Thermomechnical properties of textile fiber

Thermomechnical properties of textile material are thermal conductivity, specific heat and its variation with temperature, the coefficient of thermal expansion ,the melting point, and latent heat of melting. Thermal conductivity of material depends to much greater extent on the air entrapped within it.

Thermal conductivity
Directly thermal conductivity cannot be measured, we find it by comparing the conductivity of different material having same density. The cellulosic fibers have greater value of conductivity then protein fibers.

Thermal expansion and contraction

With positive expansion during stretching the entropy increases, greater degree of disorder. With negative expansion entropy decreases during stretching; the material becomes more ordered. By increasing temperature the molecules vibrate more strongly and cause the increase of volume of material.

Structural change in fibers on heating

Irreversible shrinkage
Reversible changes of dimension with temperature occur in all materials, but some material shows irreversible contraction on heating. Nylon shows irreversible shrinkage at 70C or more. The main mechanisms of irreversible shrinkage are mostly non crystalline materials show mechanical hysteresis by heating under tension will revert less oriented state. Crystalline regions reduce their length when the chain molecules fold in order to crystallize better. By applying the heat small crystallites can melt showing chains shrinking axially to a random coil.

Structure change

Due to change in structure of molecule on heating, it is difficult to dye the fabric. Strength of fiber also decreases by heat.

Thermal transition
Melting of crystals and boiling of liquids are first-order transitions. The structure changes from the regular packing in crystals to the mobile disorder in a liquid a Then to the dispersion into the available volume for a vapor. The transformation of mechanical state, they are characterized by latent heats and changes of volume. A thermodynamic second-order transition involves no change of molecule
the change in amorphous polymers from the glassy to the rubbery state has many of the characteristics of a second-order transition, but is not as sharp and is time dependent. The transition would not be obvious to anyone merely watching a polymer such as polystyrene being heated (in contrast to the clear indication of the melting of wax). It would be apparent if the material were allowed to deform,

Setting
The ability to set fibers, namely to stabilize their state either in an existing form or after deformation, has major effects in processing and use. Setting can be characterized as either temporary or permanent. Any thermal transition that causes a peak in the loss modulus must give rise to a setting effect. Traditionally, this was carried out on natural fibers by ironing, which combines pressure, heat and, most importantly, drying. The advent of synthetic fibers, which could be heat-set, setting, can also be characterized by how it is achieved. This may be by chemical action. In cotton, rayon and other cellulosic fibers, chemical crosslinks between the molecules are introduced by treatment with resins.