Abstract
A study was carried out on the effects of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation by a Xenon lamp on the mechanical properties of polypropylene⁄polyamide 6 (PP⁄PA6) blend fibers. The greater the PA6 content of a blend fiber was, the greater the tensile strength was observed. Although the blend fibers with low PA6 content showed little dropoff in tensile strength through 300 hr of radiation time, the tensile strength decreased rapidly toward 600 hr. Moreover, the thermal behaviors of fibers irradiated with UV were investigated using DSC, and the results showed that UV irradiation lowered the temperature of PA6 endothermic peak at the higher temperature side. Consequently, the peak at the lower temperature side of the fiber with low PA6 content disappeared, and the melting endothermic peak of the PA6 component became only a single peak. The endothermic peak temperature of the PP component was lowered by UV irradiation.
