Production and Characterization of Cut Resistant Acrylic/Copolyaramid Fibers Via Bicomponent Wet Spinning Stephen Hipp Clemson University, [email protected]
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Clemson University TigerPrints All Dissertations Dissertations 12-2015 Production and Characterization of Cut Resistant Acrylic/Copolyaramid Fibers Via Bicomponent Wet Spinning Stephen Hipp Clemson University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations Part of the Polymer Chemistry Commons Recommended Citation Hipp, Stephen, "Production and Characterization of Cut Resistant Acrylic/Copolyaramid Fibers Via Bicomponent Wet Spinning" (2015). All Dissertations. 1587. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/1587 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PRODUCTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CUT RESISTANT ACRYLIC/COPOLYARAMID FIBERS VIA BICOMPONENT WET SPINNING A Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of Clemson University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Polymer and Fiber Science by Stephen James Hipp December 2015 Accepted by: Dr. Philip Brown, Committee Chair Dr. Gary Lickfield Dr. Olin Mefford Dr. Julia Sharp Abstract A composite fiber system consisting of a sheath core bicomponent polymer fiber loaded with hard ceramic particles was developed and characterized for use in cut protective clothing. The core component was comprised of a copolyaramid in order to provide high base cut resistance. An acrylic-copolyaramid polymer blend was used for the sheath component to improve processability and provide potential benefits such as dyeability. Lastly, aluminum oxide particles were incorporated into the fiber core to deflect and deform the cutting edge, further improving cut resistance. A series of designed experiments was used to explore the effects of the wet spinning and heat treatment processes on the structure and properties of the bicomponent fiber. Cut strength of the as-spun fibers was highest when the coagulation rate was slow, promoting the formation of a dense, macrovoid free fiber structure. Upon drawing, fibrillar domains developed within the fiber, further improving cut performance. Cut strength was greatly improved by the heat treatment process despite the fibers becoming highly anisotropic. Addition of the hard particle fillers to the bicomponent fibers showed a decrease in cut strength at the fiber level but nearly doubled the cut strength of resulting fabrics. Finally, the processability of the particle loaded bicomponent fibers was evaluated. ii Acknowledgements I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Philip Brown, for the time and energy he has devoted to me throughout my time as a graduate student, for teaching me how to think and helping me to grow as both an individual and a scientist. Thank you to Dr. Kathryn Stevens for being there for me on a daily basis as a mentor and a friend. Special thanks to Dr. Jeff Moreland and Dr. Julia Sharp for their help and assistance throughout this work. To the faculty and staff of the School of Materials Science and Engineering, thank you all for everything you have done throughout my tenure at Clemson University. Thank you in particular to Kim Ivey and Bob Bowen for your friendship and special roles you both played in shaping my academic career. Thank you to Dr. Gary Lickfield for helping to guide my way from the moment I set foot on the Clemson campus many years ago. I would also like to express my appreciation and gratitude for all of my lab mates, past and present. In particular I would like to say thank you to Dr. Joel Barden for being my partner in crime throughout the years. Lastly I would like to thank all of my family and friends for their love and support throughout this time. iii Table of Contents Page Title Page............................................................................................................................. i Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... iv List of Figures .................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... x 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Review of Materials Used For Shrapnel and Cut Protection ............................... 3 1.2 Classification and Production of Aramid Fibers .................................................. 5 1.3 Processing Advantages of Isotropic Copolyaramids Over PPTA ........................ 9 1.4 Development of Fiber Structure and Morphology in Wet Spinning .................. 16 1.5 Aramid Fiber Structure....................................................................................... 21 1.6 Cut Testing of Textile Materials ........................................................................ 23 1.7 Research Objectives ........................................................................................... 25 2 Experimental .............................................................................................................. 27 2.1 Materials ............................................................................................................. 27 2.2 Polymer Solution Preparation ............................................................................ 27 2.3 Fiber Processing ................................................................................................. 30 2.4 Fiber Analysis .................................................................................................... 33 2.5 Fabric Cut Strength ............................................................................................ 39 2.6 Statistical Analysis ............................................................................................. 39 3 Results and Discussion .............................................................................................. 41 3.1 Establishing Base Spinning Solutions ................................................................ 42 3.2 Designed Experiment 1: Effects of Sheath/Core Composition and Coagulation Conditions on Fiber Structure and Properties ............................................................... 48 3.3 Designed Experiment 2: Effects of Sheath/Core Compositon and Wet Draw Ratio on Fiber Structure and Properties ........................................................................ 70 iv Table of Contents (Continued) Page 3.4 Designed Experiment 3: Effects of Heat Treatment on Fiber Structure and Properties ....................................................................................................................... 86 3.5 Designed Experiment 4: Re-investigation of the effects of draw ratio during heat treatment ...................................................................................................................... 110 3.6 Effects of Aluminum Oxide Particles on Properties of Copolyaramid Fibers . 122 4 Conclusions ............................................................................................................. 136 4.1 Bicomponent Fiber Wet Spinning .................................................................... 136 4.2 Fiber Morphology and Molecular Orientation ................................................. 136 4.3 Fiber Tensile Properties ................................................................................... 137 4.4 Fiber Cut Strength ............................................................................................ 138 5 Recommendations for Future Work ........................................................................ 140 Appendix A ..................................................................................................................... 143 References ....................................................................................................................... 150 v List of Figures Page Figure 1-1: Bond configurations of aromatic rings in PPTA. ............................................. 6 Figure 1-2: The dry-jet wet spinning process used in the production of PPTA fibers (adapted from Blades [21], Figure 1). ................................................................................. 7 Figure 1-3: Examples of rigid, flexible, and kinked monomers used in the synthesis of soluble copolyaramids. ....................................................................................................... 8 Figure 1-4: Fiber cross-sections available using Hills Inc. bicomponent technology [37]. ........................................................................................................................................... 13 Figure 1-5: Schematic of the cross-section of side-by-side acrylic bicomponent fiber showing the deviation from circularity. ............................................................................ 15 Figure 1-6: Cross-section of COREBRID™ wet spun bicomponent fiber [42]. .............. 16 Figure 1-7: Ternary