Change in fiber properties due to the heat treatment of nylon 6 tire cords

Nylon 6 is used as a reinforcing material in different rubber products. However, as it is a thermoplastic material, it may undergo some kind of thermal shrinkage during the vulcanization of rubber, which leads to dimensional stability problems in the rubber product. To prevent this, we subjected nylon 6 to some kind of thermal treatment at higher temperatures. During thermal treatment, there was some change in the mechanical properties, shrinkage which may have been correlated with changes in the crystal structure of the polymer. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008