Influence of structure on the impact behaviour of nylon‐rubber blends

Abstract

Abstract Blends of nylon‐6 and EPDM rubber were prepared by reaction blending to study the influence of rubber concentration, rubber particle size and interfacial adhesion on the impact strength. Rubber particles induce a sharp brittle‐tough transition which is independent of the glass transition of the nylon matrix. Increasing the rubber concentration or decreasing the particle diameter shifts the brittle‐tough transition temperature for notched Izod impact tests to lower values. A toughening mechanism is proposed in which the interparticle distance, the rubber modulus and the temperature play crucial roles.