| Abstract: | The preparation of fibers from aqueous urea–formaldehyde resins has been investigated; a dry spinning process has been developed based on the extrusion of catalyzed resin into a drying chamber at 180–220°C, producing a multifilament yarn at spinning speeds of up to 600 m/min. A range of UF filaments was produced with diameters between 10–70 μm; the tenacities of spun filaments were 6–10 cN/tex, initial moduli were 220–340 cN/tex, and elongation at break was 4–10%. The best tensile properties resulted from conditions that produced the smallest diameter fibers. Postspin heat treatment improved the tenacity to 14 cN/tex and the elongation to 20%. Spinnability improved with increased viscosity of the spinning solution and increased cell temperature, while tenacity and elongation increased with increasing cell temperature and spinning stretch. A correlation was found between TGA weight loss (between 105 and 200°C) and fiber tenacity. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 64–74, 2000 |
