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Silk: ﬁbers, ﬁlms, and 5

compositesdtypes, processing,
structure, and mechanics

1
Philippe Colomban , Vincent Jauzein 2
1 2
Sorbonne Université, UPMC, umr8233 CNRS MONARIS, Paris, France; Mines ParisTech,
Centre des Materiaux, Evry, France

5.1 Introduction

5.1.1 History
Throughout history, silk ﬁbers have been the ﬁber of choice for the most luxurious of
cloths, originally reserved exclusively for the Chinese emperor, his close family, and
court dignitaries. The desire to produce a cheaper, artiﬁcial type of silk was the inspi-
ration for the earliest efforts to produce artiﬁcial ﬁbers for textile uses. Silk has been
such a valuable commodity that, in its long history, silk has even been used as currency
and has been the subject of bartering between countries and dynasties. Sericulture, the
cultivation of silkmoths, moth food (mulberry tree), and the production of silk yarns
and fabrics, is believed to have begun in China 5000 or 6000 years ago and for
centuries its details were a jealously guarded secret. It was introduced into Korea
around 200 BC and 500 years later to India and Byzantium and the Middle East
through the Silk Road. European production began ﬁrst in Italy, in the 13th century
AD, when many craftsmen escaped from Byzantium after the sack of the imperial
city by the Crusaders and developed then in France (Avignon Pope States town,
Lyon and Tours) and elsewhere.
Although there are many types of wild silk moths, silk production is based on two
major species, the domestic Bombyx mori and to some extent the Antheraea wild silk-
worm. The domestic creature is a blind, ﬂightless moth which has been bred over the
centuries, most probably from the wild Bombyx mandarina moth, which is only found
in China and lives on the white mulberry tree in nontropical areas. It is clear that, very
early on, the silk from this moth was found to be better than that of other species. The
B. mori moth is a creature, bred by man, only capable of reproducing and laying eggs
for the next generation of silkworms. Cocoons of Antheraea wild silkworms (w100
different species), also called tussar, tasar or tussah, are harvested on hilltops and
forests of tropical countries (Burma, China, India, Africa, and Southeast Asia).
Philosamia ricini (eri or endi silk) and Gonometa (South Africa) wild silk harvesting
remain marginal.
Recently, interest has turned also to silks produced by Nephila spiders as they
possess different and in some respects superior properties to those of the silk of the

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