Structure And Property Studies Of Poly (Trimethylene Terephthalate) High-speed Melt Spun Fibers

Poly(trimethylene terephthalate) has been melt spun at various take-up velocities from 0.5 to 8 km/min to prepare fiber samples. The effect of take-up velocity on the structure and properties of as-spun fibers has been characterized through measurements of birefringence, density, wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), DSC melting behavior, tensile properties and boiling water shrinkage. The birefringence exhibits a maximum at take-up velocities between 3 and 4 km/min. The fiber samples spun at the lower take-up speeds have essentially amorphous structures, while the filaments prepared at a velocity range higher than 4 km/min all possess an obvious crystalline structure. With increasing take-up speed, a steady improvement in tensile strength, elongation to break, and boiling water shrinkage is found, whereas the initial modulus remains almost constant within the measurement error, over the entire take-up speed range between 0.5 and 8 km/min.