Practical characterization of the structure of crystalline polymer moldings

The thermal and flow gradients present during thick polymer molding processes can produce layered structures through the thickness which vary in crystallinity, orientation, and axiality. Such structural complexity is difficult, expensive, and time consuming to characterize and presently impossible to predict. In order to overcome these problems emphasis in our laboratory has been directed toward the development of rapid, nondestructive techniques for the quantitative characterization of the structure of thick polymer samples. This includes the characterization of the average structure, the surface structure, and the internal layer structure. The present paper discusses some of these techniques and illustrates their application.