Description:
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>The analytical characterization of synthetic fibers has not kept pace with their development and production. Whereas the “second‐generation” fibers have already conquered the market, the chemical investigation methods used until now for the three classical fiber polymers of the polyester, polyamide, and polyacrylonitrile types are still frequently unsatisfactory. Though they satisfy the requirements of production supervision and quality control, they do not supply enough information to enable us to understand and to explain the degradation of and damage to the polymers under hydrolytic, thermal, or thermooxidative influences. This report presents methods of chemical analysis that open up new possibilities for investigations of this nature on synthetic fibers. The results reported for commercial products must not be taken as an assessment of quality. They are simply intended to show the diversity to be expected in the chemical properties and to emphasize the practical basis of the chemical analysis of synthetic fibers.</jats:p>