The impact of processing conditions on the structural and optical properties of the as-spun polyamides fibers

The development of crystallinity and orientation during the melt spinning of polyamides (nylon 66) was investigated. This study reports the question of the orientation and crystallinity determination of nylon 66 by means of differential scanning calorimetry, optical polarized microscope, and X-ray diffraction techniques during the cold drawing process. The different structural properties such as crystallinity, crystal size, birefringence, and different orientation functions were measured as a function of the draw ratio. From the obtained thermogram, it is clear that the melting temperature of the drawn nylon 66 fibers did not show a significant change due to the cold drawing process. As the draw ratio increase, the crystallinity and crystal size increase. The drawing process improves the chain orientations along the fiber axis of nylon 66 fibers. The orientations of the chain segments enhanced due to the cold drawing process of nylon 66 fibers.