Optothermal properties of fibers. I. Relations between optical properties and change of the density and mechanical loss factor for annealed polyester fibers

Polyester (Egyptain manufacturers) fibers were annealed in the temperature range 80–190°C for time intervals from 1 to 10 h. The density of the annealed fibers was measured by a system based on the theory of vibrating strings. The fiber diameter was also determined, using the laser forward diffraction technique. Refractive indices and birefringence for annealed fibers at different temperatures and constant time, 1 h, were measured by the polarizing interference microscope. The behavior of fiber density and the mechanical loss factor at different annealing temperatures and times were discussed at different optical parameters. The results obtained clarify the effect of annealing time and temperatures on the optical, density, and mechanical loss factor behavior of polyester fibers. Microinterferograms are given for illustration.