Wool, whose history is as old as humanity, is completely natural and healthy. The wool fiber obtained from sheep, which fulfills two extraordinary tasks by providing food and clothing to people throughout the ages, has been used for a wide variety of purposes thanks to its unique texture structure, and today it has been included in many areas of use. Today, it is preferred especially in office furniture, insulation areas, home furniture and decorative accessories. In addition, it is one of the natural fibers that can be used to obtain a sustainable product that we need especially nowadays. While getting to know wool, let’s talk about some of its properties that we may never know or have forgotten.
So, pour yourself a cup of coffee and take your seat. I hope what you read below will be of interest to you.
Wool is a natural fiber obtained from sheep. Sheep’s wool is known for its crimped, elastic fibers that mat easily, forming a non-separable fabric. This means durability, excellent dye pick-up sensitivity, resistance to flame and compression, and heat and sound insulation. In addition, wool fiber is rapidly renewable and is 100% biodegradable. It is known for its moisture resistant, self-extinguishing, thermal and acoustic insulating properties, high standart light color fastness and highly saturated. Saturation is about the color’s ability to reflect light sufficiently and its brightness. As the saturation of the color increases, the appearance is stronger and more vivid. In addition to all these, it absorbs the radiation emitted by electronic devices such as mobile phones, modems and remote controls, which we use extensively in our daily lives, and prevents them from harming our body. Of course, the positive effects of wool on our lives are not limited to these. For example, it is a heat stabilizer. It is cold proof. It has the feature of keeping cool in summer and warm in winter. It has the feature of breathing and does not retain heat. It is not allergic and does not allow the formation of allergic environments. Lice, fleas, ants, scorpions, snakes and many insects cannot approach the wool. Wool is an insulator, it refuses electricity, it does not pass electricity. In addition to being a natural fiber, wool is renewable, sustainable, soluble in the soil without harming the environment, has a low carbon effect, provides energy efficiency, provides protection against ultraviolet rays, reduces static electricity, has a high level of heat resistance, breathes, provides moisture control, low level allergic , absorbs toxic chemicals.
It contains a natural durability and flexibility, as it gains elasticity due to the fold or twisting of the wool fibers. This flexibility makes it durable and the outer shell of the fiber acts as a protective film providing abrasion resistance. The yarn break values as a result of friction of a fabric woven from wool fiber and felted are far above the estimations and demanded values. Thanks to this feature, it can be said that we have a product that is more resistant to nails or bites for cats and dogs that animal lovers keep at home. For this reason, the use of wool felt fabric in pet -beds has become widespread. In addition, the fact that it does not allow vermin to approach its structure allows the furniture made of wool felt fabric to be used more hygienically and creates a healthier environment for other house residents.
Lanolin, a thin waxy natural coating on wool fibers, makes wool naturally water and moisture resistant. Wool readily accepts natural dyes, as they can penetrate the core of the fiber and undergo a chemical reaction that makes the color change permanent and intensely saturated.
The colors are quite vivid and resistant to light. Although woolen fabrics are generally designed for indoor use, high light fastness values can be achieved when pigments with high color fastness are applied to the wool fiber and ultraviolet radiation absorbers are applied to the fiber surface. In ultraviolet test, according to ISO105 B02 standard gray scale method, 5/5, according to the green scale method, it gives 7/8 results. This means that we have a product suitable for outdoor use as well.
In addition, since wool fiber retains moisture, it is resistant to flame without chemical treatment. The high nitrogen and moisture content in the chemical structure of the wool gives the wool its natural flame retardancy. When touched with the flame, the wool becomes charred instead of burning, and when removed, it fades on its own. As a fabric, it is used for all home and office furniture, as well as wide areas of use such as armchairs and curtains, as well as wall panels or for many different purposes in public spaces and in the category of acoustic materials.
The importance of acoustic materials in daily life
Communal areas and especially offices can be noisy environments. But, this density will bring the possibility of distraction, as well as problems with sound quality and privacy. This is especially true for large and open offices. By the help of the sound absorption, when the sound waves come into contact with an absorbing material such as ceilings, walls, floors and other objects, the sound is not reflected back into the space as a result of the loss of sound energy. Sound absorbing materials can be used to create a suitable acoustic environment within a space by reducing the ‘reverberation time’. This will help control reverberation. Sound barriers are an excellent choice for privacy as they help prevent sound from entering or leaving a room.
The wool felt fabric developed especially with the aim of acoustic and sound insulation, and the PET felt bonded to this fabric with the mold printing system, are composed of fibers obtained from recycled pet bottles. While it can be used for many purposes by being produced in different thicknesses or shaped in different ways, it provides acoustic efficiency with its sound absorption, heat and fire resistance features, while also offering aesthetic and decorative features. Acoustic products made of molded wool felt fabric and PET felt are not only used as panels on walls or ceilings, but can also be used in many different areas. In addition, wool is very important for daily life, especially for office use, as it has signal and radiation absorbing properties.
The acoustic efficiency of the material, which is formed by combining Pet felt and Wool fabric with the molding method, is further increased by using the impedance tube test technique. In this state, according to the EN 13501 standard, it already has the “B s1 d0 fire resistant” feature and it is possible to increase these levels with additional additives. In addition, it has been observed that the finished product has properties that will dampen electromagnetic waves. It can also be made into a product that cleans the ambient air by adding different odor molecules for public spaces.
Formed and molded wool felt products are easy to apply and long-lasting thanks to their light structure. In addition to its anti-allergic and antibacterial structure.
The product has a hydrophobic structure that repels oil and water. While the raw material can take a permanent form, it also creates a decorative and textile surface appearance with its composite feature. In addition, with the newly developed printing technology, different patterns and colors can be applied to the fabric surface. With the raw material formulation and production of the product, the final product design and formation can be done.
As a final word, while determining our consumption habits according to our needs, it is our duty to show the necessary importance that the products we buy can be recycled into nature and have the feature of sustainable and reuse, and wool fiber is one of the natural fibers that can provide this.
