382,000 pounds. Much has been written about fibers. Smith (33) states: “The ri5t of natural fibers currently available in commercia! quantities .in times of peace), which the AS.T.11. Committee D-13 ( 6 ) ?as complied and published, provides evidence of the persistence rith which man has searched for natural fibers for textile purDoses. There are fifteen animal fibers on this list, three m i ~ e r a l .ibers, and 110 vegetable fibers. Of the vegetable fibers, seben %reclassed as seed hairs, thirty-five as bast (stalk) fibers, sixty a* %Pafor leaf-stem fibers, and eight miscellaneous.” The A.S.T.M. committee (6) also reports a total of 27 manziade or synthetic fibers and filaments suitable for textile pur9oses. hfauersberger (21)states, ‘‘A textile fiber becomes valuLb!e, usable, and practical only when it possesses certain de4rahlt 3hysica1, microscopical, and chemical properties and charactci 1;its. But even a fiber that satisfies these demands is still iiot practical if it does not possess three distinctive and e w n t i a l qualipies. These are in the order of their importance.
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_. Availability of raw material and suppl> Economic price or relatiye value
2. 3.
Fineness or spinnabihty.
ilexander (I), in an article on the chemical and physical aupeiti f textile fibers, has emphasized that the textile industry stands m o n d only to the food industry in value of output. These statements emphasize the wide scope of fiber bource. And consumption and the attempts to satisfy man’> craving for alothing, industrial fabrics, household goods, etc. The bulk of :he material printed and the mass of research have been directed roward utilization of fibers as textile materials ( 5 , 6 , 1 5 , I I ,$0,%’), So concerted effort has been directed toward consideration of ibers as material8 of construction where strength and other ohysical attributes, &s well as chemical resistance, govern their Ise, rather than appearance, warmth, and dye affinity. The consideration of fiben as engineering materials of constrwcion has been mentioned in only a few references. Lewis, Squires, And Broughton (18) refer t o leather as an engineering material of zonstruction, and detail its chemical and physical properties for such use. Smith (34) concludes the Edgar Marburg lecture by gtating that he had endeavored to provide some information about textile fibers as engineering materials and also to develop a sysernatic engineering approach to their use m Btructiiral materials DEFINITION
It is rather difficult to define fibers exactly. ‘rhe dictionar? defines a fiber as ‘ a . Sylon 1.U. Inoreanic A . NaFuraI 1. Asbestos K 1Ianufactured I Mineral a. Glass b. Quartz e . Slag w w ; 2. hletallic I \ ’ . Vinyls A , Manufactured 1. Vinyl chloridr. vinyl acetate 2. Vinylidene chloride H.
1
a.
man-riiade filwri is rt!p,orteti 11s’ 3lauersberger (dd) ivhivh \v:th proposed by Krauss as a chemical classification of nianufact,ured fibers. Fibers as materials of construction are grouped in Table I, based on their cthmiical composition and on their resistance t o ileteriorating influences of comnion chemicals. This tablc lists. :ISf a r as is practicahlcl! all commercially import,ant iihcrs. CIIEMICkL AND PHY SICAI. PROPERTIES
Cl~rriiii~al engineering uses of fibers require a highly specialized conibinat ion of cheniical and physical properties. These propcrt,ies need much further elucidation and correlation. There i. ii treniendclus mass of information o n fibers, but it’ is most,ly prtxsented froin the vievipoint of t,extile processing. Iiiforrnat io:i about the chemical and physical properties of fibers, v-hich i> significant for chemical enginewing construction, is usuall;; scattered among lengthy esposit,ions on textile applications. This is particularly true of the older nat,ural fibers. , n-hethcr filter fabric:, hohc~, Tke form of the aggregatc of f i k cordage, gasket., packing, or individual fibers in filler.5 and filter aids, complicates the relations between the type of stress, elastic properties, frict,ion between fibers, creep, permanent’ set, fatigut., and the chemical deteriorating conditiom. .Ippel (4)surveys the synthetic fibers and lists numerous tables of physical properties. He says, “. . . . but more data are needed For a thorough characterization of the behavior of t,he fibers under different conditions of loading and unloading. . . . . . . The results tire disappointing because technical dat’a are meager even for the natural fibers. Excellent data are available for particular properties of p a r t i c u h fibers, but comparable data for others are larking.” Smith j..ldj gives a compreheiisive treatment of the mechanics of fibers and presents tables and diagrams showing relat,ive strength, stiffness, elasticity, resilience, and toughness of various fibers. “Mathew’ Textile Fibers” (20) gives escellcnt coveragc, (in physical and chemical properties of natural and synthetic, fibers, with m a n y rrferencw t o r,he original literature. Roolf and (‘haw (39) chart ch:miral and physical propertitAb, uses, t,rade names, and manufacturers for the common synthetic. fibers: viscose rayon, cupramnioniuin rayon, acetate ray11, nylon, Vinyon, Saran, Velon, Permalon, Aralac, Fiberglas; ant1 less detailed information for mnie nc\v or esperime~ital fiber?: modified cellulose fibers, ethylcellulosc, cellulose acotatc-1)utyrate, soybean fiber, peanut protein fiber, corn meal fiber, alginate fiber, synthetic rubber yarns, and plastic-coated yarn>. \Tright and Harris (40) give a chart listing t,he common fibrrs (except, linen), enunierating various physical aiid chemical properties for each. Rendigo ( 7 ) compiled it ta,hlc. listing mptliocls of mttnll-
Vol. 39, No. 10
.’ tra(It: t lmies, physical and chrniic~:tl p i ~ ~ p eivs, r t and typical stress-strain curves of synthetic fiberh. The arinual issue- of t,he l f o d r m Plastics Encyclopedia i givt. properties and uses of synthetic fibers and fabrics in a spwi>il wctioii; there are also sections on vulcanized fiber and reinforc8t.it,s for laminates. The anniial year books of the Anieriraii oc-iation of Textile Chemists arid Colorists ( 2 ) list, report. ol’ (~oniniitt w s 011 research and inrest igation on numerous asp iihr,ln and fabrics, as well as -L..\.T.C.C. test methods, along I t - i t i , tAxtt.usive bibliography. ‘ihliographyof currrnt lit erature. Other bibliographic referenrv are givcin (3, 25, 35). Sumcrous books on t,extile t,echnoloy\(16, 2.3, 24, BO, 51) rontain chemical and physical data on fibers. Goldth\vait, RlcLarrn, and Voorhirs (13) describe the partid ation of cotton to improve rrsistance to heat and microi i d at,tack. Gaskrt mat.erials are discussed by Dunkle an11 Fettw ( 1 2 ) and Schrader and IleHaan (29). The former discuhI he JIIB ttlrials under general headings -metals, asbestos, rubber, niiscellaneous. They give a table showing chemical resistance to about 150 chemicals. Lopata (1Oj list,s satisfactory packing for r:ommonly pumped liquids and describes desirable physical proIierTi-s. He classifies packing under general headings-asbest,cl-. *\.iiilieti(-,glass-and gives a table of chemical resistance of IIIWtcirials to about thirt,y-five chemicals. .Icc~ording t o Waldo (38), raniicx has excellent dimenaiolia i --lability, is somevihat more absorbent than cotton, is superior t l f l a , iii ~ freedom from siliccviia matter, and PO is very satisfant~~i~\ 1 ’ i~ii~~lianiral ~ packing.
u ‘ I l i c , i i ~ l bI J ~ ‘fibers as niaterials of construction are inany aiicl v;iri~vI. The following incomplete lation indicates the ini-
films in chemical iiidu and may point, thc \\.a>applications for \\-hick the peculiar nature of fibers \r-ould ivarrant consideration. Sources of supply of these item.; i i i man>-t,,vpes of fibers can be conveniently located elsewhere ( 1 1 , .36’1. Many valuable wartime developments of new fiber i i i c : :mi ~ a t n i e n t are s not, yet available for publication (26). do:iie applications of fibers are as follow: anode bags; aviat,ilIII : parachutes, shroud lines, tow lines: brake linings and clut (-11 facings; bristles, paint and industrial brushes; conveyer belt ’I : cordagt,: rope, cable, ~ T I - ~ I I C :drives: tapes; gaskets; filtci : lwlting cloths, screens; hose: indusf rial, household; insulatioi!: c~lcct,rical,thermal; medical: gauze, lint-free filters; nrt,i: packaging: bags, wrapping material; packing; reinforcing: tire cor(l and fwl)ric, molding compound fillers, impregnated laminate-: safer!. and protective apparel ; sailcloth; storage battery p h i I w p x i x l ors : trnt age, tarpaulins, portable t,anks: and wi(*kiiia. i ~ ~ i i ’ t : t i i( i f~
t o\vaivi
IIWV
LlTERATURE CITED (1, -Mesander, J., IKD.EKG.C H E u . , 31, 630 (1939). C2) Am. Assoo. Textile Chemists and Colorists, Year Book, S P ~ York, Howes P u b . Co., 1946. (.:3’ .\in. Home Economics dssoc. aiid Bur. of Home Econonii(.-. U. S.Dept. of Agr., “Selected List of References on Chemirai Testing of Textile Materials” (1937). (41 Appe!, Wm. D., Am. Dyestuf Reptr., 34, 21-6 (1945). 15) Am. Sac. Testing .lfateriaZs, Star~dards,D123-45, P t . IIt.1, 5 l . i (1946). (6) I bid., D123-46T, P t . I I I A , l l l i (1945). ( 7 ) Beiidiqo, C. W.,Teztile W o r l d , 95, No. 9, 117 (1945). (8) Bur. of Census, Bull. 183, (1946, 1946). (9) Bur. of Census, “Facts for Indust,ry,” Series M-15-2,~,.4iig. Lhc. 1946). (10) I M . . Serien M-15-H, (Dec. 1946). (11) Chemical Engineering Catalog. 31st ed., New York, Keiiillold P u b . Corp., 1946. i l 2 > I)unk!e, H . H., arid Fetter. E. (‘,, Chem. Eng., 53, No. 11, 10:’ (1946).
October 1947
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
Goldthwait, C. F., hIcLaren, James, and Voorhies, 9. T., Jr.. Tezfile W o r l d , 96, K’o. 2 , 115 (1946). I I ! Grove, C. S.,Jr., Perry, J. W.,and Casey, R. S., I m . Lsii CHEM.,39, 1261 (1947). 1.51 Hess, K. P., “Textile Fibers and Their TJse,” J. P. Liypincott Co., Philadelphia, Pa., 1936. lti! Inst. of Textile Techno]., “Textile Technology Digest,” 1946. I 7 Interscience Publishers, Inc., “Xatural and Synthetic Fiber*. Literature and Patent Service,” New York, 1946. I \ \ Len-is, SV. K., Squires, L., and Broughton, G., “Industrial Chemistry of Colloidal and -4morphous hlaterials.” p. 379, New York, The Macmillan Co., 1944. 1\11 Lopata, S. L., Chem. &. X e t . Etzg., 51 No. 12, 104 (1944). P i l . Rlauersberger, H. R. (editor), “Mathems’ Textile Fibers,“ 5th ed.. John Wiley &I Sons, Inc., Sen- York, 1947. 1:3!
I
21) Ibid., p. 14. 2)Ibid., pp. 18-20.
lieyer, K. H., “Natural and Sjiithetic High Polyiners,” y , 268. New York, Interscience Publishers, Inc., 1942. 24) Xleyer, K. H., and Mark. H., “Der Aufbau der Hochpolpmeren Organischen K’aturstoffe,” Leipzig, 1930. -‘.i JIorrison, B. V., “Textile Books and Periodica!s,” 1:. S. Dept. of Agr., 1944. ?ti’, Oesterling, J. F., Philadelphia Quartwmaster Depot. private romrnunication (1947).
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1215
(27) Plastics Catalog Corp., “Modern Plastics hcj-cloyadia,” Yew York, 1947. (28) Schmidhauser, O., Melliand Teslilbei., 17, 905 (1936). 53, X o . 11, 96 (29) Schrder. R. J., and DeHaan, A., Chem. En(/., (1946). ( 3 0 ) Sherman, J. V., and Sherman, S.L., ”New E’ibiw.” New York, D. Van Nontrand Go., Inc., 1946. 131) Simonds, H. R., and Ellis, C., “Handbook of Plastics,” p. 344, New York, D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc., 1943. (32) Smith, H. DeWitt, “Textile Fibers, An Engineering Approach
to Their Properties and Utilization” (Edgar Marburg Lecture, 1944),Philadelphia, Pa.. -1m. Soc. for Testing Materials, 1944. (33) Ibid., p . 3. (34) Ibid., p. 4 2 . (35) “Textile Bibliography,” Textile World Yeal,hook and Catalog. New York, 1941. (36) Thomas Pub. Go., “Thomas’ Register of .Iriiericari Marinfacturers,” 36th ed., Kew York. 1946. ( 3 7 ) Yon Bergen, W., and Krauss, W,, “Textile I‘ibrr at la^,'' Tostilt, Books Publishers, Inc., Sew York, 1945. (88) Waldo, W. G., Florida Ramie Prodiicts, Iric., Keu. Torb, private communication (1937). (39) Woolf, D. G., aIid (:haae, 11’. K,, Teatile W o r l d , 93, No. 9. 105 (1943). (40) \\-right, Robert, mid Harris, LIilton. “Modern Plastic5 L i i ~ ~ - c l o pedia.” C‘ltnit 8 , S e w Torb, Plastics Catalog Corp., 1947.
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GLASS
J. R. BLIZ-4RD, Corning
D
ES’ELOPMESTS in glass in the paat l i s year1 h i v e 1)c~eii concerned mainly with nelv products and new ways of ap;)lying them as materials of construction. The purpose of this : , d e l e is to describe the new n-ork that is of particular interest t o (.liemica1 engineers. The most useful glais for eiigineering purpo 774, generally knoxn as one of the Pyres glasses. Its phy.5ical !ir,operties are given in Table I, together Kith tho:.e of 1-j-cor high .i!ica glass 790. Glass 774 is n-idely used for indust,rial applicn*ions because it has a low coefficient of thermal expansion, about #tie third that of Kindow glass, and because its surface is iinusii:i!ly resistant to abrasion. Its low coefficient of espansion ine2iiC r t i i i t , for the same temperature gradients, it will be subjected ti-) :tilout one third the thermal stress that would occur in the ordi‘i:qry glasses. I n addition, its resistance to abrasion minimizw iiirface injuries and enables it to resist greater s t r e w s iyithout (;tilure, Resistance to chemical attack is exceptionally good, even i,ir glasses, and glass 774 can be used freely for practically any iiquids except hot caustic solutions, conrentrated hot phoq>horic :!#.*id,and hydrofluoric acid (15). The inost common application for gl 771 as a chemical ( , piirchased from t hr pipe ma:iuiacturcr. Elccti,ic waling eri:~l)li~~ the uwr to apply s t a n d w l conic. rid thu. provides field flmgrti pipe p r h b r i c a t e d pipe. Hard :rs;hcsios, rui)twr, or Teflon gaski+ can be used, and operating pressures aiid :e:iipcmturrs arc’ riot w i t r i c t d hecausc of t h ? joint. Prefabriwti’il r)r i ~ l i v ~ t r i r a iit.lrl-f~t,l.ic.xtcc~ ll~~ glas.3 p i p can 1 1 t ~ i i s e d : i t
