STUDY THE EFFECT OF ACIDS AND

BASES ON THE TENSILE STRENGTH

OF A FIBRE.
A Project Report
Submitted by

RISHABH DESAI
CBSE GRADE XII - A
IN
Chemistry
AT
NAVRACHNA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL VADODARA
ROLL NO:-09
2017-18
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INDEX

S.NO NAME REMARK Pg No.

1. BONAFIDE CARTIFICATE.

2. ACKNOWLEDGMENT.

3. INTRODUCTION.

4. THEORY

5. AIM

6. APPARATUS REQUIRED

7. PROCEDURE.

8. OBSERVATIONS

9. CONCLUSION.

10. PRECAUTIONS

11. BIBLIOGRAPHY
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INTRODUCTION

Fibre is a class of materials that are continuous filaments or

are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to lengths of thread. A
fiber is an elongated tapering thick-walled plant cell that
imparts elasticity, flexibility, and tensile strength. Tensile
strength of fibres can be determined by hanging weights tied
to it and comparing the weight a string can hold.
Traditionally, natural fibers have been used in all cultures for
making utilitarian products. Different parts of the plant are
used. Fibers can be extracted from the bark (banana, jute,
hemp, and ramie), stem (banana, palm, and bamboo), leaf
(palm, screw pine, sisal, agave), husk (coir), seeds (cotton),
and grass (sikki, madhurkati, benakati, munj). Animal fibers
are obtained from a variety of animal coats, and insect fibers
from cocoons.
Even before the arrival of man-made fibers, manufacturers
could create hundreds of different kinds of fabrics, differing
mainly by fiber content, weight, style of weave, or sheen. Here
are just a few of these historic fabrics, along with the natural
fiber from which they were originally made (nearly all can be
made now with other fibers, either natural or synthetic).They
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are very important in the biology of both plants and animals,

for holding tissues together.
Human uses for fibers are diverse. They can be spun into
filaments, string, or rope, used as a component of composite

materials, or matted into sheets to make products such as

paper or felt. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of
other materials. The strongest engineering materials are
generally made as fibers, for example carbon fiber and Ultra-
high-molecular-weight polyethylene. The history of man-
made fibers is less than a century old; until 1910, there were
no synthetic or chemical fibers. Today, by mixing different
components, manufacturers can take the basic fibers listed
below and make them more waterproof or more absorbent,
warmer or cooler, thicker or thinner, stiffer or more supple.
Some, like polyester and spandex, combine well with natural
fibers, making fabrics that wrinkle less or are more form-
fitting.
Synthetic fibers can often be produced very cheaply and in
large amounts compared to natural fibers, but for clothing
natural fibres can give some benefits ,such as comfort ,over
their synthetic counterparts.
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THEORY

Depending upon the source, various fibres can be categorized

as:
1. Animal fibre(e.g., silk and wool)
2. Vegetable fibre(e.g., cotton and linen)
3. Synthetic fibre(e.g., nylon and rayon)

Natural fibres can be classified according to their origin. The

vegetable, or cellulose-base, class includes such important
fibres as cotton, flax, and jute; the animal, or protein-base,
fibres include wool, mohair, and silk; an important fibre in the
mineral class is asbestos.

The vegetable fibres can be divided into smaller groups,

based on their origin within the plant. Cotton, kapok, and coir
are examples of fibres originating as hairs borne on the seeds
or inner walls of the fruit, where each fibre consists of a
single, long, narrow cell. Flax, hemp, jute, and ramie are bast
fibres, occurring in the inner bast tissue of certain plant stems
and made up of overlapping cells. Abaca, henequen, and sisal
are fibres occurring as part of the fibro vascular system of the
leaves. Chemically, all vegetable fibres consist mainly of
cellulose, although they also contain varying amounts of such
substances as hemicellulose, lignin, pectin’s, and waxes that
must be removed or reduced by processing. The animal fibres
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consist exclusively of proteins and, with the exception of silk,

constitute the furor hair that serves as the protective
epidermal covering of animals. Silk filaments are extruded by
the larvae of moths and are used to spin their cocoons.

With the exception of mineral fibres, all natural fibres have an

affinity for water in both liquid and vapor form. This strong
affinity produces swelling of the fibres connected with the
uptake of water, which facilitates dyeing in watery solutions.

Unlike most synthetic fibres, all natural fibres are no

thermoplastic—that is, they do not soften when heat is
applied. At temperatures below the point at which they will
decompose, they show little sensitivity to dry heat, and there
is no shrinkage or high extensibility upon heating, nor do they
[15
become brittle if cooled to below freezing. Natural fibres tend
to yellow upon exposure to sunlight and moisture, and
extended exposure results in loss of strength.

All natural fibres are particularly susceptible to microbial

decomposition, including mildew and rot. Cellulosic fibres are
decomposed by aerobic bacteria (those that live only in
oxygen) and fungi. Cellulose mildews and decomposes rapidly
at high humidity and high temperatures, especially in the
absence of light. Wool and silk are also subject to microbial
decomposition by bacteria and molds. Animal fibres are also
subject to damage by moths and carpet beetles; termites and
silverfish attack cellulose fibres. Protection against both
microbial damage and insect attacks can be obtained by
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chemical modification of the fibre substrate; modern

developments allow treatment of natural fibres to make them
essentially immune to such damage

EXPERIMENT – 1

AIM
To find the tensile strength of given samples of polyester ,
cotton , wool , silk fibers.

Apparatus Requirements:-
 Cotton, wool, silk, polyester, hook, weight hanger,
weights
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PROCEDURE

(i) Cut out cotton fibre, polyester fibre and wool fiber from
the given sample of nearly same weight
(ii) Tie one end of cotton fibre to a hook which has been
fixed in a vertical plane. Tie a weight hanger to the other
end. The thread get straight.
(iii) Put a weight to the hanger and observe the thread
stretch. Then, increase the weights gradually on the hanger
until the breaking point reaches and note the minimum
weight needed for breaking the cotton fibre.
(iv) Repeat the experiment 5 times and note down the
readings
(v) Repeat the above experiment by tying polyester and wool
fibers to the hook separately.

Observations:-
SI.NO Type of fibre. Tensile strength of fibre(N)
1. cotton
2. wool
3. silk
4. polyester
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EXPERIMENT – 2

AIM
To find the effect of acids and alkalis on tensile strength of
cotton, silk and wool fibres.

Apparatus Requirements:-
 Cotton, wool, silk, polyester, hook, weight hanger,
weights.

Chemical Requirement:-
Hydrochloric acid( M/10) and sodium hydroxide(M/10 ).
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Procedure:-

1. Cut out cotton, wool and silk threads from given samples.
The threads should be nearly the same weight.

2. Determine the tensile strength of each fibre as explained in

experiment 1

3. Soak a given thread into a dilute solution of sodium

hydroxide for about 5 minutes.

4. Take it out of NaOH solution and wash it thoroughly with

water and dry it in sun or oven at 40°C.

5. Determine again the tensile strength of woolen thread as

explained in experiment 1

6. Now take another piece of wool thread and soak it in

hydrochloric acid for about 5 minutes. Take it out and wash
thoroughly with water. Dry it and again determine its tensile
strength.

7. Repeat the experiment for 5 times for each case and note
down the readings
8.Repeat the above procedure for the sample of cotton and
nylon fibres.
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Observations:-
SERIAL NO NAME TENSILE STRENGTH OF FIBER (N)
BEFORE AFTER AFTER
SOAKING SOAKING IN SOAKING IN
NaOH HCL
1 COTTON
2 WOOL
3 SILK
4 POLYESTER

CONCLUSION.

Conclusions drawn from the experiment are:-

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1. Alkalis decrease the tensile strength of woolen fibers.

2. Acids practically do not affect this fiber.
3. Tensile strength of cotton thread is decreased by acids
and it remains unaffected by alkalis.
4. Nylon fiber is practically unaffected by both acids and
alkalis.

PRECAUTIONS:-

1. Thread must be of identical weight

2. Add the weights in small amount very slowly.
3. Make sure the threads are completely dried after
soaking.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 Comprehensive practical chemistry-XI

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 Wikipedia
 Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
 www.textileschool.com
 www.meritnation.com.
 http://cp.literature.agilent.com/litweb/pdf/