X-ray diffraction method for determining the value of a mechanical property or properties of a fiber

Claim 3

A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the said mechanical property is the Young''Modulus.

Claim 4

A method as claimed in claim 1 in which a first detector and one of the second detectors are arranged to lie substantially on a common radius of a circle, and the said first detector and another of the second detectors are arranged to be on the periphery of the said circle.

Claim 5

A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the polymer fiber is carbonaceous fiber.

Claim 6

Apparatus for examining a length of polymer fiber having crystallites in a preferred orientation to thereby determine the value of a mechanical property or properties of the fiber, said apparatus comprising: an X-ray generator, means for passing the length of polymer fiber continuously through a beam of X-rays emitted from said generator, first and second detector means which are positionable for receiving respectively substantially a maximum intensity indication and an intensity indication whose magnitude with respect to the maximum indication is known, means for determining the relative positions of said first and second detectors, thereby measuring the diffraction of X-rays from said generator which have passed transversely through said length of polymer fiber, and means for deducing therefrom the value of the said property or properties.

Claim 7

Apparatus for examining a length of polymer fiber having crystallites in a preferred orientation to thereby determine the value of a mechanical property or properties of the fiber, said apparatus comprising: an X-ray generator, means for passing the length of polymer fiber continuously through a beam of X-rays emitted from said generator, first and second detector means which are positionable for receiving respectively substantially a maximum intensity indication and an intensity indication whose magnitude with respect to the maximum indication is known, means for determining the relative positions of said first and second detectors, thereby measuring the diffraction of X-rays from said generator which have passed transversely through said length of polymer fiber, and means for deducing therefrom the value of the said property or properties.

Claim 8

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 comprising: a rotary disk which forms part of the surface of a sphere with its center at the intersection of said beam and length of fiber, first and second detectors mounted for movement along a common radius of said disk, means causing the first detector to scan until it receives substantially the said maximum indication, means thereafter causing the second detector to scan along the common radius until it receives the said indication having a predetermined magnitude with respect to the maximum indication, a further detector, and means causing the further detector to scan along the periphery of the circle on which the first detector is located until it receives an indication of predetermined magnitude with respect to the maximum indication.