Analysis of Necking Deformation Behavior in High-Speed In-line Drawing Process of PET by On-line Diameter and Velocity Measurements

To clarify the the characteristic behavior of filament deformation in high-speed in-line drawing process of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), on-line measurements of filament velocity and diameter were performed. In the process, velocity of the first godet roller was fixed at 2 km/min and the draw ratio was varied from 1.75 to 2.25 by changing the velocity of the second godet roller from 3.5 to 4.5 km/min. For comparison, on-line measurements were also performed for the high-speed melt spinning process at take-up velocities of 2 to 5 km/min. Diameter and velocity profiles of PET filament in the high-speed in-line drawing process indicated that the filament started to deform immediately after passing through the first godet roller (GR-1), and finished its deformation at 40 similar to 60 cm from the GR-1. The region of deformation became narrower and shifted toward the GR-1 with an increase in the draw ratio. Detailed analysis of necking deformation through simultaneous diameter measurements at two positions of close distance revealed that the position of necking deformation fluctuates along the drawing-line and its shape varies significantly depending on the direction of its movement. When the position of necking deformation was shifting toward the upstream, its shape was steeper than the one shifting toward the downstream. Results of the simultaneous on-line measurements of diameter and velocity supported this conclusion qualitatively. The analyzed maximum strain rate at the draw ratio of 2.0 reached a high value of 510 s(-1).