MORPHOLOGICAL AND ORIENTATION STUDIES OF INJECTION-MOLDED NYLON-6,6 KEVLAR COMPOSITES

In this work, nylon-6,6/Kevlar short fibre composites have been proces sed by injection moulding. Their microstructure, and fibre and matrix orientation, measured by wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), have bee n studied as a function of two major processing variables, i.e. the in jection speed and the mould temperature. At low mould temperatures, sk in, underskin and core structures have been observed, while at high mo uld temperatures only skin and core structures were found. Fibre orien tation patterns exhibit both a processing and a geometrical dependence . Matrix orientation patterns are different from those of the pure pol ymer moulded material and are mainly influenced by the fibre orientati ons, which are themselves affected by the processing conditions.