Effect of hygrothermal aging on the mechanical properties and ductile fracture of polyamide 6: Experimental and numerical approaches

In this paper we present an experimental and numerical approaches aimed to assess the hygrothermal aging effect on the mechanical properties and ductile tearing of polyamide 6 (PA6). Conditioning was conducted at different temperatures (24 +/- 3, 70 and 90 degrees C) and diffusion coefficients were estimated. The behavior of PA6 is discussed before and after aging. Digital Image Correlation (DIC) method was used to precise the displacement field at different steps of loading. A numerical model based on the local approach to fracture mechanics was tested to predict ductile tearing of PA6. Excellent agreement was proved with experimental results in terms of the J-Da, load-displacement and CTOD-Da curves. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.