Description
The long, silky white hair from the Angora goat, Capra angorensis, that is native to Turkey. Mohair was produced solely in Turkey for thousands of years, only becoming important in European textile manufacture during the 19th century. Angora goats are generally sheared twice a year. Their hair is mainly composed of long (5 - 12 inch) fibers that have flat, barely visible, overlapping scales. This makes the fibers very smooth and shiny. Mohair is strong, resilient, durable, and has good affinity for dyestuffs. The wool also contains 18% short fibers called kemp. These fibers are coarser and do not dye well. Mohair is susceptible to moths, but otherwise very durable. It is used for suits, clothing, draperies, upholstery, carpets, paint brushes, and paint roller covers.
Synonyms and Related Terms
angora; mukhayyar (Arabic); mockaire; Angoraziege (Deut.); chèvre angora (Fr.); angorageit (Ned.); mohair (Esp.)
Other Properties
The center medulla is invisible in 99% of the fibers. Cross section is circular.
Cortex is striated throughout its length, often contains air-filled pockets
Fiber length = 5 - 8 inch. Scales occur about 5-6 per 100 micrometers of fiber
Elongation = 30% Moisture regain = 13%
Additional Information
° G.Cook, Handbook of Textile Fibres:I. Natural Fibres, 5th edition, Merrow Publishing Co., Durham, England, 1984.
|
Last updated on: 6/14/2009 6:05:22 PM
|
|
 |
|
