Characterization of Irradiation Crosslinked Polyamides for Solar Thermal Applications—Basic Thermo-Analytical and Mechanical Properties

Polyamide 66 (PA 66) and short glass fiber reinforced versions of PA 66 are widely used for solar-thermal applications, in which thermal and environmental loading of components is from high importance. In this study, the influence of crosslinking via electronic beam irradiation on the morphology and mechanical behavior of unreinforced PA 66 and two types of short glass fiber reinforced PA 66 (30 wt % glass fiber content, 35 wt % glass fiber content) was investigated. In total, five different electronic beam irradiation doses in the range of 0 and 200 kGy were applied. Besides experiments with unconditioned specimens, also preconditioned specimens saturated with water at 80 °C for seven days were investigated. It was found that irradiation causes a shift to lower melting temperatures and lower melting enthalpies, while simultaneously leading to higher glass transition temperatures (T(G)), increasing small strain modulus values and higher tensile strengths. Also, as expected, preconditioning samples in water at 80 °C to water uptake saturation leads to a shift to lower T(G) values (‘plasticization’ effect). In terms of tensile behavior at room temperature, water saturated specimens (being above T(G) at room temperature) exhibited lower modulus and tensile strength values compared to quasi-dry specimens (being below T(G) at room temperature).