Elevated temperature nanoindentation behaviour of polyamide 6

It has been found, in this study, that there is no close correlation between the tensile and nanoindentation moduli of polyamide 6 (PA6) at high temperatures. It is demonstrated that heat modifies the surface of PA6 specimens, but its effect on the nanomechanical properties is minor. The main spurious factor which affects the nanoindentation results is adhesion, especially at low indentation depths. The overestimation in the measured indentation moduli can be corrected by performing indentations with loads high enough so that the modulus is independent of the applied load. It is concluded that the lack of strict correlations between the tensile and indentation moduli (after corrections of adhesion) is caused by the shift in the glass transition temperature of PA6 owing to the hydrostatic stress imposed by the indenter. Further proof is given with two examples on hydrostatic pressure-dependent polymers: polytetrafluoroethylene and polycarbonate.