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A comparison of the wet-spinning and dry-jet wetspinning of acrylic fibres has been carried out using a commercial acrylic polymer (Courtelle). redissolved in dimethyl formamide. The higher speeds possible in dry-jet wet-spinning have been related to the higher free velocity and the higher draw ratios possible. It is believed that the presence of the air-gap in dry-jet wet-spinning allows the removal of the dies well effects as well as other viscoelastic behaviour before coagulation and that this leads to fibres with superior mechanical properties, especially in improvements in extensibility. Conditions are described which allow the production of high tenacity acrylic fibres with tenacity up to 5.8 g/d tex. In an attempt to produce fibres with better mechanical properties under hot-wet conditions, copolymershave been prepared using bicyclo [2,2,1] hepta-2,5-diene as a comonomer. Fibres from such copolymers have low extensibilities and satisfactory fibres could be made only by incorporating, in addition to the bicyclo [2,2,1] hepta-2,5-diene monomer, itaconic acid and by dry-jet wet-spinning. In one such case a fibre was obtained with a slightly higher hot-wet modulus and a considerably reduced hot-wet extensibility when compared with Courtelle fibre

Brassica napus L., which is commonly known as canola, is the largest sources of edible oil in Canada. The remaining plant material, such as the stem, remains unused for any immediate application and is returned to the soil for decomposition. An investigation has been conducted to extract, characterize and modify the fibre materials from B. napus stems for textile and apparel applications. In order to find the optimum retting conditions for retting time, four different retting parameters were evaluated including, retting temperature, material liquor ratio, water exchange and the reuse of retted water. It was discovered that the virgin-retted fibres from Brassica plants exhibit most of the required textile properties including dye absorbency, strength, and thermal behaviour. However, the virgin-retted fibres do not exhibit the required spinning (yarn transformation) properties (softness, flexibility and individual fibre entity). In order to modify the Brassica fibres for spinnability, three treatment methods were applied: 1) alkali, acid and softener treatment; 2) pectinase enzyme treatment; and 3) enhanced enzyme treatment. According to Method 5 of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC), Brassica fibers obtained from treatments 2 and 3 showed similar spinning properties, and demonstrated superior spinning properties to Brassica fibres obtained from treatment one. To determine the variability of the cultivars upon textile and spinning properties, seeds from twenty different Brassica cultivars consisting of three different species, B. napus, B. juncea L. and B. rapa L., were collected, planted, and harvested upon reaching physiological maturity. The virgin water-retted fibre samples were then treated with pectinase enzyme, and different spinning properties (stiffness, softness, individual fibre entity) and textile properties (fibre decomposition temperature, tenacity and dye absorbency) of enzyme-treated samples were evaluated. The current research suggests that producing fibers from canola stubble and stems could be an additional income source for canola growers. / October 2016

Polymeric fibres influence our everyday life in numerous aspects; the area of applications ranges from industrial to everyday commodities, textile and non-textile. As the global demand for the polymeric fibres increases rapidly, new innovative classes of fibres and the manufacturing processes are sought after. This thesis develops an approach to produce fine cell structure and low void fraction foams, which is then used in the manufacturing of lightweight, biodegradable foam fibres. Poly (lactic) acid-clay nanocomposite have been foamed with nitrogen and drawn to different melt draw ratio to produce foam fibres. The foam fibres are then characterized for crystallinity, Young’s modulus and the yield stress. While the drawability of foam has been demonstrated, the crystallinity as well as the mechanical properties of the foam fibres are not drastically enhanced by drawing, as would be expected. Further drawing processes of the as-spun foam fibres are recommended.

Polymeric fibres influence our everyday life in numerous aspects; the area of applications ranges from industrial to everyday commodities, textile and non-textile. As the global demand for the polymeric fibres increases rapidly, new innovative classes of fibres and the manufacturing processes are sought after. This thesis develops an approach to produce fine cell structure and low void fraction foams, which is then used in the manufacturing of lightweight, biodegradable foam fibres. Poly (lactic) acid-clay nanocomposite have been foamed with nitrogen and drawn to different melt draw ratio to produce foam fibres. The foam fibres are then characterized for crystallinity, Young’s modulus and the yield stress. While the drawability of foam has been demonstrated, the crystallinity as well as the mechanical properties of the foam fibres are not drastically enhanced by drawing, as would be expected. Further drawing processes of the as-spun foam fibres are recommended.