Page 317 - Fiber Fracture
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FRACTURE OF SYNTHETIC POLYMER FIBERS 299
Molecular Weight
Fig. 12. Calculated dependence of the tensile strength on molecular weight.
the intrinsic strength of the C-C bond. Yet, within the range of commercial interest
2 x le < 3 x lo5, the ultimate tensile strength increases as M0.4.
Effect of Molecular Weight Distribution
In order to study the importance of the molecular weight distribution, we turn to a
bimodal system made of short chains with M = 5000 mixed with longer ones with
Fig. 13. Calculated dependence of the strength on composition for a blend of M = 5000 with M = 250,000.
