ARAMID

FIBER

Monabbir Rafsan Fahim

Textile Engineering
Management,
BUTEX
 1948 Dupont aimed at very high strength fibers and high temperature resistant fiber

1950 Paul Morgan’s development of low temperature solution polymerization

to
1960 Beste and Stephens elucidate role of certain salts in obtaining good solutions

Early Nomex, first high temperature resistant, m-aramid fiber

60’s
Mid 60’s Stephane Kwolek focused on poly(1,4-benzamide) polymer and origin of fiber B

In 70’s Herb blades air gap spinning and Kevlar introduced, p-aramid fiber

HISTORY
According to US Federal Trade Commission,
“The term Aramid is used to designate fibers of the aromatic polyamide type in which at
least 85% of the amide linkages are directly attached to the two aromatic rings”

Compositions
Although applying different compositions, only three/four of them have reached to
commercial stages:_
1. Poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide) ------ MPDI
 Popular Brands

Nomex (DuPont)
Teijinconex (Teijin)
Apyeil (unitika)
New star (Yantai)
2. Poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) ------ PPTA
 Popular Brands

Kevlar (DuPont)
Twaron (Teijin)

3. copoly(p-phenylene-3,4-diphenyl ether terephthalamide)---- ODA-PPTA

 Popular Brands

Technora (Teijin)
 MPDI (Nomex)
O O
NH2 NH2 Cl C C Cl

m-Phenylene Diamine iso-phthaloyl chloride

PPTA (Kevlar)

NH2 NH2 Cl C C Cl

O O
P-Phenylene Diamine terephthaloyl chloride

Synthesis
m-Phenylene Diamine (MPD)
Nitration Catalytic
Benzene m-dinitrobenzene MPD Crude
H2SO4 Dehydrogenation
Selective
m-Phenylene Diamine Distillation

P-Phenylene Diamine (PPD)

Air Aniline
Ammonia oxidation
Nitrogen Oxide Diphenyl Triazine

Mixture of p- and o-amino HNO3

PPD Arrangement
hydrogenation azobenzene

Synthesis of monomer
Spinning
Fine Structure:_
 PPTA is a highly crystalline material with Kevlar 29 (68-85%) and Kevlar 49 (95%)
degree of crystallinity
 MPDI has a triclinic cell and is less crystalline than PPTA

Thermal Properties:_
 High Glass Transition temperature (Tg) due to :
1. Hydrogen Bonding 2. Chain rigidity

 Low thermal conductivity and negative thermal expansion co-efficient

 p-aramid fiber is self screening whereas m-aramid fiber is self-extinguishing

Solubility and Chemical properties:_

 Chemically stable to nearly all the treatments but degraded in strong acids, strong
bases and hypochlorite at elevated temperature

Structure and Properties

  MPDI is mostly soluble in amide solvent with certain salts like CaCl2 and LiCl2
increasing the solubility
 Exposure to strong oxidizing agents result in a significant strength loss
 The hydrophilicity of amide groups leads to significant moisture absorption where
Kevlar 29 absorbs ~7% water, Kevlar 49 ~4%, and Kevlar 149 only 1%.
 High degree of aromaticity guides to excellent flame resistance with limited Oxygen
Index (LOI) of 28-32%

Mechanical Properties:_
 Higher tensile strength and modulus as well stiffness for p-aramid due to:
1. Bonding of rigid phenylene in para position
2. Extensive H-bonding as amide groups are present at a regular interval

 For m-aramid, the tensile properties are not high as p-aramid but it contains more
textile like properties and excellent thermal stability
 Composites Protective Apparel Ballistic Protection

Friction materials Aircraft/Aerospace

Medical Application ARAMID Ropes And Cables

Tires
FIBER Structural Engineering

Mechanical Rubber Automotive

Goods

Sporting Goods Marine Industrial

Applications