Nylon mechanical properties

DuraForm GF from 3D Systems simulates the properties of glass-filled polyamide (nylon). Mechanical properties are listed in Table 15.7 and thermal properties are listed in Table 15.8. 

Commercial production of PVA fiber was thus started in Japan, at as early a period as that for nylon. However, compared with various other synthetic fibers which appeared after that period, the properties of which have continuously been improved, PVA fiber is not very well suited for clothing and interior uses because of its characteristic properties. The fiber, however, is widely used in the world because of unique features such as high affinity for water due to the —OH groups present in PVA, excellent mechanical properties because of high crystallinity, and high resistance to chemicals including alkah and natural conditions. 

Blends with good mechanical properties can be made from DMPPO and polymers with which DMPPO is incompatible if an appropriate additive, compatibilizing agent, or treatment is used to increase the dispersion of the two phases. Such blends include mixtures of DMPPO with nylon, polycarbonate, polyester, ABS, and poly(phenylene sulfide). 

Nylon. Nylons comprise a large family of polyamides with a variety of chemical compositions (234,286,287). They have excellent mechanical properties, as well as abrasion and chemical resistance. However, because of the need for improved performance, many commercial nylon resins are modified by additives so as to improve toughness, heat fabrication, stabiUty, flame retardancy, and other properties. 

Polymers used for seat and plug seals and internal static seals include PTFE (polytetrafluoroeth ene) and other fluorocarbons, polyethylene, nylon, polyether-ether-ketone, and acetal. Fluorocarbons are often carbon or glass-filled to improve mechanical properties and heat resistance. Temperature and chemical compatibility with the process fluid are the key selec tion criteria. Polymer-lined bearings and guides are used to decrease fric tion, which lessens dead band and reduces actuator force requirements. See Sec. 28, Materials of Construction, for properties. 

In the case of commercial crystalline polymers wider differences are to be noted. Many polyethylenes have a yield strength below 20001bf/in (14 MPa) whilst the nylons may have a value of 12 000 Ibf/in (83 MPa). In these polymers the intermolecular attraction, the molecular weight and the type and amount of crystalline structure all influence the mechanical properties. 

Copolymers of chlorotrifluoroethylene and ethylene were introduced by Allied Chemicals under the trade name Halar in the early 1970s. This is essentially a 1 1 alternating copolymer compounded with stabilising additives. The polymer has mechanical properties more like those of nylon than of typical fluoroplastic, with low creep and very good impact strength. Furthermore the polymers have very good chemical resistance and electrical insulation properties and are resistant to burning. They may be injection moulded or formed into fibres. 

Typical mechanical properties of some commercial grades of nylon are given in Table 18.1. 

Table 18.6 Effect of conditioning on selected mechanical properties of nylon 46 (Conditioning according to ISO 1110 accelerated method 70 C/62% RH. All measurements at 23 C)...

The above comments refer to comparisons between the two compositions at the same glass-fibre level. If, however, comparison is made between a nylon 66 composition with a glass content of x% and a nylon 6 compound with a glass content of (x + 5)%, then the differences in mechanical properties become very small. At the same time the nylon 6 material will have slightly easier processing characteristics and surface quality. 

It must, however, be stressed that for design purposes such data have little value. Like the nylons, which are also widely used for load-bearing light engineering applications, the polyacetals exhibit a small but finite creep under load. It is thus necessary to consider mechanical properties under those main headings. 

An important subdivision within the thermoplastic group of materials is related to whether they have a crystalline (ordered) or an amorphous (random) structure. In practice, of course, it is not possible for a moulded plastic to have a completely crystalline structure due to the complex physical nature of the molecular chains (see Appendix A). Some plastics, such as polyethylene and nylon, can achieve a high degree of crystallinity but they are probably more accurately described as partially crystalline or semi-crystalline. Other plastics such as acrylic and polystyrene are always amorphous. The presence of crystallinity in those plastics capable of crystallising is very dependent on their thermal history and hence on the processing conditions used to produce the moulded article. In turn, the mechanical properties of the moulding are very sensitive to whether or not the plastic possesses crystallinity. 

General mechanical properties Similar to GR grades of 66 nylon Higher compressive strength... 

Oridation. This is caused by contact with oxidising acids, exposure to u-v, prolonged application of excessive heat, or exposure to weathering. It results in a deterioration of mechanical properties (embrittlement and possibly stress cracking), increase in power factor, and loss of clarity. It affects most thermoplastics to varying degrees, in particular polyolefins, PVC, nylons, and cellulose derivatives. 

Figure 15 (A) Tensile strength versus draw ratio of nylon 46-Vectra B (75 25 wt ratio) and (B) tensile modulus of the blends when 2.7 wt% of SA-g-EPDM was added. Lines are guides for eyes. Closed symbols are mechanical properties of the binary nylon 46-Vectra B blend (75 25 wt ratio) Source Ref. 57.

In the PP-PA system, the DSC thermograms showed two peaks corresponding to nylon and PP. For the compatibilized system the crystallization peak of nylon remains unaltered, while that of PP shifted toward a higher temperature in the case of PPacr, and for PPmal, the shift was to lower temperatures (Fig. 1). This may be due to the fact that PPacr was acting as the nucleating agent. The average crystallinity of the blend was also decreased by the incorporation of compatibilizer. The mechanical properties of these blends was improved by the addition of PPmal and PPacr as compatibilizers (Table 1). 

Note The principal reinforcement, with respect to quantity, is glass fibers, but many other types are used (cotton, rayon, polyester/TP, nylon, aluminum, etc.). Of very limited use because of their cost and processing difficulty are whishers (single crystals of alumina, silicon carbide, copper, or others), which have superior mechanical properties. 

However, the field of polymer day silicate has only started to speed up recently, mixing the appropriate modified layered silicate with synthetic layered silicates has long been known (Theng, 1979). The interest in these materials came from two important findings, first has been reported by Toyota research group of a Nylon-6 (N6)/Na-MMT nano-composites (Okada et ah, 1990) where very small amounts of layered silicate loadings resulted in the improvements of thermal and mechanical properties and second the findings of Vaia et ah (1993) about the... 

Research concerning nylon-elastomer blends has mostly focused on the improvement of mechanical and thermal properties. Their dynamic mechanical properties are quite important both for processing and engineering applications. Wang and Zheng have smdied the influence of grafting on the dynamic mechanical properties of a blend based on nylon 1212 and a graft... 

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