Anisotropy of mechanical and dielectric relaxation in oriented poly(ethylene terephthalate)

The anisotropy of the α and β relaxations in oriented poly(ethylene terephthalate) has been studied by dynamic mechanical and dielectric relaxation measurements. The α relaxation shows considerable mechanical anisotropy but gives rise to an isotropic dielectric process. The β relaxation, on the other hand, shows pronounced dielectric anisotropy but very little mechanical anisotropy. The implication of these results with regard to possible interpretations of the relaxations are discussed.