Effects of processing conditions on the fiber length distribution and mechanical properties of glass fiber reinforced nylon-6

The effects of processing conditions on fiber length degradation were investigated in order to produce composites with higher performance. Nylon-6 was compounded with glass fibers in a twin-screw extruder for various combinations of screw speed and feed rate. Collected samples were injection molded and Izod impact and tensile tests were performed in order to observe the effect of fiber length on the mechanical properties. Also, by using the extruded and injection molded samples, fiber length distribution curves were obtained for all the experimental runs. Results show that when the shear rate is increased through the alteration of the screw speed and/or the feed rate, the average fiber length decreases. Impact strength, tensile modulus and tensile strength increase, whereas elongation at break decreases with the average fiber length