A heatable stretching device for dynamic X-ray studies

In this paper a heatable stretching device is presented which enables the performance of real-time X-ray experiments during deformation. The construction of the oven makes it possible to perform experiments with detectable X-ray diffraction angles (2θ) of up to 30°. It is shown that the apparatus can be used to study morphological changes occurring during the deformation/drawing of polymer materials, using the benefits of synchrotron facilities. A series of small-angle (SAXS) and wide-angle (WAXS) X-ray scattering patterns obtained during the drawing of melt-crystallized ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) at 373 K is presented.