Stamicarbon B.v.

Jacques P Pijpers

Paul Smith

Pieter J Lemstra

Robert Kirschbaum

Franciscus H Maurer

An improved process for the preparation of polymer filaments having a high tensile strength and modulus by spinning a solution of high-molecular weight polymer and thereafter stretching the filament thus formed. A solution of an ethylene polymer or copolymer, containing at least 80 percent by weight solvent, is spun at a temperature above the gel point of the solution. The ethylene polymer or copolymer contains at most about 5 percent by weight of an alkene having 3 to 8 carbon atoms, has a weight-average molecular weight Mw higher than 4.times.10.sup.5 kg/kmole, and has a weight/number average molecular weight ratio Mw/Mn lower than 5. The spun polymer solution is thereafter cooled to a temperature below its gel point to form a gel filament, which gel filament is thereafter stretched to form a polymer filament having a tensile strength of at least about 1.5 GPa at room temperature.

Process for the production of polymer filaments having high tensile

Process for the production of filaments of polyethylene with high modulus and tensile strength, comprising spinning a filler containing solution of a linear polyethylene with a weight-average molecular weight (M.sub.w) of at least 400,000 to form filled filaments and then stretching the filaments.

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Limbricht, Netherlands

Jacques P Pijpers