Determination by DSC of secondary crystallization due to heatsetting of thermoplastic fibres

Abstract

Heatsetting is a thermal treatment applied to most textile fabrics to stabilise structure and dimensions. During heatsetting, a process of crystallization takes place. In thermoplastic fibres, the determination of the effective temperature of heatsetting and the crystallinity increase due to this treatment can be calculated by the study of the pre-melting endothermic peak (PEP) that appears in the corresponding DSC thermograms. In the case of substrates subjected to very intense treatments, the PEP and the main melting peak are overlapped and, then, those parameters are difficult to calculate. This paper develops a method to determine the effective temperature of heatsetting and crystallinity of the PEP of heatset substrates.