Morphology and tensile property relations of high‐strength/high‐modulus polyethylene fiber

High‐strength/high‐modulus polyethylene (PE) fibers have been obtained from linear polymers by melt‐spinning the polyethylene followed by hot‐drawing the spun filaments. Fibers with different tensile properties were made by changing the extrusion, solidification, and drawing conditions and by use of different types of polyethylene. Potential correlations of fiber strength with morphological parameters such as crystallite dimensions, and crystalline and amorphous orientation were examined. The integrated meridional small‐angle x‐ray scattering intensity is the only morphological parameter which was found to correlate well with the strength of fibers prepared under different conditions and from different polymer types. Implications with respect to the molecular mechanism of PE fiber drawing are also discussed.