Spun Fiber

Courtauld s SAP had a very high degree of orientation compared with the Textile product and was attributed to a high stretch ratio resulting in a fiber with a tenacity of about 60 cN/tex and a low extensibility of some 18%. This was reflected in the average crystaUite size of SAP being 7.4 nm and about 6.0 nm for the textile product with corresponding azimuthal half width values of 28 and 48° respectively. 

Pinishes are applied to the PAN fiber to improve handling and include silicones (modified polysiloxanes) [132] and trimethylol propane-ethylene oxide adduct [133-135]. These finishes are burned off in the latter stages of stabilization, or in the initial stages of the low temperature carbonization furnace and the breakdown products should be volatile to permit removal. At one time, it was common practice to use adventitious sizes applied prior to the stabilization stage to protect the cosmetics of the oxidized fiber during oxidation. These sizes should preferably break down into gaseous components at about 200° C and typical sizes are the ammonium salt of polystyrene maleic anhydride copolymer, ethyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate/methyl methacrylate and polyacrylic acid. 

Bajaj and Roopanwal [136] have identified a number of chemical treatments that can be used to modify PAN precursor fibers (Table 4.7). Work undertaken at the NPL in New Delhi has shown that treatment with KMn04, acetic acid and a combination of both 

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GELSIL Gel, silicone Gel spinning Gel spun fibers Geltabs... 

Fiber cross sections are also deterrnined by the coagulation conditions or, in the case of dry spinning, by the solvent evaporation process. The skin that forms early in the solvent removal process may remain intact as the interior of the filament deflates from solvent removal. Wet spun fibers from organic solvents are often bean shaped, while those from inorganic solvent systems are often round. Dry spun fibers, such as Du Font s Odon, are... 

Since PVA fiber as spun is soluble in water, it is necessary to improve the water resistance of the as-spun fiber (10). Heat treatment followed by acetalization is a classic method to provide high water resistance. 

The principal classes of high performance fibers are derived from rigid-rod polymers, gel spun fibers, modified carbon fibers, synthetic vitreous fibers, and poly(phenyiene sulfide) fibers. 

The crystal stmcture of PPT is pseudo-orthorhombic (essentially monoclinic) with a = 0.785/nm b = 0.515/nm c (fiber axis) = 1.28/nm and d = 90°. The molecules are arranged in parallel hydrogen-bonded sheets. There are two chains in a unit cell and the theoretical crystal density is 1.48 g/cm. The observed fiber density is 1.45 g/cm. An interesting property of the dry jet-wet spun fibers is the lateral crystalline order. Based on electron microscopy studies of peeled sections of Kevlar-49, the supramolecular stmcture consists of radially oriented crystaUites. The fiber contains a pleated stmcture along the fiber axis, with a periodicity of 500—600 nm. 

The copolymer fiber shows a high degree of drawabiUty. The spun fibers of the copolymer were highly drawn over a wide range of conditions to produce fibers with tensile properties comparable to PPT fibers spun from Hquid crystalline dopes. There is a strong correlation between draw ratio and tenacity. Typical tenacity and tensile modulus values of 2.2 N/tex (25 gf/den) and 50 N/tex (570 gf/den), respectively, have been reported for Technora fiber (8). 

Properties. As prepared, the polymer is not soluble in any known solvents below 200°C and has limited solubiUty in selected aromatics, halogenated aromatics, and heterocycHc Hquids above this temperature. The properties of Ryton staple fibers are in the range of most textile fibers and not in the range of the high tenacity or high modulus fibers such as the aramids. The density of the fiber is 1.37 g/cm which is about the same as polyester. However, its melting temperature of 285°C is intermediate between most common melt spun fibers (230—260°C) and Vectran thermotropic fiber (330°C). PPS fibers have a 7 of 83°C and a crystallinity of about 60%. 

HoUow-fiber fabrication methods can be divided into two classes (61). The most common is solution spinning, in which a 20—30% polymer solution is extmded and precipitated into a bath of a nonsolvent, generally water. Solution spinning allows fibers with the asymmetric Loeb-Soufirajan stmcture to be made. An alternative technique is melt spinning, in which a hot polymer melt is extmded from an appropriate die and is then cooled and sohdified in air or a quench tank. Melt-spun fibers are usually relatively dense and have lower fluxes than solution-spun fibers, but because the fiber can be stretched after it leaves the die, very fine fibers can be made. Melt spinning can also be used with polymers such as poly(trimethylpentene), which are not soluble in convenient solvents and are difficult to form by wet spinning. 

Wet spinning of this type of hoUow fiber is a weU-developed technology, especiaUy in the preparation of dialysis membranes for use in artificial kidneys. Systems that spin more than 100 fibers simultaneously on an around-the-clock basis are in operation. Wet-spun fibers are also used widely in ultrafiltration appUcations, in which the feed solution is forced down the bore of the fiber. Nitto, Asahi, Microgon, and Romicon aU produce this type of fiber, generaUy with diameters of 1—3 mm. 

Melt-spun fiber is produced from PMP at 280°C and is drawn around three times in air at 95°C its fiber strength is 0.18—0.26 N/tex (2—3 g/den), its elongation is around 30%. Melt-spun hoUow fibers are also manufactured. PMP has one of the highest permeabiHties for gases, and many of its appHcations capitalize on this property. 

Delusterants reduce the transparency, iacrease the whiteness, and alter the fiber s reflectance of light. Ti02 is the delusterant of choice for aU melt-spun fiber types because of its high cover, whiteness, and chemical and thermal stabUity. Nylon is translucent and requires ia most textile and... 

Secondary Structure. The silkworm cocoon and spider dragline silks are characterized as an antiparaHel P-pleated sheet wherein the polymer chain axis is parallel to the fiber axis. Other silks are known to form a-hehcal (bees, wasps, ants) or cross- P-sheet (many insects) stmctures. The cross-P-sheets are characterized by a polymer chain axis perpendicular to the fiber axis and a higher serine content. Most silks assume a range of different secondary stmctures during processing from soluble protein in the glands to insoluble spun fibers. 

During World War I, cellulose acetate replaced the highly flammable cellulose nitrate coating on airplane wings and the fuselage fabrics. After World War I, it found extensive use in photographic and x-ray films, spun fibers, and mol ding plastics. 

In order to see the effect of the compatibilizer more clearly, SEM (scanning electron microscopy) micrographs of the peeled back exposed surface of the spun fibers are shown in Fig. 7. In a noncompatibilized blend, the long TLCP fibrils are bundled together (Fig. 7A). The fibril surface looks quite clean and smooth along the... 

A report130 of DSC measurements on polybenzimidazole fibers describes important differences for the glass transition temperature depending on die mechanical treatment of the fiber. An as-spun fiber exhibits a Tg at 387°C instead of 401°C for a drawn fiber free to shrink or 435°C for a drawn fiber widi fixed length. 

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