SPANDEX FIBRE

&
ITS APPLICATION
IN
TEXTILE

SUBMITTED BY:
POONAM YADAV
07TT031
 INTRODUCTION:-
Spandex is the first manufactured elastic fibre, and was introduced
by DuPont under the trade name "Lycra" in 1959.
Spandex is a generic name for a polyurethane fibre in which the
fibre-forming substance is a long chain of synthetic polymer
comprised of at least 85 percent of a segmented polyurethane.
 The most significant characteristic of spandex is its stretch ability.
They are compatible with other materials, and can be spun
with other types of fibres to produce unique fabrics, which have
characteristics of both fibres.
"Spandex" is the preferred name in North America, elsewhere
it is referred to as "elastane".
The most famous brand name associated with spandex is
Lycra
 HISTORY:
The development of spandex was started during World War II.
At this time, chemists took the challenge of developing synthetic
replacements for rubber.
Two primary motivating factors prompted their research:-
First, the war effort required most of the available rubber for building
equipment.
Second, the price of rubber was unstable and it fluctuated frequently.
During research first development - durable elastic strand based on
synthetic polymers (polyurethane).
At the same time, scientists at Du Pont produced the first nylon polymers.
Both are alternative to rubber but not so.
The first spandex fibres were produced on an experimental level by one of
the early pioneers in polymer chemistry, Bayer.
Du Pont used the brand name Lycra and began full scale manufacture in
1962. They are currently the world leader in the production of spandex fibres.
 STRUCTURE OF THE FIBRE
Spandex is produced as a filament or fused multifilament yarns in a variety of deniers.
Spandex fibres have a dog bone shaped cross section.
The deniers of a spandex fibre ranges from 20 to 5400 and are determined by what the
product use will be. 20 denier spandex, for example, is used in lightweight support
hosiery, in which a large amount of stretch is necessary for the products use and
durability.
Coarser yarns, with a denier of 1500 to 2240 denier, have less stretch capacity and can
be used for support hosiery tops, swimwear, and foundation garments.

Cross-section of
spandex fibre Hollow spandex staple
Spandex Fabric
fibre
 MOST COMMERCIALIZED
TRADE NAME FOR SPANDEX:
Trademark Company

•Lycra E.I.du pont de nemours & Co.

• Vyrene U.S Rubber Co.

• Numa American Cyanamid Co.

• Glospan Globe Manufacturig Co.

 RAW MATERIALS
A variety of raw materials are used to produce
stretchable spandex fibres. This includes prepolymers
which produce the backbone of the fibres, stabilizers
which protect the integrity of the polymer, and
colorants.
 CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND
MOLECULAR
ARRANGEMENT
 Spandex is a long-chain synthetic polymeric fiber.
 Two kinds of prepolymers are reacted to produce
the spandex fibre polymer back-bone- the flexible
macroglycols and the rigid Diisocyanate.
 Macro-glycol can be anything from among
polyester, polyether, polycarbonate, polycaprolactum
or some combination of these.
These are long and flexible chain polymers having
hydroxyl groups (-OH) on both ends, responsible for
the stretching characteristic of spandex.
The polymeric diisocyanate is a shorter and rigid
chain polymer, having an isocyanate (-NCO) group
on both ends. This molecule provides strength to the
spandex fibres.
 Catalyst such as diazobicycloctane is used to
initiate reaction between the two types of
prepolymers.
 Other low molecular weight amines are used to
control the molecular weight of the fibres.
MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES:
Spandex fibres are produced in four different ways:
1. Dry spinning
2. Reaction spinning
3. Wet spinning
4. Melt spinning

The most commonly used method is the solution dry

spinning that produces over 90% of the world's spandex
fibres.
 DRY SPINNING:
Step 1
The first step is to produce the pre-polymer. This is done by mixing
a macroglycol with a diisocyanate monomer. The two compounds
are mixed together in a reaction vessel to produce a prepolymer. A
typical ratio of glycol to diisocyanate is 1:2.

Step 2
The prepolymer is further reacted with an equal amount of
ethylene diamine. This reaction is known as chain extension
reaction. The resulting solution is diluted with a solvent to produce
the spinning solution. The solvent helps make the solution thinner
and more easily handled, and then it can be pumped into the fibre
production cell.
Dry spinning process
Step 3
The spinning solution is pumped into a cylindrical spinning cell
where it is cured and converted into fibres. In this cell, the polymer
solution is forced through a metal plate called a spinneret. This
causes the solution to be aligned in strands of liquid polymer. As
the strands pass through the cell, they are heated in the presence of
a nitrogen and solvent gas. This process causes the liquid polymer
to react chemically and form solid strands.

Step 4
As the fibres exit the cell, an amount of solid strands are bundled
together to produce the desired thickness. Each fibre of spandex is
made up of many smaller individual fibres that adhere to one
another due to the natural stickiness of their surface.
Step 5
The resulting fibres are then treated with a finishing agent which
can be magnesium stearate or another polymer. This treatment
prevents the fibres' sticking together and aids in textile
manufacture. The fibres are then transferred through a series of
rollers onto a spool.

Step 6
When the spools are filled with fibre, they are put into final
packaging and shipped to textile manufacturers.

Wind up speeds ranges from 200-600m/min.

Denier of individual filament ranges from 15-20
REACTION SPINNING:
This is the most improtant spandex spinning process,after dry
spinning.
In reaction spinning, In the reaction spun process, a polyester
or polyether is reacted with an excess of di-isocynate to form the
urethane prepolymer, which is pumped through spinneretes at a
constant rate into a bath of dilute solution of ethylenediamine in
toluene. The ethylene diamines reacts with isocynate end groups
on the resin to form long-chain cross-linked polyurethane
elastomeric fibre.
The final cross-linking reaction takes place after the fibre has
been spun.
 The fibre is transported from the bath to an oven, where
solvent is evaporated. After drying, the fibre is lubricated and is
wound on tubes for shipment.
 Yarn speed upto 100m/min.
 Individual filament Denier ranges from 13-105.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES:-
1. Cross section- spandex filaments are extruded usually from
circular orifices, but the evaporation of solvent or the
effects of drying may produce non-circular cross-sectional
shapes. This may take various forms. In the multi-filament
yarns, individual filaments are often fused together in
places. The number of filaments in a yarn may be as few as
12 or as many as 50;the linear density of filaments ranges
from 0.1 to 3 tex (g/km).

2. Density: The density of spandex filaments ranges from 1.15

to 1.32 g/cc, the fibres lower density being based on polyesters.
3. Moisture regain: The moisture of fibres from which the
surface finish has been removed lies between 0.8 & 1.2%.
4.Length:It can be of any length. May be used as filament
or staple fibre
5.Colour: It has white or nearly white colour
6. Lustre: It has usually dull lustre.
7.Strength: Low strength compared to most other synthetic
fibre.
8.Elasticity: Elastic properties are excellent. This is the
outstanding characteristic of the fibre.
9.Heat: The heat resistance varies considerably amongst
the different degrades over 300 F.
10.Flammability:It Burn slowly.
11.Electrical conductivity: It has Low electrical
conductivity.
12. Breaking tenacity: 0.6 to 0.9grams/denier.
13.Toughness:The toughness of spandex fibres is
unusually high. This is why this fibre exhibits such
excellent abrasion resistance. nylon has exceptional
toughness, and it is therefore interesting to compare a
typical spandex fibre to a nylon fibre for this property.
Nylon Spandex
Tenacity , g/den 8.20 0.98
Elongation at break,% 25 500
Toughness index 1.20 2.55
 CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
1.Acid: Good resistance to most of acids unless exposure
is over 24 hours.
2.Alkalies: Good resistance to most of the alkalies, but
some types of alkalies may damage the fibre.
3.Organic solvents: offer resistance to dry cleaning
solvents.
4.Bleaches: can be degraded by sodium hypo chloride.
chlorine bleach should not be used.
5.Dyeing: A full range of colours is available. Some types
are more difficult to dye than others.
 STRETCH FABRIC PROCESS
Spandex is inserted in to fabrics in several forms:-
Bare form:-
Bare spandex is the common form for knit fabrics.
Knit fabrics comprise the major outlet for spandex,
although stretch wovens are in growing demand.
Because of its very soft stretch
Covering form:-
1. Single covering-
In single covering an inelastic filament or staple
yarn is spirally wrapped around the spandex This
property is valuable in operations such as weaving,
where yarn rigidity is important to loom action.
.
 (a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

Forms of elastomeric yarns: (a)Bare, (b)Doble covered, (c) Core-

plied, (d) Core spun
2.Double covering-
In which second inelastic yarn on top of the first in the opposite
direction . Double covering is used today only where added
expenses is justified by the advantages in durability and power.

Core spun yarns

•Core spun yarns are made by simple adaptation of the
common spinning process in which a roving of parallelized
staple fibres is drafted and twisted on a spinning frame.
Spandex at controlled high extension is introduced into the
draft zone to become a continuous filament core at the center
of the spun yarn.
• In core-spun stretch yarn, the spandex core is almost hidden
by the spun fib sheath. This yarn is wound, knit, and woven at
full extension like a hard yarn, since the inelastic sheath
supports the load.
 STRETCH GARMENT
REQUIREMENT
The most important property requirement for stretch
garment is :-
• Body comfort and fit
• Freedom of movement
• Breath ability
• Durability and
• Fabric elastic recovery is as important as stretching.

The degree and direction of elasticity determines the end use of

stretch garments.
There are two methods by which stretch fabric can be
manufactured. They are:
1. Spandex Core Cotton Spun Yarn Converted Fabric
2.Spandex Back Plaited Cotton Knitted Fabric
END USES/APPLICATION
AREA
Ap parel and clot hin gar ticl es wher e str etch is de sired , ge ner ally for co mfor t an d fit , su ch as:

 athletic, aerobic, and

exercise apparel
 orthopaedic brace
 wetsuits
 swimsuits/bathing suits
 competitive swimwear
 netball bodysuits
 ski pants
 disco jeans
 gloves
 slacks
 hosiery
 leggings
 socks
 diapers
 skinny jean
 belts
 dance belts worn by male ballet dancers and others
Compression garments such as:
 surgical hose
 support hose
 cycling shorts
 women's volleyball shorts
 wrestling singlet
 foundation garments
 motion capture suits
Shaped garments
Home furnishings, such as microbead pillows
For clothing, spandex is usually mixed with
cotton or polyester, and accounts for a small
percentage of the final fabric, which therefore
retains most of the look and feel of the other fibres.
In North America it is rare in men's clothing,
but prevalent in women's.
Cyclist wearing spandex suit
 USE OF SPANDEX IN
NONWOVEN
Spandex is also being increasingly employed in nonwovens
especially
For the hygienic disposable and medical sectors such as:-
Medical support on the walker
brace side with spandex belt medical knee
fixer. support
1.walker brace could protect
foot, shank and ankle.
Material: spandex fabric and
foam
Elastic crepe
Nonwoven disposable bandage with
medical spandex face spandex
masks with earloops .High absorbency,
. High elasticity.
 BENEFITS OF SPANDEX
IN NON WOVEN
Wound dressing that are soft and have comfortable stretch.
Knit- like stretchable gown sleeves and cuffs for use in protective and
clean room apparel.
Hygiene side panels for diapers and adult incontinence garments
that are less irritating and fit better.
Elastic bandages and low power wound care sleeves that may be less
irritating than conventional material.
Elastic protective covers that fit better, reducing the number of size
needed.
Elastic interlinings that are resistant to deformation.
Elastic composites that are versatile and stretchable.
PERFORMANCE OF WOVEN FABRICS
CONTAINING SPANDEX
Spandex has become one of the most popular blending
fabrics. Blending spandex with other fabrics creates:-
• Excellent resiliency
• Dimensional stability
• Elastic recovery
• A better resistance to perspiration and body oils
It enhances the features of every fabric it’s blended with
to create a stronger, more versatile piece of clothing.
 Blended spandex fabrics feel better, fit better, and
make us all look better.
• Many of the fabrics use a 3% to 30% spandex content,
depending on the type of the garment
That why spandex has become so widely used in the
"Workout Wear“ and "Swim Wear" industries.
 ADVANTAGES
Light weight
Can be stretched over 500% without breaking
Able to be stretched repetitively and still recover original
length.
Abrasion resistant and resilient
Stronger, more durable and higher refractive force than
rubber
Soft, smooth and supple
Resistant to body oils, perspiration, lotions or detergents
No static or pilling problems.
 Can be easily dyed
Disadvantage:-
  Spandex melts at 480F.
THE ADVENT OF TECHNOLOGY
• DuPont has developed a seamless Lycra®.
•This makes for a smoother silhouette, and gives a
curvier shape a more fluid line.
•Seamless spandex not only supports a fuller figure,
it also provides the illusion of a more toned frame.
•The use of this seamless Lycra® has become one of
the most popular additions to the plus-sized in the
fashion industry
SPANDEX FIBER
CARE TIPS
 Washing can be done by Hand or machine in lukewarm water.
Should not use chlorine bleach on any fabric containing spandex.
It can be washed or dry cleaned. As chlorine bleach causes yellowing of the
fiber, use oxygen or sodium Perborate type bleach.
 Prolonged exposure to air should be prohbited because White spandex turns
yellow.
Rinse thoroughly.
Drip dry. If machine dried, use low temperature.
Ironing, if required, should be done rapidly, not leave the iron too long in one
position. Use low temperature setting
CONCLUSION
 For fulfillment of the modern era requirements . A fibre having a thread of
fineness down to 50-100micro meter diameter, extensibility at least 500%, easy
for wear comfort, rapid , forcefully & nearly complete recovery, tensile strength
high enough to permit machine operations, heat resistance up to about
200degree C for short period, levels of whiteness, dye ability & physical
property retention adequate for apparel use & maintenance that is spandex. Now
for further development scientists are working on the stretch ability of the
spandex.
REFERENCES:-
The Indian Textile Journal, January 2011.32-36
Man-made Textile in India, Feb 1999,60-66
Melliand International 3/2010,108-110
 www.fiberjournal. Com, August 2007,22-23
Asian Textile Journal, September 2009
Textile Research Journal, January 2009 ,11-14
The Indian Textile Journal, March 2010, 22-27
Journal Of Textile Association- Sept-Oct, 2006, 103-106
The Indian Textile Journal, January 2011.32-36
Asian Textile Journal, Apr/May 2009,36-40
Internet.
Hand book of Fibre Science and Technology : Volume 111
Edited by:- Menachem Lewin & Jack Preston.