Polypropylene Fibres TREVON
PROPERTIES OF FIBRES
Chemical resistance
Chemical resistance of polypropylene fibers is excellent at room temperature (polypropylene is resistant to most of usually used acids and alkalis with the exception of strong oxidation agents). Therefore are suitable for many demanding applications, e.g. like filtration...
Low moisture absorption
Polypropylene fibers show hardly any water absorption or better to say they have hydrofobic properties (see the following table). Consequently are polypropylene fibers able to guarantee that the tenacity and dimension parameters are not influenced by the presence of water.
| material | moisture absorption [%] |
|---|---|
| polypropylene | 0,05 |
| polyester | 0,4 |
| polyamide | 4,5 |
| cotton | 8 |
| wool | 16 |
Low specific weight
Polypropylene fibers offer the lowest specific weight and thus the highest specific volume (see the following table) among all fibers known (polypropylene fibers are lighter than other ones having the equivalent volume and more voluminous compared to other ones having the equal weight).
| material | specific volume [cm³/g] |
|---|---|
| polypropylene | 1,1 |
| polyamide | 0,88 |
| wool | 0,76 |
| polyester | 0,72 |
| cotton | 0,66 |
Low thermal conductivity
Thanks to their high warmth retaining power (see the following table), the fibers made of polypropylene are then very warm in comparison with other fibers and so they cab be used in clothing industry.
| material | relative thermal conductivity |
|---|---|
| air | 1 |
| polypropylene | 6 |
| wool | 7 |
| viskose | 11 |
| cotton | 17 |
High abrasion resistance
The resistance to abrasion (due to the surface smoothness and hardness of polypropylene) is excellent also in the humid environment. If in blend with other fibers, polypropylene fibers increase abrasion resistance of a new product, proportionally to the percentage used.
Low electrostatic charging
Due to the position of polypropylene on the triboelectric scale near to the position of the most common materials, these materials can be used in contact with polypropylene fibers without any interference (e.g. carpets x shoe soles made of leather, rubber, PVC).
Soiling resistance
The chemical composition of polypropylene fibers causes that they do not absorb anything, do not react to any substances that can form stains and show also very good washability.
Resistance to microorganisms
The resistance to fungi and bacteria (biological degradation) enables to use polypropylene fibers in some biochemical applications like filtration etc. Even though the growth of microorganisms may be found on the surface, it will not affect the mechanical properties of polypropylene fibers.