Mechanical and rheological properties of PA6/ABS blends - With and without short glass fiber

ABSTRACT: Polyamide-6 (PA6), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), and their blends are an important class of engineering thermoplastics that are widely used for electronic and automotive industries. Many efforts have been made to improve the properties of both pure components and the blends. It was for this reason that the mechanical and rheological properties of PA6/ABS blend systems compatibilized by acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrenemaleic anhydride was studied. Short glass fiber was also used to enhance the compatibilized blends. The systems were prepared using a twin screw extruder. The specimens for mechanical test were molded using injection molding. The com-patibilized blends showed higher mechanical properties compared to uncompatibilized blend. However, the impact strength reduced with the introduction of short glass fiber in the blends. The processing properties of the materials have been investigated using dynamic rheometer. The rheological measurements confirmed the increased in interaction between the blend components with the incorporation of compatibilizer. The incorporation of short glass fiber (SGF) into the compatibilized blends increased the storage and loss modulus as well as the viscosity of the blends. KEY WORDS: thermoplastics composites, rheology, PA6/ABS-SGF composites