An over view on Alpaca The Animal fibre

Presented by P.Vijay babu 141la11006 3rd year Textile technology Vignan University

IntroductionAlpaca and Its Fibre:Alpaca is a one of the animal fiber. It has been selected for fibre production for at least 3000 years. The textile industry regards alpaca fibre as a specialty fibre, and classes the fibre as a luxury type. It is sought after for its softness, warmth without weight, range of natural color and good strength. There are two types of alpacas: Huacaya and Suri.

Huacaya produces crimped, dense fleeces, while Suri produces non-crimped, slippy, straight fleeces. Suri fibre is longer, more lustrous and silky than Huacaya fibre. It is believed that alpaca fibre is softer and lighter than wool fibre. Fibre from Huacaya is typically blended with Merino wool or other fibers for use in overcoats and high fashion knitwear, as well as socks, hats, gloves or floor covering, quilts filling, etc. Suri fibre is used extensively in brushed coating.

Flowchart of Camelid families

Alpaca Industry in Australia

Most alpaca animals are raised in the Andes Mountains of Southern America, especially in Peru, Chile and Bolivia. The estimated total number of alpaca animals is 3.1 million and 90% of them (near 2.8 million) are found in Peru .Only a few hundred alpaca animals were imported to Australia from Chile through NZ in the 1980’s, but the number has been growing in recent years. There were over 20,000 animals in 1999 distributed amongst 1600 breeders scattered all over Australia. Australia currently has the largest alpaca herd outside South America. It is estimated that the alpaca population in Australia may have reached 45,000 now. The world alpaca fibre production is around 5,000 tons, mostly produced in Peru (3,500 tons), with the rest dispersed in Bolivia, Chile, New Zealand, Australia and Northern-America. Large herds from the Andes

produce fibers almost exclusively for the European market. The current annual alpaca fibre production in Australia is estimated at 75 tons in greasy weight. (30,000*2.5kg/head/year). So the alpaca industry in Australia is still a very small industry compared with the wool industry, which harvested fleeces from 130.4 million sheep with a shorn wool production of about 550 million kg greasy in the 2001/2002 financial year. Most alpaca enterprises at present are keen to focus on live animal trading rather than growing fibre for processing. Australia has a great potential for a viable alpaca industry. The Australian Alpaca Association (AAA) was founded in 1989. Its mission is to provide national co-ordination for a growing national herd of high quality alpacas in Australia and to enable a viable and sustainable animal and fibre industry. The Association has provided a wide range of member services and has established strong links with fibre research, processing, manufacturing and marketing organizations. The Alpaca Cooperative P/L (Alpaca Co-op) was established in 1995. The Co-op, on behalf of its members. Manufactures, designs and markets products derived from Australian grown alpaca fibre. Its aims include achieving sustainable market confidence in the alpaca livestock industry and a successful fibre production system, and sustaining the image of alpaca as a soft, luxurious and versatile fibre. Both AAA and Alpaca Co-op promote alpaca and alpaca products in Australia as well as overseas. Additionally, Australia has sound pastures and modern technologies for breeding the best stocks. There is also an increasing interest in alpaca fibers among fashion houses. Therefore, alpaca fibre prices are increasing now due to international demands, particularly from Italians and Japanese. However the price of alpaca fibre exhibits a pronounced price cycle and there is a large price discount as its mean fibre diameter (MFD) increases. In Australia, the average price given by Alpaca Co-op now is $60/kg for fibre less than 20 microns and the price for fibre coarser than 30 microns is only $1/kg. The retail price for alpaca clothing such as men’s jumpers is up to $350 per piece. The industry is gradually moving from livestock trading to fibre based trading. The Australian Alpaca Association claims that by the year 2011 Australian alpaca fibre production will reach 950 tons. Hence, there is an urgent need for the industry to understand the properties of Australian grown alpaca fibers, so that the industry can market the fibre better and export high quality alpaca fibre products manufactured from high quality fibers.

Properties of Alpaca Fibers in Different Color Groups

The alpaca fleece colors are classified into 6 categories. Within some color groups, there are sub-groups depending on the color lightness or darkness such as brown (BR) and dark brown (DKBR). Because of the small number of fine fibre (less than 1% of total fibre production) and lack of applications of strong line fibre on apparel, the variation analysis on colors is only conducted for the medium fineness samples. In order to examine the possibility of narrowing variations in fibre diameter and length, two separated medium groups (according to the range of fibre diameter) are also compared for most fibre characteristics. That the all samples are in the right diameter classing line (Medium 25.1-30μm). In this medium group, except for the dark brown (DKBR), there are no significant differences in mean fibre diameter (MFD) between colors, though white fibre has the lowest MFD, which agrees with the findings reported by other researchers [68]. However, the coefficients of variation of FD (CVD) for white (W), fawn (F), rose-grey (RG), brown (BR) and dark brown (DKBR) fibers are lower than those for grey (G) and black (BLK) alpaca fibers. This is because the grey (G) and black (BLK) fleeces are a mixture of fibers having large variations in fibre diameter. The classer actually confirmed that a

few fine fleeces were mixed with grey and black medium lines. Therefore, the samples and their testingResults represent the sale lots of alpaca fibers. The average grease content of fibers in all color groups (about 2 %) is much lower than that of merino wool (10-20%), which agrees with the previous fleece study. Residual grease contents in that all scoured fibers contain more than 0.5% residual grease. The grey (G) and black (BLK) samples also contain higher levels of residual grease than the others probably due to their higher grease content before scouring .The curvature (CUR) of white fibers is significantly higher than that of dark color fibers (including BR, DKBR, G and BLK). Rose-grey fleeces contain many white fibers, which may be the reason for its high curvature results. Since fibre crimp improves fibre cohesion during the early stage fibre processing. Breeding white or light colored alpacas is important from the fibre processing point of view.

Fibre properties in different color groups from the medium diameter classing line

Comparisons between Two Alpaca Breeds

As mentioned in the introduction, alpaca has two types – Huacaya and Suri, compares the two types of fibers with a similar mean fibre diameter. The Suri fibre has much longer staple length (SL) and coarser edge (AE30) than the Huacaya fibre. Higher RtC and CUR of Huacaya is probably caused by its relatively higher crimp frequency associated with a lower staple length. These differences between breeds appear to be related to different skin follicle attributes. The staple strength (SS) for Huacaya and Suri fibers is similar in the fine line, but the Suri fibre is

much stronger in the medium line. The proportion of middle break is very close for both Huacaya and Suri regardless of their fineness. But the two fibre types differ in tip and base breaks.

Surface Morphology of Alpaca Fibers

In order to reveal how the dirt remains on the fibre, we examined the alpaca fibers under the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The fibre samples were taken from various fibre processing stages. The SEM image of unscored alpaca fibers in that a lot of dust particles are bound on the fibre surface. It appears that most of dust particles are associated with the scale tips. This suggests that most of dirt nests at the tips of scales and it is possible that scales may provide a ‘shelter’ for the dirt, and the dust is difficult to remove during scouring.

Processing of Alpaca Fibers

Australian alpaca fibre processors need to manufacture high quality and value added alpaca products. Currently, there are no dedicated facilities to process alpaca fibre due to the quantity limitation of the alpaca fibre and underdevelopment of the alpaca fibre industry. Both alpaca and wool fibers are animal fibers, and their physical and mechanical properties are very similar. Wool fibre processing facilities are usually used for alpaca fibre processing.

Since alpaca fibre is very similar to wool fibre, it is assumed that alpaca fibre processing should follow the same route as wool fibre. Normally, there are three intermediate gilling’s before combing, two gilling operations on the combed sliver for worsted top finishing, and three gill boxes for worsted drawing before roving and worsted spinning. Some fibre processors therefore follow the same sequences of wool processing for alpaca fibre processing, others skip a pre-combing gill box (no third gilling after carding) for worsted alpaca yarn processing. If two preparer gilling’s are acceptable, skipping one post-combing gilling/drawing may also be feasible. In order to design a route of alpaca fibre processing, we give a brief review of wool fibre processing here.

The Woolen System

The woolen system is capable of processing wools and animal fibers of almost any fibre length distribution, some of which otherwise would be wasted.

The products may range from cheap remanufactured fibers, such as waste wools or noils from worsted combing, to more luxurious fibers, such as lamb’s wool and expensive luxury fibers, such as cashmere and vicuña.

A woolen card is used to provide an intermediate slubbing for producing a rough, whiskery woolen yarn in which fibers are crossed in all directions.

Alpaca Fibre Processing System

Alpaca fibre is generally coarser than wool fibre, and alpaca yarns are weaker than most wool yarns, which are discussed in Chapter 4. Only a small amount of medium and strong alpaca fibers are processed on the woolen system, to produce blanket and carpet yarns. In addition, alpaca fabrics are fuzzier than wool fabrics. Therefore, worsted fibre processing is expected to be the best choice for the alpaca fibre. The research in this project thus focuses on the worsted processing of alpaca fibers.

Main Processes in the Worsted Alpaca Fibre Processing

Several trials of worsted alpaca fibre processing have been conducted to evaluate the processEffectiveness. Some major processes examined are summarized below.

Scouring

Greasy alpaca fibers are usually scoured through an aqueous scouring process, in which most of the grease, dirt, suint and protein contaminants are removed, but vegetable matters (VM) still remain. Alpaca fibre has less grease than wool fibre, and therefore, the scouring condition for alpaca fibre is normally gentler than for wool.

Carding

In order to convert the scoured alpaca fibre into a yarn, a carding process is inevitably needed. AWorsted card is used to convert the entangled flock of scoured alpaca fibers into a carded sliver with better fibre parallelization. Like wool fibre, the main objectives of worsted alpaca fibre carding are:

• To open and individualize the entangled scoured alpaca tufts with minimum fibre breakage, and blend the different groups/types of fibers uniformly;

• To remove most of the impurities mechanically (i.e. burrs and other vegetable matters), which may cause defects in the ultimate yarn appearance;

• To align the fibers in a more or less parallel form, avoiding any detrimental effect on the mean fibre length and reducing combing tear in the subsequent combing stage;

• To form a rope-like sliver of definite weight and thickness.

Preparer Gilling

The preparer drafting plays a peculiar role that influences the combing performance, and furthermore, the evenness of the fibre assembly subsequently obtained. Generally, drafting helps to straighten fibers and removes hooks. The fibre configuration in the yarns is closely related to the yarn strength. The purpose of the gilling operation is therefore to straighten and parallelize the fibers of the sliver in preparation for the combing operation. Since the alpaca fibre surface is smooth and the fibre crimp is much lower than wool fibre, alpaca fibre can be easily straightened and parallelized through gilling’s. The number of gilling passages before spinning may not be necessarily the same as wool. Three intermediate gilling’s between carding and combing are often used in the worsted system to ensure good fibre blending and parallelization. With the three gilling arrangement, fibers are presented to the comb in the right direction. Fine and baby alpaca fibre usually use three preparer gilling’s. However, to process medium and strong alpaca fibers, two intermediate gilling’s May also be used to retain sliver cohesion force and reduce processing cost.

Combing

In order to produce premium alpaca yarns necessary for the worsted trade, the fibre material has to possess certain properties, such as absence of very short fibers (shorter than 15 mm) and impurities, such as naps and vegetable matters. To produce a sliver with the necessary characteristics for the production of a worsted yarn, a combing process is therefore necessary. The main objectives of combing must be:

• To remove the short fibers, highly entangled fibers (e.g. naps), and remaining foreign matters (eg.VM);

• To arrange the remaining long fibers into a more or less parallel formation and at the same time, assemble them into a continuous sliver.

• This sliver is very crucial for the production of fine and strong worsted yarns.

Top Finishing and Blending

After combing, the fibre blending and sliver evenness are accomplished by means of drafting andDoubling. It is normal to use two gilling operations to arrange the fibers into a satisfactory sliver of definite and uniform weight per unit length. The second gilled sliver is called a top. Because of the limited quantity of alpaca fibre, in most cases, scoured alpaca fibre is processed in a vertical mill. In other words, tops will be converted into roving’s and further engineered into yarns directly in the same mill. An alpaca fibre top can be blended with a wool top through gilling’s. Fibre color in the alpaca top should be light or bleached. At least 3-5 gilling’s are required to achieve basic blending evenness. Chapter 5 discusses alpaca/wool blends in more detail.

Alpaca and Wool Blend

The world alpaca fibre production is around 5,000 tons per annum, of which, the current annualAlpaca fibre production in Australia is estimated at 75 tons in greasy weight [2, 45, and 70]. With the limited quantity of Australian alpaca fibre, the blend of alpaca fibre with wool is very important to utilize the alpaca fibre. Blending is also expected to enhance the alpaca fibre processiblity and promote the fibre in a wide range of market places. However, there is a lack of published data on how to select the wool fibre properties for the blend, especially the selection of wool fibre crimp. The alpaca fibre industry is keen to know the role of wool fibre crimp types in the alpaca/wool blend.

Softness of Alpaca Fibre

Alpaca fibre is soft, and typically blended with Merino wool or other fibers for use in overcoats and high fashion knitwear. With the development of the rare animal fibre industry, considerable interest has been shown in alpaca animals and alpaca fibre products. When feeling alpaca and wool fibers, people often wonder why alpaca fibers are much softer than wool, even when the alpaca fibers are a few microns coarser than wool. Soft-handle is a result of subjective evaluation. It involves in a combination of fibre/fabric characteristics, such as surface roughness/smoothness, bending stiffness, compressibility, resilience, extensibility, fabric thickness and so on. The fibre/fabric may be soft if it is smooth, easier to compress and suppler, and has a lower bending rigidity.

Fiber Testing Terminology

Normal Distribution

The graph of a normal distribution, the normal curve, is a bell-shaped curve. Many biological phenomena, including animal fiber diameter distributions for single-coated animals, result in data distributed in a close approximation to normal. Hence, statistics applicable to normally distributed populations (mean, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation) are used to define these fiber diameter distributions. The normal curve is symmetric about a vertical center line. This center line passes through the value (the high point of the bell) that is the mean, median and the mode of the distribution. A normal distribution is completely determined when its mean and standard deviation are known. Approximately sixty-eight percent of all measurements lie within one standard deviation of the mean and approximately 95.0 percent of all measurements lie within two standard deviations of the mean. More than 99.5 percent of all measurements will lie within three standard deviations of the mean.

Fiber Diameter Measurement and Distribution

Fiber diameter is measured in microns. One micron is equal to 1/1,000,000th of a meter or 1/25,400th of one inch. Mean Fiber Diameter (MFD) is in common use internationally. MFD, Standard Deviation (SD), and Coefficient of Variation (CV) all relate to the (approximate) normal distribution of the animal fiber diameters. SD characterizes dispersion of individual measurements around the mean. In a normal population, 66% of the individual values lie within one SD of the mean, 95% within two SD’s, and 99% within 2.6 SD’s. Since SD tends to increase with increasing MFD, some people prefer to use CV (=SD*100/MFD) as a method of comparing variability about different-sized means.

Comfort Factor

Comfort factor is the percentage of fibers over 30 microns subtracted from 100 percent. Ten percent of fibers over 30 microns corresponds to a comfort factor of 90 percent .

Curvature

Fiber curvature is related to crimp. Average Fiber Curvature (AFC) is determined by the measurement of two millimeter (2mm) snippets in degrees per millimeter (deg/mm). The greater the number of degrees per millimeter, the finer the crimp. For wool, low curvature is described as less than 50 deg/mm, medium curvature as the range of 60-90 deg/mm, and high curvature as greater than100 deg/mm.

Typical values might be illustrated by a 30 micron Crossbred wool fleece with typically low curvature and broader crimp with a frequency of approximately two crimps/cm. In contrast, a 21 micron Merino fleece typically has a medium curvature and a medium crimp with a frequency of approximately four (4) crimps/cm. A 16 micron Superfine Merino fleece typically has a high curvature and a fine crimp with a frequency of approximately seven (7) crimps/cm.

Spinning Fineness

This number (expressed in microns) provides an estimate of the performance of the sample when it is spun into yarn by combining the measured mean fiber diameter (MFD) and the measured coefficient of variation (CV). The original theory comes from Martindale, but the formula used comes from Butler and Dolling and normalizes the equation so that the spinning fineness is the same as the MFD when the CV is 24%.

Length & Strength

Length is measured in millimeters (mm) and the reported measurements readjusted to an annual growth period. Strength is measured in Newton’s/kilotex (N/ktex) and is the force (measured in Newton’s) required to break a staple of a given thickness (measured

In kilotex). On the earth’s surface, one kilogram exerts a force of 9.8 Newton’s (1kg x acceleration due to gravity measured in meters/second2). Kilotex indicates thickness in terms of mass per unit length expressed as kg/km. intrinsically, alpaca fibers appear to be very strong, and an average of 50 N/ktex or better is not unusual. From a processing point of view, a mean staple strength greater than 30 N/ktex is considered adequate for processing wool on today’s high-speed equipment.

Resistance to Compression

The resistance to compression (RTC) of alpaca fibers is measured in kilopascals (Kpa). A Pascal (Pa) is a unit of pressure equivalent to the force of one Newton per

square meter. In the commercial sector, RTC values >11 kPa are considered high, 8 to 11 kPa medium, and <8 kPa is low. The intrinsic resistance to compression of alpaca is low because of the relatively low levels of crimp. Thus, alpaca is not suited to end-uses that require high resistance to compression (or high bulk).

Position of Break

Truly sound fibers break in the middle section of the staple. Intrinsically, alpaca fibers appear to be very strong, in the 50 N/ktex range. A mean staple strength greater than 30 N/ktex is considered adequate for processing wool on today’s high-speed equipment.

Clean Yield

Yield is based on bone-dry, extractives-free wool (alpaca) fiber or wool (alpaca) base (WB). Many different “commercial” yields are used in the international marketing of wool fibers. These are values calculated to predict the amount of clean fiber obtained after commercial scouring and/or after combing. Allowances are typically made for grease, ash, vegetable matter, and moisture. Various percentages of moisture are added in these calculations of commercial yield, which in some cases (very clean wool or some alpaca yields) may result in the clean yield exceeding 100%.

Characteristics and Properties of alpaca: 8 times warmer than wool. Light weight. Insulating fiber comfortable in any climate. Non shrinkable. Non felting Non-inching. Safe for people who suffer from wool allergies. Softer than cashmere. Microns: 10 -18. Color: gray-brown. Staple length: 3.5–7 cm (1.5–3 inches).

Merino Wool"Wherever sheep's feet touch the ground, the land turns to gold.” The Spanish were onto something. Sheep's wool is the most popular type of wool, due to it being widely available and highly versatile. Merino wool has superior shine, legendary softness, great breathability, and a lot of warmth for minimal weight. Merino sheep are most often raised in the mountainous regions of Australia and New Zealand. Merino is praised for its easily dye-able pure white color. Merino wool does not have the itchy feel of some wool, is odor absorbent, and provides high levels of UV protection. Merino is used to make high-end fabrics and yarns for use in luxury garments and knitwear.

Characteristics and Properties of Merino Wool: Superior shine Legendary softness

Great breathability Maintains shape when stretched Is colorfast when dyed Is wrinkle resistant Is static-free. Strong and durable Is naturally white Is flame retardant Non itchy Provides high levels of UV protection Count: 60s-70s Microns: 16-18 Staple length: 3-4 inches / 75-100mm

North American AlpacaSofter and sturdier than cashmere and lighter than sheep's wool, alpaca fleece is a luxurious commodity that produces warm, silky, durable, and feather-light garments. Alpaca wool boasts tremendous warmth and insulation with soft drape and texture.Alpaca is 5-7 times warmer than wool (which is already warm), due to microscopic air pockets that trap and insulate. Alpaca has no lanolin and is hypoallergenic. Alpaca fiber is less itchy and feels softer because the fiber surface scales lie flatter and smoother than sheep wool. The fibers are also very strong and durable.

Characteristics Properties of North American Alpaca Wool: Boasts tremendous warmth and insulation with soft drape and texture Is fine, silky, and lightweight Has a nice luster Is strong and durable Does not generally pill · No Lanolin Hypoallergenic Micron: 16 to 18 Staple length: 3 – 4 inch 1 kilo yield per baby Alpaca a year

Applications of alpaca fibre:

Apparels Sacks Gloves Home furnishing Carpets and coverings. Ropes Suiting’s Cushions

Conclusion Alpaca fiber has got unique combination of properties and is used to make apparels, home furnishing products and textile based products. It is 100 % biodegradable and is extracted from alpaca animal which is a renewable source. There is need of a lot of research in the area of fiber and yarn manufacturing to reduce the cost of production and improve performance quality.

References:

1. Alpaca Fiber Cooperative of North America. “AFCNA Comparison of Processor Prices.” E mail attachment to authors. October 5, 2004.

2. www.wikipedia.com . 3. www.asian textile journal.com 4. http://www.afcna.com/member/2004-quality.html, page viewed April 19, 2004.5. www.organicexchange.com 6. Fiber Characteristics of U.S. Huacaya Alpacas by Angus McGill.