Birefringence in heat-mechanical modified freshly moulded polyester fibers

Abstract

The article submits new experimental data concerning to the role of combined thermo-mechanical treatments on the structural development of freshly moulded uncrystallized but crystallizable poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibers. The object of the present work is PET as a thermoplastic polymer with a large practical application. The report is devoted to the influence of the heat-mechanical modification temperature on the structure rearrangement in uniaxially orientated amorphous PET. The heat-mechanical modification of the investigated yarns and the optical measurements were realized by specialized gears constructed and built in the author's laboratories. The fibers heat-mechanical modification includes samples annealing at constant temperature above their glass transition temperature (Tg) without strain stress. The yarn annealing has been followed from well defined uniaxially strain-loading with values from 0 MPa up to 30 MPa during two minutes. The optical measurements were carried out by an optical system using a polarization microscope and a CCD camera. The obtained experimental data has been analyzed by Mocha-1.2 (Jandel Scientific) software. There are established dependences between the heat-mechanical modification mode and the structural rearrangements running in the studied PET samples.