The present work addresses the thermal, static, and dynamic mechanical properties of carbon fabric-reinforced, thermoplastic polyamide 6 (also referred to as nylon 6 and/or PA6) matrix panels processed using vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM). Liquid molding of thermoplastics has been limited by high resin viscosity, high temperature processing requirements, and a short processing window. The processing parameters developed by the authors and previously reported [1] have been used to process carbon/nylon 6 composite panels. This study includes through-the-thickness crystallinity evaluation using DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) and XRD (X-ray diffraction). The material used in this study was casting grade polyamide 6, ε-Caprolactam with a sodium-based catalyst, and an initiator. The crystallinity was found to be marginally higher (3%) at the midsection of the panels compared to the surfaces. The static and dynamic mechanical properties are compared to equivalent panels processed using a rubber toughened SC-15 epoxy (thermoset) resin. The study showed that carbon/PA6 composite panels were equivalent in modulus and superior with respect to ultimate tensile strength (11%), short beam shear (37%), and impact resistance of the carbon/SC-15 panels. However, the carbon/ SC-15 composite panels had superior (21%) flexure properties.
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