The influence of the drying process time on the final properties of recycled glass fiber reinforced polyamide 6

Polyamides are intrinsically hygroscopic because of the polar nature of their chains, which make them moisture sensitive materials, and hence chemically unstable towards hydrolytic conditions. Prior to processing steps, polyamide composites need to be dried in order to attain their good mechanical properties afterwards. Nevertheless, polyamide based materials may undergo discoloration and sonic deterioration after long drying periods. Industrial wastes consisting of glass fiber reinforced polyamide 6 (PA 6) composite were dried for 3, 6 and 9 h before reprocessing. The reprocessing of this type of composite was shown to be quite viable, because satisfactory physical-mechanical properties are attained thereafter, which make them suitable for several applications where these properties are desirable. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.