THE AMORPHOUS PHASE IN HIGH-SPEED SPUN PET FIBERS

Two phenomenogical descriptions of oriented semicrystalline polymers, the series-parallel model and the series-aggregate model, were applied to poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibers obtained at different s pinning speeds. The mechanical behavior of the fibers conformed well t o both models. The analyses indicate that PET fibers obtained by high- speed spinning possess a more compliant interfibrillar amorphous phase . This feature may account for both the greater dimensional stability, as well as the more reversible mechanical behavior, exhibited by high -speed spun PET. (C) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.