Five‐line model for the description of radial x‐ray diffractometer scans of nylon 6 yarns

Abstract

Types of nylon 6 yarn which contain large γ crystals cannot be described by a model comprising three Pearson VII curves, as we formerly proposed. Hence, a new extended computer program has been developed containing five Pearson VII lines. Two lines are related to the α phase, two to γ‐phase crystals, and the fifth describes the amorphous contribution. Some physical relations between parameters could be derived and were incorporated into the computer program. This program provides extremely good fits to all equatorial diffractometer scans which can be obtained from nylon 6 yarns, including those containing large γ crystals. The parameter accuracy is quite satisfactory for diffractometer traces with well‐resolved peaks from both α and γ crystals. However, if the traces are poorly resolved or the samples do not contain a sufficient amount of the γ modification, resulting in a lack of detailed information, the parameter accuracy can be rather poor. For those cases special versions of the computer program were developed which contain further empirical interrelations between parameters. With these programs crystal sizes and molecular distances within the crystals of both the α and β modifications can be determined. The method has also been applied to radial scans at various small azimuthal angles with respect to the equator. In that way the relative amounts of the α and γ crystals as well as their orientation factors could be determined. Various aspects of this investigation are illustrated by some examples.