Industrial Process

Info Last Updated:                                                            11 February 2007

The Carding and Spinning of Wool

Wool is made from the hair or fur of animals. The dominant source of wool in the modern world is the sheep. This article looks at the processing and production of wool from the point of view of sheep wool.

Sheep have their coats shorn to remove obtain the raw material for wool. This is usually done after winter when the short hair on the animal is less likely to cause it to suffer under the elements. The sheep's hair grows quickly and the animal will be well protected by the time winter comes around again.

The shorn wool is called a fleece. The fleece is usally washed to remove grime, eliminate insects and reduce the amount of contamination. Once clean, the components of the wool need to be separated from one another to make slivers or fibers. The process of breaking apart the wool is known as carding. The resulting material is much more uniform that the original. The carded wool is easier to work and has better properties of strength and durability.

Carding was originally achieved by hand using tools like a rough hairbrush or combs to rake through the fleece. The word comes from the Latin for thistle as an early method of carding used a type of thistle to achive the change.

Carding leads to spinning and spinning leads to weaving.
Early automation, water mills, steam-driven machines.
Contrast production methods with man-made fibers.
To be continued ..

Weaving

Weaving is the process of creating a fabric by interleaving a material or multiple materials. The material is typically thread but may be fiber, twine or larger samples such as in the case of basket weaving.

Weaving is usually done on a loom. The strands of material running lengthwise on the loom are know as the warp while the strands running across are known as the weft.

The warp is usually laid out first and the weft is interlaced between the warp threads using a variety of mechanical methods. The warp and weft relationship may be varied to produce fabric of different characteristics such as satins or twills.

(diagram here)

To be continued ..

Optical Fiber, Optical Fibre

Optical Fiber is made from (....) glass. This glass is very pure when compared to ordinary household glass. Examples of the difference of purity will be entered here. The manufacture of glass "billets" will be discussed. Various processes of diffusing materials into the glass to alter the glass properties. The drawing of fibers by gravity and other mechanisms. Creation of cables and optical fiber instruments. Contrast of requirements. Optical components, role of lasers, electrical to optical conversion versus pure optical regeneration. Solitons. Switching components. Dangers of optical fibers and lasers. Safety.

Airborne Contaminants

glassfiber, asbestos fiber, mineral fiber, airborne fiber, cancer, clean air, air filtration, cancer, medical application. Discussion of contaminant size and relationship to human hair, skin, lungs, blood vessels. Airborne contamination role in alergies and sensitivity. Fiber production in nature and industrial processes. Contaminant control as a process. Positive pressure and negative pressure systems for different control effects. Discussion of filtration, scrubbers, air locks and similar mechanisms. Air quality classification. Old ( e.g. class 100) and new ISO standards.

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