Publications Details

Mechanical behavior of polyamide-6 after combined photo-oxidative and hygrothermal aging

Cundiff, Kenneth N.; Rodriguez, A.K.; Benzerga, A.A.

Abstract: The effect of moisture on the photo-oxidative degradation of polyamide-6 (PA-6) was studied by analyzing the mechanical response after two different accelerated aging procedures. In the first aging procedure, the PA-6 was only exposed to ultra-violet (UV) radiation at 60 ∘C. In the second procedure, the same duration of UV radiation was periodically interrupted while the relative humidity was raised to 100%. Diffusion-limited and nominally homogeneous degradation conditions were investigated using bulk and film specimens, respectively. Accelerated UV aging reduced the ductility of PA-6, but the additional hygrothermal exposure had no effect on the ductility or strength, indicating that humidity did not influence the photo-oxidation of PA-6. This finding contrasts with previous studies that found thermo-oxidation of PA-6 was accelerated by moisture. Graphical abstract: (Figure presented.)