Comparative Structural and Mechanical Studies on Polyamide 6 Knitted‐Reinforced Single Polymer Composites Prepared by Different Reactive Processing Techniques

Single polymer laminate composites based on anionic polyamide 6 (PA6) matrix‐reinforced by PA6 knitted textile structures (KSPC) were produced by nylon reactive injection molding and powder coating/compression molding (PCCM) processing techniques. The effect of the reinforcement's structure and the fiber volume fraction on the mechanical properties of the knitted‐reinforced PA6 composites resulting from the two methods were investigated and compared. The morphology and the crystalline structure of KSPC materials were studied to identify the main factors determining the tensile properties. The results showed that the PCCM method produced laminate composites with higher Young's modulus and mechanical strength in tension. Microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and X‐ray diffraction experiments were carried out to correlate the morphology and crystalline structure of the composites and their precursors with the different tensile behavior of KSPC prepared using the two techniques. The microscopy and X‐ray scattering studies suggested the formation of a transcrystalline layer at the matrix/reinforcement interface. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:E886–E897, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers