Change in the structure of a polyethylene fiber, obtained by the gel-formation method, during its orientational drawing

This article examines how the structure of a polyethylene filament obtained by the gel method changes during its orientational drawing. It is shown that the length of the crystallites increases and the crystallization front moves deep into the amorphous interlayers of the nanofibrils as the drawing operation proceeds. As a result, the amorphous regions of the filament may be almost completely crystallized and a continuous crystalline phase may be formed. The end result of these transformations is the formation of an anisotropic product having excellent elastic and strength characteristics.