Determination of mechanical performance of glass fiber reinforced and elastomer filled polyamide 6 composites

Abstract

In this study, the mechanical performances of neat Polyamide 6 (PA6) polymer, 20wt.% glass fiber reinforced PA6, and 8% SEBS elastomer with 20% glass fiber reinforced PA6 composite were investigated. Composite materials were first produced in the form of granules by using a twin-screw extruder. Later, mechanical test samples were molded, in accordance with the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) standards, using an injection molding technique. Mechanical parameters such as tensile strength, tensile modulus, elongation at break, impact strength, flexural strength, and flexural modulus were determined by tensile, impact, and bending tests. With the addition of 20wt.% glass fiber reinforcement to the PA6 polymer matrix, properties such as tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, and flexural modulus increased, while properties such as elongation at break and impact strength decreased. For the 20% glass fiber reinforced PA6 composite with 8% SEBS rubber additive, while the impact strength increased by 177%, other mechanical values decreased. The fractured surface microstructure images of the samples obtained from the tensile tests were examined using a scanning electron microscope.

Keywords

• Glass fiber
• Mechanical properties
• Polyamide
• Rubber
• SEBS

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