• Macromolecular Research
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.119-126
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• 2004

In this study, the influence of silane coupling agents, featuring different organo-functional groups on the interlaminar and thermal properties of woven glass fabric-reinforced nylon 6 composites, has been by means of short-beam shear tests, dynamic mechanical analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The results indicate that the fiber-matrix interfacial characteristics obtained using the different analytical methods agree well with each other. The interlaminar shear strengths (ILSS) of glass fabric/nylon 6 composites sized with various silane coupling agents are significantly improved in comparison with that of the composite sized commercially. ILSS of the composites increases in the order: Z-6076 with chloropropyl groups in the silanes > Z-6030 with methacrylate groups> Z-6020 with diamine groups; this trend is similar to that of results found in an earlier study of interfacial shear strength. The dynamic mechanical properties, the fracture surface observations, and the thermal stability also support the interfacial results. The improvement of the interfacial properties may be ascribed to the different chemical reactivities of the reactive amino end groups of nylon 6 and the organo-functional groups located at the ends of the silane chains, which results from the increased chemical reactivity in order chloropropyl > methacrylate > diamine.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2004

In this work, glass fiber/nylon 6 and woven glass fiber/nylon 6 composites have been fabricated using glass fiber reinforcements sized with 3-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane(CTMS) having a chloropropyl organo-functional group in the molecular chain end. The interfacial shear strength of glass fiber/nylon 6 composite was measured using a single fiber microbonding test and the interlaminar shear strength and the storage modulus of woven glass fabric/nylon 6 composites were measured using a short-warn shear test and a dynamic mechanical analysis, respectively, informing the effect of the concentration of CTMS on the properties. With increasing CTMS concentration, the interfacial properties of the composites were improved. The results on the interfacial shear strength, interlaminar shear strength, interlaminar failure pattern, and storage modulus with varying the CTMS concentration agree with each other.