Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Vol.82, No.9, 2194-2203, 2001
Melt spinnable spandex fibers from segmented copolyetheresteraramids
Spandex fibers were obtained by melt spinning segmented copolyetheresteramides with crystallizable aromatic diamide units of uniform length and poly(tetramethyleneoxide) segments. The aramid content was varied from 3 to 22 wt %, and the molecular weight of the polyether segment ranged from 1000 to 9000 g/mol. The influence of the spinning and drawing conditions on the fiber properties was investigated. The aromatic diamide units crystallize very fast. This made the melt spinning of the polymers easy. The aramide units were also found to be very effective in increasing the modulus. For a high elasticity a low aramid content was beneficial, and with a few percent a good elastic behavior is obtained. Orientation by drawing or a spin drawing process improves the elastic behavior. The elastic properties are compared to the values of commercial spandex fibers.