677.494.675.66.081 and N. P. LebedevaThe water vapor sorption isotherms were measured for different types of high-strength fibres based on carbocyclic and heterocyclic para-aramids: Rusar (copolymers of amidobenzimidazole and p-phenylene terephthalamide), Twaron and Kevlar (poly-p-phenylene terephthalamide), and for comparison, capron (polycaproamide). The parameters of the thermal sorption equation and the thermodynamic characteristics of sorption of water vapor were calculated with previously obtained sorption data with the previously developed theoretical-probability model of sorption. A correlation was found between the integral heat of sorption in amorphous regions of para-aramid fibres and the specific cohesive energy.The para-aramid fibres and filaments created at the end of the last century have been widely used for fabricating highload, low-deformation textile articles, high-strength composite materials, and rescue and occupational safety equipment whose performance and storage frequently involve moisture. Sorption of moisture by fibres affects the physicomechanical and performance properties of fibres and materials made from them [1-3]. As a result of sorption of water vapors, plasticization, changes in the structure and properties of the fibres which are a function of the molecular structure, number of polar and functional groups, and the accessibility in amorphous regions of the structure, as well as the effect of the external conditions (temperature, partial water vapor pressure, exposure time), take place.However, an analysis of the literature showed that the sorption properties of high-strength para-aramid fibres have been insufficiently investigated and the available data are somewhat contradictory [4][5][6][7]. There has been no generalization and analysis of the sorption data using existing mathematical models for these fibres [8][9][10].We investigated the sorption properties of the basic types of high-strength para-aramid fibres as a function of the relative humidity. The experimental data were processed with a theoretical-probability model of sorption of vapors of lowmolecular-weight substances by polymer materials [11,12] and the heat effects and change in the thermodynamic functions in sorption of water vapor by para-aramid fibres were also calculated.Sample of domestic and foreign para-aramid fibres provided by the manufacturers were investigated. The characteristics of the objects investigated are reported in Table 1.Before measuring the sorption, the fibre samples were extracted with carbon tetrachloride to remove the oiling agent and dried to a constant weight at a temperature of 108±2°C. Equilibrium sorption of water vapor was measured by the isopiestic method and relative humidity was measured in the desiccators was created above saturated solutions of salts [13]. The desiccators were thermostated at 298 K. Equilibrium sorption values were established for 5-6 weeks.The water vapor sorption isotherms obtained in the study were S-shaped (Fig. 1), characteristic of amorphous and amorp...