Relationship between the crystalline structure and mechanical behavior in isotropic and oriented polyamide 12

Abstract

This study reports on the relationship between the crystalline structure and mechanical behavior of differently processed and annealed polyamide 12 (PA12) samples. Two sets of samples were obtained: isotropic PA12 films prepared by hot pressing and oriented cables prepared by consecutive extrusion and cold drawing. These samples were isothermally annealed in the range of 80–1608C and then subjected to tensile tests at room temperature. A combination of solid-state 13C-NMR and synchrotron wide- and small-angle X-ray scattering was used to obtain reliable structural data from these samples before and after the tensile tests. These structural data were related to the mechanical properties of the respective PA12 samples. Deformation models explaining all the experimental results were suggested for the different PA12 samples.