When light falls on the fiber, part of light is reflected. The luster of a single fiber is determined by the total visual appearance of these reflections from the fiber surface. It is directly proportional to the amount of light reflected by a fiber. Silk fibers has a high luster and cotton has low luster.
The difference between the refractive index indices of the fiber in a direction at parallel to the fiber axis and in a direction at right angles to the fiber axis is called birefringence of that fiber. Birefringence is responsible for the phenomenon of double reflection.
Part 1: Optical Properties of Textile Fibers Part 2: Birefringence | Fiber Birefringence Part 3: Reflection and Luster Optical Properties of Textile Fibers Optical Properties When light falls on a fiber, it may be partly transmitted, absorbed or reflected, depending on the structure of the light. The transmission, reflection and absorption of light determine the […]