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PROTEIN FIBERS
The protein fibers are formed by natural animal sources through condensation of aamino acids to form repeating polyamide units with various substituents on the acarbon atom. The sequence and type of amino acids making up the individual protein chains contribute to the overall properties of the resultant fiber. Two major classes of natural protein fibers exist and include. Keratin (hair or fur) and Secreted (insect) fibers. In general, protein fibers are fibers of moderate strength, resiliency, and elasticity. They have excellent moisture absorbency and transport characteristics. They do not build up static charge. While they have fair acid resistance, they are readily attacked by bases and oxidizing agents. They tend to yellow in sun light due to oxidative attack. Here are some examples of protein fibers: Wool Cashmere Alpaca Feathers Mohair Silk Angora

WOOL FIBER
Wool, animal fiber forming the protective covering, or fleece, of sheep or of other hairy mammals, such as goats and camels. Prehistoric man, clothing himself with sheepskins, eventually learned to make yarn and fabric from their fiber covering. Selective sheep breeding eliminated most of the long, coarse hairs forming a protective outer coat, leaving the insulating fleecy undercoat of soft, fine fiber. Wool is mainly obtained by shearing fleece from living animals, but pelts of slaughtered sheep are sometimes treated to loosen the fiber, yielding an inferior type called pulled wool. Cleaning the fleece removes wool grease, the fatty substance purified to make lanolin, a by-product employed in cosmetics and ointments. Wool fiber is chiefly composed of the animal protein keratin. Protein substances are more vulnerable to chemical damage and unfavorable environmental conditions than the cellulose material forming the plant fibers.
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Characteristics
DURABILITY AND RESILIENCE Each wool fiber is a molecular coil- spring making the fiber remarkably elastic. Nature has folded the chemical polypeptide chains back upon themselves in such a way that they act like a coiled spring which elongates when it is extended and retracts when it is released. The flexibility of the wool fiber also makes it more durable. A wool fiber can be bent back on itself more than 20,000 times without breaking, compared to about 3,000 times for cotton and 2,000 times for silk. FIBER ABSORBENCY Wool is a hygroscopic fiber ;it takes up moisture in vapor form. Tiny pores in the epicuticle make the fiber semi-permeable, allowing vapor to pass through to the heart of the fiber. Wool can easily absorb up to 30% of its weight in moisture without feeling damp or clammy. Wool absorbs perspiration; thus it keeps a layer of dry air next to the skin which, in turn, helps to hold in body heat FELTS NATURALLY The physical structure of the outer scaly layer of the wool fiber contributes to wools unique property of felting. Under the mechanical action of agitation, friction and pressure in the presence of heat and moisture, the scales on the edges of the wool fibers interlock, preventing the fiber from returning to its original position. Felting shrinkage is irreversible.

TAKES DYE BEAUTIFULLY Wool absorbs many different dyes deeply, uniformly and directly without the use of combining chemicals. Wool is an amphoteric, which means it reacts with both acids and bases; thus it accepts both acid and basic dyestuffs. Dyes penetrate into the inner medulla core of the fiber where a chemical reaction occurs making the color change permanent except under extreme and prolonged fading conditions.

RESISTANCE TO FLAME Because wool contains moisture in each fiber, it resists flame without chemical treatment. Instead of burning freely when touched by flame, wool chars and stops burning when it is removed from the source of fire. Wool is self-extinguishing. It will not support combustion; this is why wool blankets are recommended for use in extinguishing small fires.

CHEMICAL STRUCTURE Woo is a natural protein fiber that grows from the follicles of the sheeps skin. It is like human hair in that it is composed of keratin-type protein. Chemically these proteins contain 5 elements: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur.
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 RESISTANCE TO COMPRESSION Resistance-to-compression values are useful in assessing the suitability of wool for specific end uses. Resistance to compression (R to C) is the force per unit area required to compress a fixed mass of wool to a fixed volume. Resistance to compression is related to fiber diameter and the form and frequency of crimp.

Types of wool
Sheeps Wool. It is traditional wool that can be made from any sheep fleece. Merino Wool. Merino wool is taken from a Merino Sheep and has fine, soft appearance of the fabric. It is quite expensive. The distinction from other types of wool is its resistance to pilling. Mohair Wool. Mohair is taken from Mohair goat. It is not very soft and many people find it a very itchy fabric to wear directly next to the skin. Angora Wool. Angora wool is made of an Angora rabbit hair. Its main quality is its fluffy surface texture and its soft touch. It is expensive, as it comes from a specific breed of rabbit. To improve fabric stability Angora is often blended with Nylon. Cashmere Wool. Cashmere is soft and luxurious fabric. The fibers that are used to make cashmere come from specific areas of the fleece of a cashmere goat, and that is why it is so expensive. Alpaca Wool is made from the hair of Peruvian alpacas, but it also also can come from similar fibers of mohair, Icelandic sheep or even high-quality English wool. Alpaca fleece is a lustrous, silky, soft and therefore luxurious natural fiber. It is warmer than usual wool, not prickly, and bears no lanolin, and therefore hypoallergenic.

WOOL PROCESSING

Scouring
Scouring, the technical term for washing, is the first step in wool processing. This involves washing the wool in hot soapy water to remove dirt, grease and dry plant matter from the fleece. The preferred water temperature for washing wool is 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Soaps of various natures have been tried with much success. For those washing wool in their home, Dawn dishwashing soap seems to be a favorite. Use a mild soap, nothing harsh. Commercial processors may use a slight alkaline solution (by adding sodium carbonate) to aid in the scouring process. The key is to keep the water temperature and the volume of soap used as low as possible while still being able to wash out the grease and dirt. Wool that is very greasy will require hotter and stronger solutions to remove the grease. In the scouring process the wool undergoes several soaks and rinses until the wash water remains clean. It is preferable to let wool soak
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and avoid agitation. Each subsequent wash is a weaker solution of soap or alkaline until the final wash is only water. Between each wash the wool is pressed or squeezed to remove excess water. At each wash step the wash water can be retained for subsequent batches of wool until the first wash becomes to dirty for further use. At this point the second wash can be used as the first by bringing it up to temperature and adding soap to bring it up to start point. Each subsequent wash would move up the chain so that the last rinse is always being replaced with clean water. This way water and energy to heat it, is being conserved. When washing wool on the ranch consideration must be given to the quality of the water. Just as you would not wash your clothes in water that has an excess mineral content (like iron) you do not want to wash your wool in the same type of mineral imbalanced well water.

Drying
After washing and thorough rinsing the wool is dried. On a commercial scale large mechanical dryers are used. The wool is set on screen tables with hot air circulation. On a individual scale the wool can be placed on a sheet and set in the sun.

Carding or Combing
In researching wool processing information there was some confusion between these two terms. Many recent sources do not mention combing at all and older sources talk of it as something entirely different from carding. Nowadays, the terms combing and carding are often used interchangeably and the more common term of carding prevails. As far as we can discern, carding is gently spreading washed and dried wool in preparation for further processing. Combing is straightening and stretching the fibers to obtain maximum spinning capacity. For carding the shorter wools are preferred and for combing the longer wools are preferred. The shorter carded wools are generally the ones that will be processed into clothing. Carding is a hand or mechanical process. Individuals can purchase hand carders while commercial processors will use mechanical machines. Either way, steel fingers separate and straighten the fibers and then twist them back into one another again thus forming strings of wool. These strings are again twisted into one another to produce longer continuous ropes of wool called rovings. Any dry plant material still in the wool will fall out or should get picked out during the carding process.At this stage of the wool processing the paths can diverge. Dependent on the quality and type, wool will either be used for the purpose of spinning or will make its way to the felting table.

Spinning
Spinning is the process where the wool rovings produced during carding, are turned into yarns. On a commercial wool processing scale the rovings pass through a spinning machine. On an individual scale a spinning wheel or a hand spindle is used. During
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spinning the wool rovings are gently stretched again. Through a series of twisting and spinning and twisting again the wool is spun into batches of similar quality and strength. The spun wool is formed into and stored as skeins of yarn, what you see and buy in the store. These are small bundles of yarn that can now be dyed if warranted. During the spinning process other fiber types may be blended with the wool to create various and more unique yarns. WEAVING is taking strings of yarn, setting them at right angles to each other and interlacing them over and then beneath each other thus forming a woven mat. KNITTING is done by forming loops of yarn and interlocking rows. You are continually forming new loops and passing a string of yarn through it.

Felting
Felting can occur after carding and instead of spinning. Felting is a feature of wool that enables it to form mats of fabric because the fibers can interlock with each other. How much it can felt is dependent on the fineness or coarseness of the fibers. The finer wools felt better due to the finer crimp which results in more ridges and a tighter lock or joining. In the process of felting the wool is subjected to moisture, pressure and gentle beating action. Layers of wool are laid at right angles to one another to establish fibers that run lengthwise and then crosswise and then lengthwise again. The felting machine applies steam moisture and pressure along with a back and forth action to felt the wool. As the fibers shrink they become entangled together and form a strong, durable felted mat of material. Wool can be felted to the point where it is impossible to distinguish the fibers in the material or to pull it apart as the fibers have become so entangled and tightly meshed. Felting done to this extent is then called fulling.

Dyeing
As wool readily accepts dye colors, dyeing can occur at almost any stage of the wool processing. The two common stages for wool dyeing is right after washing or after spinning wool into skeins of yarn. If the dyeing occurs after the wool is washed then it is referred to as stock dyed wool. If the wool is dyed after it is spun into yarn then it is referred to as yarn dyed. Many subtle dye colors can be extracted from various plants for a natural dye process. On a large commercial scale the use of chemical dyes is more convenient and thus more common.

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USES OF WOOL
Wool is a multifunctional fiber with a range of diameters that make it suitable for clothing, household fabrics and technical textiles. Its ability to absorb and release moisture makes woolen garments comfortable as well as warm. Two thirds of wool is used in the manufacture of garments, including sweaters, dresses, coats, suits and "active sportswear". Blended with other natural or synthetic fibers, wool adds drape and crease resistance. Industrial uses of wool include sheets of bonded coarse wool used for; Thermal and acoustic insulation in home construction Pads for soaking up oil spills. Structural insulation Baseball winding Ballet-shoe toe padding

In addition to clothing, wool has been used for: Blankets Horse rug Saddle cloths Carpeting Felt Mattresses Upholstery. Pillows

Wool felt covers piano hammers, and it is used to absorb odors and noise in heavy machinery and stereo speakers. Ancient Greeks lined their helmets with felt, and Roman legionnaires used breastplates made of wool felt. Wool has also been traditionally used to cover cloth diapers. Wool fiber exteriors are hydrophobic (repel water) and the interior of the wool fiber is hygroscopic (attracts water); this makes a wool garment able to cover a wet diaper while inhibiting wicking, so outer garments remain dry. Wool felted and treated with lanolin is water resistant, air permeable, and slightly antibacterial, so it resists the buildup of odor. Some modern cloth diapers use felted wool fabric for covers, and there are several modern commercial knitting patterns for wool diaper covers. Initial studies of woolen underwear have found it prevented heat and sweat rashes because it more readily absorbs the moisture than other fibers. Merino wool has been used in baby sleep products such as swaddle baby wrap blankets and infant sleeping bags.
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LIMITATIONS
The strong alkalis found in laundry soaps and detergents cause wool fibers to lose their soft luster. Moths will eat through other types of fabric and sometimes even plastic to get to wool.

Never bleach wool fabrics. A small amount of bleach on wool will make its fibers stiff and yellow. Large amounts will dissolve the fiber.

Never put wool clothing in the dryer. The combination of heat, friction and pressure will cause shrinkage. Wool fabrics can be damaged by excessive and direct heat. Always use steam when pressing wool.

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ECONOMIC SCENARIO
Wool is produced in about 100 countries from a global flock of more than one billion head of sheep. Major producers are Australia, Argentina, China, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, United Kingdom and Uruguay. Depending on the country and region, wool producers range from small farmers to large scale commercial grazing operations.

Domestic scenario
Indias name has always been synonymous with its Cotton Textile Industry. But few know about the deep roots of a thriving Woolen Industry way back from the era of Indian Royalty and Mugal Emperors who have been patrons of Exquisite work of arts ,from finely embroidered, breathtaking jamavar shawls, to pure wool product, garments and carpets. India is the seventh-largest producer of wool and accounts for nearly 2 per cent of total world production. The global textile and clothing trade was estimated to reach US$ 691 billion in 2011, representing a growth rate of 5.45 per cent for the period 2006 to 2011. India has the third largest sheep population in the world with 71 million sheep. The annual wool production is in the range of 43-46 million kg.The wool textile industry in India is poised to grow at a healthy rate. A higher rate of technology penetration into this industry, coupled with government incentives and other capacity-building initiatives have resulted in increased exports, besides stimulating domestic consumption.

IMPORTS
Import of raw wool from Australia, New Zealand and many other countries are as under:
Year 2006-2007 Qty. (in million kgs.) Value (Rs. in crore)

99.56

1077.45 1089.51 1031.86 1000.77 1434.65 1876.87 1801.90

2007-08 2008-09 2009-10

93.07 65.73 68.26

2010-11 2011-12 2012-13

94.77 76.29 77.16

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RAW WOOL IMPORTS FROM MAJOR COUNTRIES

SN 1 Country Australia Qty. in tones (2012-13) 13935

2 3 4 5

Pakistan New Zealand Syria Italy

9702 5266 4205 3047

Turkey

2373

EXPORT
India exports various woolen products like tops, yarn, fabrics, Ready Made Garments and Carpets. Carpet enjoys maximum share of total export. The aggregate export of woolen items from wool tops to finished products like textiles, clothing, blankets and carpets is currently estimated around Rs. 7600 Crs

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
www.ibef.org www.wikipedia.com www.textileschool.com wool Valerie steel
Sheep and Goat Science, Fifth Edition. Danville, Illinois

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