FRACTURE-BEHAVIOR AND MORPHOLOGY OF SPUN COLLAGEN-FIBERS

The influence of gultaraldehyde (GA) crosslinking, basic chromium sulf ate (Cr) tanning, and thermal treatments on the fracture behavior and morphology of spun collagen fibers has been studied. The fracture morp hology of the fibers is characterized by longitudinal splitting along the fiber axis. Although the essential fracture morophology was not in fluenced by GA crosslinking, Cr tanning, and thermal treatments, the p rocess of splitting depended on the kind of crosslink. Noncrosslinked and Cr-tanned fibers were split into fibrils, but GA-crosslinked fiber was split without fibrillation. The thermal treatments have two effec ts: One is decrease in number of defects and/or flaws; the other is ge latinization. In the thermal treatment above 140 degrees C, the gelati nization plays a more important role for the tensile properties than d oes the effect of a decrease of a defect. Gelatinization results in th e enhancements of slippage and separation of macrofibrils and/or fibri ls after the yield point. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.