PILE FIBER
The basic element of any carpet is the fiber that is converted into yarn and
tufted or woven to form the pile. Almost all carpet manufactured in the United
States today is made from one or a blend of the five fibers listed below:
· ·Wool
· Acrylic
· Nylon
· Olefin (polypropylene)
· Polyester
Each of these fibers has positive and negative characteristics which should be
considered in carpet selection.
Wool is the carpet fiber that has been in use the longest. It is the only natural
fiber in extensive use, and is the standard by which synthetic fibers are judged,
although it represents only a fractional part of the commercial market. It has
inherent resiliency, and does not hold dirt and surface dust readily because of
Wool the scaly character of the fiber. In addition, it is naturally flame resistant,
charring rather than melting or dripping. Its major disadvantage is the high
initial cost. Lower cost wool blends have become popular in recent years. A
common blend is wool/nylon, at a recommended ratio of 80% Wool to 20%
Nylon.
Acrylic fibers have been little used in carpet recently. Acrylic is wool-like in
appearance, but soils and mats easily. It is not recommended for commercial
applications.
Nylon is used for 70% of commercial carpets. Of the synthetic fibers, it is the
strongest, the most resilient, and offers the best performance characteristics. It
is resistant to abrasion, has the greatest resistance to crushing and matting, and
is easy to maintain. Since it takes dye well, it also has the greatest styling
flexibility. Carpets are made of either Type 6,6 or Type 6. The two types have
different molecular constructions. Type 6 is softer and easier to dye, and Type
6,6 is harder (more resilient) and more stain resistant.
Most nylon manufactured in the United States is made by one of the following
companies, and most carpet manufactured in the United States is made from
nylon fiber produced by one of these firms. Fibers produced by these firms are
referred to as branded nylon, and are available to any carpet manufacturer. They
are well understood and their performance is well documented. Non-branded
nylon fiber should be specified only with extreme caution and after careful
research. The primary branded nylons are:
Brand Type
Monsanto Ultron Type 6,6
Dupont Antron, DSDN, Pro Select Type 6,6
ICI (Rarely seen in the United States) Type 6,6
BASF Zeftron Type 6
Allied Anso Type 6
Camac Camalon Type 6
Olefin is a synthetic polymer fiber whose base is ethylene, polypropylene, or a
similar substance. It has excellent strength and resistance to chemicals and is
highly moisture and stain resistant. It is usually solution dyed. Olefin is very low
in resilience, crushes and packs quickly, and is not recommended for heavy
traffic or extended wear areas. It is somewhat less expensive than nylon and is
recommended for projects with tight budgets or for short term installations.
Polyester has excellent color clarity, retains its luster well, and is resistant to
water soluble stains, but its crush resistance is poor. Polyester is more
commonly used for residential carpet.