Elasticity and photoelasticity relationships for polyethylene terephthalate fiber networks by molecular simulation

We present a framework for the development of elasticity and photoelasticity relationships for polyethylene terephthalate fiber networks, incorporating aspects of the primary molecular structure. Semicrystalline polymeric fiber networks are modeled as sequentially arranged crystalline and amorphous regions. Rotational isomeric states-Monte Carlo simulations of amorphous chains of up to 360 bonds (degree of polymerization, DP=60), confined between and bridging infinite impenetrable crystalline walls, have been characterized by Omega, the probability density of the intercrystal separation h, and Deltabeta, the polarizability anisotropy. ln Omega and Deltabeta have been modeled as functions of h, yielding the chain deformation relationships. The development has been extended to the fiber network to yield the photoelasticity relationships. We execute our framework by fitting to experimental stress-elongation data and employing the single fitted parameter to directly predict the birefringence-elongation behavior, without any further fitting. Incorporating the effect of strain-induced crystallization into the framework makes it physically more meaningful and yields accurate predictions of the birefringence-elongation behavior.