Structure evolution and mechanical behavior of poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers drawn at different number of drawing stages

Abstract

In this work, the structure, mechanical and thermal properties of PET fiber obtained by hot multi-stage drawing have been investigated in terms of their dependence on the number of drawing steps at an equivalent total draw ratio. Differential scanning calorimetry, birefringence, wide-angle x-ray diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy, tensile properties, and taut-tie molecules were used to characterize the fine structure and physical properties of the fibers. Results have been explained in terms of a higher drawing residence time at an equivalent drawing speed. For single stage drawn fiber, a high tensile strength is obtained, whereas a high initial modulus is obtained for fiber drawn at three-stage drawing. According to the results, an important finding is that three-stage drawing process has the potential to produce high-modulus fibers. The enhanced fraction of taut-tie molecules is found in three-stage drawn fiber, which is believed to be one of the important factors leading to the high modulus achieved in fibers drawn in hot multistage.