Structural principles of polymeric fibres

Abstract

A fibre must ultimately satisfy the needs of the consumer. The consumer is not concerned with the method of production of the fibre, nor with its chemistry and physics; the consumer looks for durability, comfort, adequate dimensional stability and other useful properties in addition to aesthetic appeal. However, the fibre producer must have a good understanding of how fibre structure controls its properties so that the fibre can be ‘engineered’ by suitable choice of the polymer and its molecular weight, orientation, crystallinity, morphology, etc. By so doing, the fibre producer can expect to meet the needs of the consumer. The starting point to gain such an understanding is to consider the fibre-forming polymers against the backdrop of the available polymers so that the structural requirements for a useful fibre-forming polymer become clear. This is the primary purpose of this chapter. The emphasis is on a physical understanding of the structure-property relationships in very simple terms; the resulting loss of accuracy should not detract from the main theme that is developed.