Morphology and mechanical properties of glass fiber reinforced Nylon 6 nanocomposites

Nylon 6 composites containing both an organoclay and glass fibers as fillers were prepared by melt processing. The aspect ratios of the glass fibers and the clay platelets were determined by electron microscopy techniques. The aspect ratio of each type of filler decreased as filler loading increased. A two particle population model for the tensile modulus was constructed based on the Mori-Tanaka composite theory. The experimental levels of reinforcement appear to be reasonably consistent with model predictions when changes in particle aspect ratios are accounted for. The tensile strength increases and elongation at break decreases as the content of either filler increases according to expected trends. Izod impact strength increased with glass fiber content but decreased with clay content. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.