Tamil Nadu HSE Second Year Textile Technology key terms

The smallest hair-like unit from which yarns and fabrics are made; it is long in relation to its width, flexible, and fine enough to be twisted into a usable textile strand.

A natural or man-made fibre of short, measurable length, usually a few centimetres, which must be twisted together with many similar fibres to form a yarn.

A fibre of indefinite or very long length, produced naturally by silkworms or extruded through spinnerets; filaments may be used as a single strand or cut into staple.

The process of separating cotton fibres (lint) from the seed after picking, done by saw gin or roller gin, producing bales of spinnable fibre for the mill.

The first spinning stage, where compressed bales are opened into small tufts, cleaned of trash and dust by beaters and air currents, and blended into a uniform lap or chute feed.

A thick, flat, continuous sheet of fibres wound into a roll, produced by blow room or carding machines and fed to the next process in the spinning sequence.

The opening and cleaning stage in which fibres are separated individually, trash is removed, and a loose rope called sliver is formed, giving the fibre mass its first real alignment.

A loose, untwisted rope of parallel fibres of fairly uniform weight per unit length, delivered by carding, drawing and combing machines and later reduced to yarn.

A spinning preparatory process in which several slivers are combined and drafted between rollers to straighten fibres and improve evenness of the resulting single sliver.

A process that removes short fibres and remaining impurities from cotton or wool sliver, producing a smoother, stronger, more lustrous yarn used for fine counts.

The final preparatory stage before spinning, where drawn sliver is attenuated and lightly twisted into a thin, weak strand wound on a bobbin for the ring frame.

The ratio of the length of fibre fed into a drafting zone to the length delivered, expressing how much a strand has been thinned and lengthened during drawing, roving or spinning.

The most widely used yarn spinning method, in which a traveller on a ring inserts twist into a drafted strand while the yarn is wound onto a bobbin.

The spiral turns given to a strand per unit length, which bind the fibres together and give the yarn strength; direction is described as S or Z.

A number expressing yarn fineness, either as mass per unit length (tex, denier) or as length per unit mass (English cotton count, metric count), depending on the system used.

The set of parallel, lengthwise yarns held under tension on the loom; they must be strong and are sized before weaving to resist abrasion.

The crosswise yarn inserted through the shed during weaving, usually softer and less twisted than warp yarn, forming the width of the fabric.

The coating of warp yarns with a starch or synthetic film to increase strength and abrasion resistance so they survive the friction and tension of weaving.

The triangular opening formed between raised and lowered warp yarns through which the weft is passed during weaving; shedding is one of the primary loom motions.

The interlacing of two sets of yarns at right angles to each other on a loom, using shedding, picking and beating up to build a woven fabric.

A fabric-forming method in which yarn is bent into interlocking loops; weft knitting builds rows of loops and warp knitting uses a set of parallel yarns.

A fabric made directly from fibres or filaments bonded by heat, chemical adhesive or mechanical entanglement, without first spinning them into yarn or weaving.

A preparatory finishing step that burns off protruding surface fibres by passing fabric over a gas flame or heated plate, giving a smooth, clean surface before dyeing.

The removal of size applied to warp yarns, usually by enzymes, acid or hot water, so that later chemical processes such as scouring, bleaching and dyeing work evenly.

The washing of textile material with alkali and detergent to remove natural oils, waxes, fats and dirt, making the fabric absorbent and ready for bleaching and dyeing.

A chemical treatment, commonly with hydrogen peroxide, that destroys natural colouring matter to give a white, uniform base suitable for dyeing or printing.

Treatment of cotton with strong caustic soda under tension, which swells the fibre, increases lustre and strength, and improves dye uptake and dimensional stability.

The application of colour to textile material so that the dye penetrates and bonds with the fibre, producing a reasonably fast shade rather than a surface coating.

Localised application of colour to selected areas of a fabric using thick dye paste and screens, rollers or inkjet, producing a pattern rather than an all-over shade.

The resistance of a dyed or printed material to fading or bleeding when exposed to washing, rubbing, light, perspiration or other agents in normal use.

The determination of fibre type by burning tests, solubility in chemicals, microscopic appearance or staining, used to check raw material and finished goods.

Measurement of yarn linear density by weighing a known length, or measuring the length of a known mass, and calculating the count in the system specified.

A measure of how closely warp and weft yarns are set in a woven fabric, relating thread spacing and yarn count to indicate tightness, air permeability and stiffness.

The craft of drafting paper templates for garment parts from body measurements, including seam allowance and darts, which guide cutting and sewing.

A long paper plan showing pattern pieces arranged as closely as possible on the fabric width to minimise waste during cutting of a garment lay.

The garment production stage in which fabric is spread in layers and pattern shapes are cut out by shears, straight knife or computer-controlled cutter.

The calculation of all costs of making a textile product, including raw material, wages, power, overheads and wastage, to fix a selling price and control profit.

The physical, chemical and biological processing of dye-house and finishing waste water so that it can be safely discharged or reused, meeting pollution control limits.

The activity of identifying a textile market opportunity, arranging finance, machinery and labour, and bearing the risk of running a new or expanded business venture.