Carpet Fiber Identification & Construction Flashcards

Which burn test result indicates a nylon fiber?

Answer: Melts and fuses, self-extinguishes, smells like celery

Nylon melts and fuses rather than burning freely, self-extinguishes when removed from flame, and produces a celery-like odor.

What distinguishes a Saxony cut pile from a frieze cut pile carpet?

Answer: Saxony has short, even, upright tufts while frieze has long, highly twisted yarns

Saxony features short, dense, upright cut pile tufts for a formal look, while frieze has long, highly twisted yarns that curl and hide footprints.

A carpet fiber that glows under UV light most likely contains which material?

Answer: Optical brighteners added to nylon or polyester

Optical brighteners added to synthetic fibers like nylon and polyester cause them to fluoresce under ultraviolet (black) light.

What is the primary advantage of solution-dyed polypropylene (olefin) carpet?

Answer: Excellent bleach resistance and colorfastness

Solution-dyeing means the color is built into the fiber during manufacture, making polypropylene highly resistant to bleach and UV fading.

Which carpet construction type is most likely to exhibit 'pile reversal' or 'shading'?

Answer: Cut pile velvet/plush

Cut pile velvet and plush carpets are most prone to pile reversal (shading/pooling) because the upright fibers can lay in different directions reflecting light unevenly.

What does the term 'denier' refer to in carpet fiber specifications?

Answer: The weight of fiber per unit length (fiber thickness)

Denier is a unit measuring fiber fineness—the weight in grams of 9,000 meters of a single fiber—with higher denier indicating a thicker, heavier fiber.

When performing a burn test, wool fiber produces an ash that is:

Answer: Crusty, easily crushable, and smells like burning hair

Wool burns slowly, smells strongly of burning hair (keratin protein), and leaves a crushable, irregular dark ash.