Modeling the mechanical properties of highly oriented polymer films: A fiber/gel composite theory approach

Controlling the extent of orientation is of great interest in polymer processing and is effected by the choice of polymer, the fabrication technique and the processing conditions. Understanding the crystalline transitions that form highly oriented fibrils is necessary for modeling the changes in physical properties, relative to degree of orientation. A model is proposed to describe the mechanical properties of drawn semicrystalline polymer films based on structural transitions. With a minimal amount of experimental data (requiring testing on only two drawn films samples), this model can be used to predict film properties. These properties include the critical and maximum draw ratios, the moduli at the maximum draw ratio, the moduli of the fiber, the modulus of the nonfibrous gel relative to draw ratio, the volume fraction of fibers, and the rate of fibrillation. Where high degrees of uniaxial orientation are required, the polymer is typically drawn in the solid state, meaning the polymer is stretched in a single direction at temperatures below the melting point. During this process, preexisting crystallites are transformed into fiber-like structures with large aspect ratios. The presence of these rigid asymmetric structures significantly enhances the moduli and break strength of the polymer. This work presents a model that describes the formation of fiber-like structures. The volume fraction of fibers is predicted to be linear in draw ratio. The derived relationship between volume fraction of fibers and draw ratio can then be used for the prediction of the various properties of the oriented film. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.