A fibers

Not all synthetic polymers are used as fibers Mylar for example is chemically the same as Dacron but IS prepared in the form of a thin film instead of a fiber Lexan is a polyester which because of its impact resistance is used as a shatterproof substitute for glass It IS a polycarbonate having the structure shown... 

A separate mention is merited for a special molded hardboard product. These are made by a process in which either a fiber mat or hardboard panel is placed between two shaped platens and press-molded to a three-dimensional configuration. The most common resulting shape is a doorskin which resembles a wood panel door. The doorskins are bonded to wood frames to make an excellent, attractive, and relatively inexpensive door. This ftber/panel mol ding process is also used to make a wide variety of molded interior linings used in automobile manufacture. 

An additional issue in fiber strength is that of fatigue (22), which can produce delayed failure of a fiber. Fatigue is thought to be caused by a surface reaction of fiber and OH causing the growth of subcritical flaws to the point where fracture occurs. 

In general, textile fibers should be optically opaque so that their refractive indexes need to be significantly different from those of their most common environments, namely, air and water. Luster and color are two optical properties that relate to a fiber s aesthetic quatity and consumer acceptance. 

It is difficult to determine the cross-sectional area of a fiber. Direct observation and measurement of a cross section under a microscope is the most accurate method (15). This is a destmctive test that does not allow subsequent study of fiber mechanical properties, and is slow and tedious. Also, it does not take into account any variations in the cross-sectional area along the fiber length. Measurement of fiber diameters from microscopic observations of longitudinal views is somewhat easier, but the eUipticity of the cross section in certain fibers can lead to serious errors. 

Normalised fiber mechanical properties are expressed in terms of unit linear density. For example, in describing the action of a load on a fiber in a tensile test, units of N/tex or gram force per denier (gpd) are generally used. If this is done, the term tenacity should be used in place of stress. The tme units of stress are force per unit cross-sectional area, and the term stress should be reserved for those instances where the proper units are used. 

The tesihence of a fiber describes its abiUty to absorb work or mechanical energy elastically, that is, without undergoing permanent deformation. 

The elasticity of a fiber describes its abiUty to return to original dimensions upon release of a deforming stress, and is quantitatively described by the stress or tenacity at the yield point. The final fiber quaUty factor is its toughness, which describes its abiUty to absorb work. Toughness may be quantitatively designated by the work required to mpture the fiber, which may be evaluated from the area under the total stress-strain curve. The usual textile unit for this property is mass pet unit linear density. The toughness index, defined as one-half the product of the stress and strain at break also in units of mass pet unit linear density, is frequentiy used as an approximation of the work required to mpture a fiber. The stress-strain curves of some typical textile fibers ate shown in Figure 5. 

Another aspect of plasticity is the time dependent progressive deformation under constant load, known as creep. This process occurs when a fiber is loaded above the yield value and continues over several logarithmic decades of time. The extension under fixed load, or creep, is analogous to the relaxation of stress under fixed extension. Stress relaxation is the process whereby the stress that is generated as a result of a deformation is dissipated as a function of time. Both of these time dependent processes are reflections of plastic flow resulting from various molecular motions in the fiber. As a direct consequence of creep and stress relaxation, the shape of a stress—strain curve is in many cases strongly dependent on the rate of deformation, as is illustrated in Figure 6. 

Another property, used to compare the flammabiUty of textile fibers, is the limiting oxygen index (LOI). This measured quantity describes the minimum oxygen content (%) in nitrogen necessary to sustain candle-like burning. Values of LOI, considered a measure of the intrinsic flammabiUty of a fiber, are Hsted in Table 2 in order of decreasing flammabiUty. 

The abihty of a fiber to absorb energy during straining is measured by the area under the stress—strain curve. Within the proportional limit, ie, the linear region, this property is defined as toughness or work of mpture. For acetate and triacetate the work of mpture is essentially the same at 0.022 N/tex (0.25 gf/den). This is higher than for cotton (0.010 N/tex = 0.113 gf/den), similar to rayon and wool, but less than for nylon (0.076 N/tex = 0.86 gf/den) and silk (0.072 N/tex = 0.81 gf/den) (3). 

A fiber that is strained and allowed to recover releases a portion of the work absorbed during straining. The ratio of the work recovered to the total work absorbed, measured by the respective areas under the stress—strain and stress—recovery curves, is designated as resiUence. 

Percentage of water imbibition is an important property in ease-of-care and quick-drying fabrics. This value is determined by measuring the moisture remaining in a fiber in equiUbrium with air at 100% rh while the fiber is being centrifuged at forces up to 1000 g. The average recorded value for acetate is 24% triacetate not heat-treated, 16% and heat-treated triacetate, 10%. 

Extrusion. The filtered, preheated polymer solution is deHvered to the spinneret for extmsion at constant volume by accurate metering pumps. The spinnerets are of stainless steel or another suitable metal and may contain from thirteen to several hundred precision-made holes to provide a fiber of desired si2e and shape. AuxUiary filters are inserted in front of the fixture that holds the spinneret and in the spinneret itself to remove any residual particulate matter in the extmsion solution. 

Permanent chemical crimp can be obtained by creating an asymmetric arrangement of the skin and the core parts of the fiber cross section. Skin cellulose is more highly ordered than core cellulose and shrinks more on drying. If, during filament formation in the spin bath, the skin can be forced to burst open to expose fresh viscose to the acid, a fiber with differing shrinkage potential from side-to-side is made, and crimp should be obtained (Fig. 5a). 

---