Worksheet C1
Artificial fibres
Artificial fibres are man-made materials which can be formed. Majority of them are polymers (they consist of a large number of molecule groups which are bound). The biggest advantage is the fact that the production of these materials is easy and cheap. This is the reason we can find them used anywhere, not only in textile industry but even in construction industry, in food and drink packagings as well as in automotive industry.
This all owes to the field of physics - the physics of polymers.
Task: Which plastic is the most suitable for making clothes?
Tools: a PET bottle, a plastic bowl made of low-density polyethylene (LDPE), a bag of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), aluminium foil, a wooden pick, a cooker
Procedure:
1)Make 3 bowls from aluminium foil.
2)Cut different kinds of plastic into smaller pieces (1cmx1cm) and put them into the bowls.
3)Place the bowls onto the cooker and heat them until the plastic melts.
4)Dip one end of the pick into the melting polymer and moving the pick slowly out create a plastic fibre. Beware! The fibre can be very hot after having taken it out, therefore leave it to cool down on the counter.
5)Record the results of your observation in the table.