Process Modeling for the Fiber Diameter of Polymer, Spun by Pressure-Coupled Infusion Gyration

Several new spinning methods have been developed recently to mass produce polymeric fibers. Pressure-coupled infusion gyration is one of them. Because the fiber diameter plays a pivotal role for the mechanical, electrical, and optical properties of the produced fiber mats, in this work, polyethylene oxide is used as a model polymer, and the processing parameters including polymer concentration, infusion (flow) rate, working pressure, and rotational speed are chosen as variables to control fiber diameters spanning the micro-to nanoscale. The experimental process is modeled using response surface methodology, both in linear and nonlinear fitting formats, to allow optimization of processing parameters. The successes of the fitted models are evaluated using adjusted R-2 and Akaike information criterion. A systematic description of the experimental process could be obtained according to the model in this study. From the analysis of variance, it is concluded that the polymer concentration of the solution and the working pressure affected the fiber diameters more strongly than other parameters.