Process for the preparation of filaments of high tensile strength and modulus

摘要

The invention relates to the preparation of filaments with a high tensile strength and a high modulus and to the filaments thus prepared. A solution of a linear polyethylene with a weight-average molecular weight of at least 4x105 is spun and the filaments, from which the solvent may have been removed in whole or in part, are drawn using a draw ratio of at least (12x106/Mw)+1. The filaments are drawn at a temperature such that the modulus is at least 20 GPa. The invention allows filaments to be prepared at high drawing rates, of 0.5 sec-1 or more, with a modulus of at least 20 GPa and a tensile strength of at least 1 GPa.