A manufactured fiber in which the fiber-forming substance is a long chain of synthetic polyamide in which at least 85% of the amide linkages are attached directly to two aromatic rings. Aramid fabrics are very strong and are resistant to high temperatures and extreme external forces. Aramid fabrics are used in thermally protective clothing; (i.e. coveralls, jackets, gloves, shirts, pants). U.S. FTC Definition: A manufactured fiber in which the fiber-forming substance is a long-chain synthetic polyamide in that is at least 85% of the amide linkages are attached directly to two aromatic rings.

A variation of the plain weave, where groups of adjacent warps are each woven as one and picks are inserted in groups of two or more in each shed. The formation resembles a plaited basket.

A material derived from the cell walls of certain plants. Cellulose is used in the production of many vegetable fibers, as well as being the major raw material component used in the production of the manufactured fibers of acetate, rayon, and triacetate.

Consist of a filament base yarn, with an exterior wrapping of loose fiber which has not been twisted into a yarn. Polyester filament is often wrapped with a cotton outer layer in order to provide the strength and resiliency of polyester, along with the moisture-absorbent aesthetics and dye affinity of cotton. Sewing thread as well as household and apparel fabrics are made from these yarns.

A weight-per-unit-length measure of any linear material. Officially, it is the number of unit weights of 0.05 grams per 450-meter length. This is numerically equal to weight in gramsof 9,000 meters of the material. Denier is a direct numbering system in which the lower numbers represent the finer sizes and the higher numbers the coarser sizes. In the U.S., the denier system is used for numbering filament yarns (except glass), man-made fiber staple ( but not spun yarns), and tow. In most countries outside the U.S., the denier system has been replaced by the tex system. The following denier terms are in use: Denier per Filament (dpf): The denier of an individual continuous filament or an individual staple fiber if it were continuous. In filament yarns, it is the yarn denier divided by the number of filaments. Yarn Denier: The denier of a filament yarn. It is the product of the denier per filament and the number of filaments in the yarn. Total Denier: The denier of a tow before it is crimped. It is the product of the denier per filament and the number of filaments in the tow. The total denier after crimping ( called crimped total denier) is higher because of the resultant increase in weight per unit length.

The degree that a fiber, yarn, or cord will return to its original size and shape after deformation from stress.

A non-woven fabric made from wool, hair, or fur, and sometimes in combination with certain manufactured fibers, where the fibers are locked together in a process utilizing heat, moisture, and pressure to form a compact material.

A yarn composed of continuous filaments assembled with or without twist. ( Also see YARN)

A chemical applied to a fabric, or incorporated into the fiber at the time of production, which significantly reduces a fabric's flammability.

There are several different types of glass fibre - the one we usually use is called E-Glass - a description going to back to the early days when glass was used primarily for E-electrical insulation. This is not the strongest glass available, that is given by a S-Glass not so common here but you may see it advertised for sale in the States. A-Glass is a third type of glass, the lowest strength/quality often used in chopped strand matt for simple filling. Since the fibres are not woven and therefore have no coherent direction, chopped strand adds only a little strength to resin matrixes. Even so it is still a useful material for filling although a little heavy. In fact, glass is the heaviest of reinforcement materials with a density (S.G. if you prefer) of ~2.5g/cm³.

In an attempt to harness the stiffness and compressive strength of carbon fibre with the impact resistance and tensile strength of aramid fibre, hybrid fabrics are also available. These come in many forms - the carbon/aramid twills have rather nice yellow and black patterns to them too.

With respect to a fabric, a material that protects from the loss of warmth or the penetration of cold.

Fabrics made from only one set of yarns, all running in the same direction. Some knits have their yarns running along the length of the fabric, while others have their yarns running across the width of the fabric. Knit fabrics are held together by looping the yarns around each other. Knitting creates ridges in the resulting fabric. Wales are the ridges that run lengthwise in the fabric; courses run crosswise.

The temperature at which the solid and liquid states of a substance are in equilibrium; generally, the temperature at which a substance changes from a solid to a liquid.

A unit of measure that describes the average staple fiber diameter in a lot of wool. Over he past 30 years, the Micron measurement has evolved to become the predominant term used commercially to describe the fineness of a wool fiber. A Micron is determined by the actual measurement when the wool lots are tested for sale during wool processing. Most wool fibers range in the area of 18-40 micron. Merino wool falls into the 18-24 micron range. The 25-32 micron, medium range wool, is usually defined by the word "Shetland", and is used in such applications as blankets and knitwear apparel. The 33-40 range Micron usually describes the wool most often used in the carpet industry.