Olympiad Test: Fibre To Fabric

Cotton, silk and jute are natural fibres obtained from plant and animals. Nylon is a synthetic fibre manufactured by human beings.

Chemical constituent of cotton is cellulose. Cellulose forms the cell wall of plant cell.

In Africa, the commonly occurring silkworm species is the Bombyx mori. This species belongs to the Class; Insecta, Order: Lepidoptera, family: Bombycidae, genus: Bombyx. The Latin species name Bombyx mori means silkworm of the mulberry tree. A name that characteristically defines this worm species as it feeds mainly on the mulberry tree leaves during one of its critical lifecycles. This particular species is the best producing silkworm and due to centuries of domestication, this species is no longer found in the wild and has even lost its natural instinct to fend for itself in the wild.

Nylon, polyester and rayon are synthetic fibre manufactured by human beings. Hemp is used as fibre, oil and seed.

Weavers weave the silk thread into silk cloth. Silk cloth is used to make garments.

Carding machine is used to comb loose wool in sheet to make the wool soft and attractive.

Wool and silk are natural fibres obtained from plants and animals.

The best quality of wool is obtained from Merino sheep. Wool obtained from Merino sheep is soft and warm.

Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons.

Thick coat of hair on sheep’s body is called

The most common silk moth is mulberry silk moth and its silk fibres are soft, lustrous, and elastic and can be dyed in beautiful colors.

Wool can be obtained from sheep, goat and camel. Hair of dog is never used to obtain wool.

Silk fabric was invented in Ancient China and played an important role in their culture and economy for thousands of years. Legend has it that the process for making silk cloth was first invented by the wife of the Yellow Emperor, Leizu, around the year 2696 BC.

The silk moth that contains silk is called cocoon. Silk threads are wrapped on the body of silk larva to form cocoon.

Silk and wool are chemically made up of protein molecules.

The process of rearing silk worms to obtain silk is called sericulture.

Shearing is removing of upper skin along with hair to obtain wool. Shearing does not hurt the sheep because upper most skin of sheep is dead

The process of obtaining silk fibre from cocoon is called reeling. It involve unwinding of filaments from cocoon and collecting over a fast moving reel.

Cocoon is boiled to kill the pupa inside the cocoon and obtaining the silk thread of silk.

Silk yarn is as strong as steel. Silk yarn is made up of protein molecules twisted in particular manner to give high tensile strength.