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Fiber and carpet terms |
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Hand—a term used to describe how a fabric or carpet feels to the touch. A soft hand means that the material is soft to the touch and would probably feel very good when worn or if you lay on the carpet. A hard hand, by contrast, would be uncomfortable to wear or to lie on. As a example, cotton typically has a soft hand and burlap has a hard hand. Man-made fibers—fibers that do not occur naturally. Man-made fibers made from cellulose are generally made from wood fiber rather than vegetable fiber. The wood fiber polymers that make up the fiber are processed in ways that create a usable fiber where none was originally available. Rayon is a cellulosic fiber made from wood pulp. Other man-made fibers also begin with natural ingredients, such as natural gas of petroleum, which are modified via chemical reactions to produce polymers. These are called synthetic fibers, and account for the vast majority of carpet yarns—nylon, polyester, and olefin are synthetic fibers. Monomer—a small molecule that can become bonded to other monomers to form a polymer. See monomer. Nylon—a synthetic polymer originally marketed as a replacement for silk. First used for hosiery, the high tensile strength and durability of nylon make nylon fiber well fit for carpet, tire cord, parachutes, automotive airbags, windbreakers, and backpacks. The downside of nylon used for carpet is that nylon accepts acid dyes, and food colorings are typically acid dyes. Stain resist treatments have effectively overcome this limitation. Nylon is also used in a variety of others uses, such as toothbrushes, combs, and cast parts for machinery. Olefin—a synthetic carpet fiber that is very difficult to dye, and therefore difficult to stain when used in carpet. While Olefin wears well, it has low resiliency, meaning that an indentation made by furniture is effectively permanent. Olefin is also referred to as polypropylene, polyethylene or polyolefin. Pile—the visible walking surface of carpet See carpet pile and carpet information. Polyester—a set of polymers that can occur naturally or synthetically. In general, when we refer to “polyester”, we mean the synthetic polymer PET (polyethylene terephthalate). PET is used in clothing, soft drink bottles, carpet, sheets, curtains, and many other applications. A fluffy mass of polyester yarn is used a fiberfill in pillows and as insulation. Polymer—a string of molecules (monomers) that forms a chain. Perhaps the most familiar monomer is a protein, which is made of monomers called amino acids. Other common polymers are nylon and polyester. Producer Dyed—synthetic fiber that has color imbedded in the fiber as an integral part of the yarn manufacturing process rather than applied as a dye subsequent to yarn manufacture. This eliminates a carpet manufacturing step and allows fibers that are difficult to dye (e.g., olefin) to be used with a variety of colors.
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Phone: 877-209-6117 (toll free in the US) 704-821-1233 704-261-1233 E-mail: CustomerService@ricinc.net |
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Residential & Industrial Cleaning Co. |
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Carpet Cleaning Specialists Since 1988 |