Rubber reinforced polyamides

Claim 2

A THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL WHICH EXCULSIVE TO PARTICULATE FILLER CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF I. ABOUT 100 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF A CONTINUOUS PHASE OF A NYLON HAVING REPEATING CARBONAMIDE GROUPS AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE POLYMERIC CHAIN, AND II. ABOUT 6 TO 70 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF A DISPERSED PHASE OF CROSSLINKED ELASTOMER A. CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF CARBON, HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN, B. HAVING EPOXY AND HYDROXY FUNCTIONAL GROUPS PRIOR TO DISPERSION WITHIN SAID CONTINUOUS PHASE, C. FORMED BY REACTING

Claim 3

A DIEPOXIDE A. CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF CARBON HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN, AND B. HAVING AVERAGE MOLECULAR WEIGHT IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 200 TO ABOUT 1000 WITH

Claim 4

A DIEPOXIDE A. CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF CARBON HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN, AND B. HAVING AVERAGE MOLECULAR WEIGHT IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 200 TO ABOUT 1000 WITH

Claim 5

A CARBOXYL BEARING POLYMER A. CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF CARBON, HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN, B. HAVING AVERAGE MOLECULAR WEIGHT IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 1500 TO ABOUT 10,000, C. HAVING AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT 1.5 TO ABOUT 4.0 CARBOXYL GROUPS PER MOLECULE, AND D. BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CARBOXY TERMINATED POLYESTERS AND POLYMERS FORMED FROM POLYMERIZATION OF ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOMERS, THE RELATIVE CONCENTRATIONS OF THE DIEPOXIDE AND THE POLYMER BEING CONTROLLED TO PROVIDE EXPOXY/CARBOXY GROUP RATIOS IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 1.0 TO 1.0 TO ABOUT 6.0 TO 1.0 AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANG OF ABOUT 50* TO ABOUT 170*C, SAID ELASTOMER BEING CHEMICALLY BONDED TO SAID NYLON AT INTERFACES BETWEEN SAIDCONTINUOUS PHASE AND SAID DISPERSED PHASE BY REACTING SAID EPOXY AND HYDROXY FUNCTIONAL GROUPS ON SAID ELASTOMER WITH AMIDE GROUPS ON SAID NYLON AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 170*C TO ABOUT 350*C.

Claim 6

A CARBOXYL BEARING POLYMER A. CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF CARBON, HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN, B. HAVING AVERAGE MOLECULAR WEIGHT IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 1500 TO ABOUT 10,000, C. HAVING AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT 1.5 TO ABOUT 4.0 CARBOXYL GROUPS PER MOLECULE, AND D. BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CARBOXY TERMINATED POLYESTERS AND POLYMERS FORMED FROM POLYMERIZATION OF ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOMERS, THE RELATIVE CONCENTRATIONS OF THE DIEPOXIDE AND THE POLYMER BEING CONTROLLED TO PROVIDE EXPOXY/CARBOXY GROUP RATIOS IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 1.0 TO 1.0 TO ABOUT 6.0 TO 1.0 AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANG OF ABOUT 50* TO ABOUT 170*C, SAID ELASTOMER BEING CHEMICALLY BONDED TO SAID NYLON AT INTERFACES BETWEEN SAIDCONTINUOUS PHASE AND SAID DISPERSED PHASE BY REACTING SAID EPOXY AND HYDROXY FUNCTIONAL GROUPS ON SAID ELASTOMER WITH AMIDE GROUPS ON SAID NYLON AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 170*C TO ABOUT 350*C.

Claim 7

a carboxyl bearing polymer a. consisting essentially of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, b. having average molecular weight in the range of about 1500 to about 10,000, c. having an average of about 1.5 to about 4.0 carboxyl groups per molecule, and d. being selected from the group consisting of carboxy terminated polyesters and polymers formed from polymerization of ethylenically unsaturated monomers, the relative concentrations of the diepoxide and the polymer being controlled to provide epoxy/carboxy group ratios in the range of about 1.0 to 1.0 to about 6.0 to 1.0, at a temperature in the range of about 50* to about 170*C, said elastomer being chemically bonded to said nylon at interfaces between said continuous phase and said dispersed phase by reacting said epoxy and hydroxy functional groups on said elastomer with amide groups on said nylon at a temperature in the range of about 170*C to about 350*C.

Claim 8

a carboxyl bearing polymer a. consisting essentially of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, b. having average molecular weight in the range of about 1500 to about 10,000, c. having an average of about 1.5 to about 4.0 carboxyl groups per molecule, and d. being selected from the group consisting of carboxy terminated polyesters and polymers formed from polymerization of ethylenically unsaturated monomers, the relative concentrations of the diepoxide and the polymer being controlled to provide epoxy/carboxy group ratios in the range of about 1.0 to 1.0 to about 6.0 to 1.0, at a temperature in the range of about 50* to about 170*C, said elastomer being chemically bonded to said nylon at interfaces between said continuous phase and said dispersed phase by reacting said epoxy and hydroxy functional groups on said elastomer with amide groups on said nylon at a temperature in the range of about 170*C to about 350*C.

Claim 9

A thermoplastic material in accordance with claim 1 wherein said elastomer is present in a concentration in the range of about 15 to about 40 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of said nylon, and said temperature is in the range of about 180*C to about 330*C.

Claim 10

a carboxyl-bearing polymer a. consisting essentially of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, b. having an average molecular weight in the range of about 1, 500 to about 10,000, and c. having about 1.5 to about 4.0 carboxyl groups per molecule and d. being selected from the group consisting of carboxy terminated polyesters and polymers formed from polymerization of ethylenically unsaturated monomers, the relative concentration of the diepoxide and the polymer being controlled to provide epoxy/carboxy group ratios in the range of about 1.0 to 1.0 to about 6.0 to 1.0.

Claim 11

a carboxyl-bearing polymer a. consisting essentially of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, b. having an average molecular weight in the range of about 1, 500 to about 10,000, and c. having about 1.5 to about 4.0 carboxyl groups per molecule and d. being selected from the group consisting of carboxy terminated polyesters and polymers formed from polymerization of ethylenically unsaturated monomers, the relative concentration of the diepoxide and the polymer being controlled to provide epoxy/carboxy group ratios in the range of about 1.0 to 1.0 to about 6.0 to 1.0.

Claim 12

A thermoplastic material in accordance with claim 1 wherein said carboxyl bearing polymer is a carboxyl terminated polymer.

Claim 13

A thermoplastic material in accordance with claim 3 wherein said carboxyl terminated polymer is a polyester.

Claim 14

A thermoplastic material in accordancE with claim 4 wherein said polyester is a linear polyester having a molecular weight of between about 1500 and about 5,000.

Claim 15

A thermoplastic material in accordance with claim 1 wherein said carboxyl terminated polymer is a copolymer.

Claim 16

A thermoplastic material in accordance with claim 1 wherein said carboxyl bearing polymer is a copolymer containing randomly distributed carboxyl groups.

Claim 17

A thermoplastic material in accordance with claim 1 wherein said carboxyl bearing polymer is a copolymer including about 2 to about 4 mole percent of carboxyl providing units, about 50 to about 98 mole percent of olefinic hydrocarbon monomers and about 0 to about 48 mole percent of monomers selected from the group consisting of acrylates, methacrylates and nitriles.

Claim 18

A thermoplastic material in accordance with claim 1 wherein said carboxyl bearing polymer has average molecular weight in the range of about 3,000 to about 6,000, said elastomer is present in a concentration in the range of about 15 to about 40 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of said nylon, said elastomer is reacted with said nylon at a temperature in the range of about 230*C to about 290*C, and said temperature for reaction of said elastomer with said nylon is maintained for a time in the range of about 0.5 to about 20 minutes.

Claim 19

A thermoplastic material in accordance with claim 9 wherein said temperature range is maintained for a time in the range of about 2 to about 10 minutes, and said carboxyl-terminated polymer has about 1.8 to about 2.5 carboxyl groups per molecule.

Claim 20

A thermoplastic material in accordance with claim 1 wherein said nylon is nylon 6.

Claim 21

A process for preparing a rubber-reinforced polyamide which comprises mixing 100 parts by weight of a nylon having repeating carbonamide groups as an integral part of the polymeric chain and about 6 to about 70 parts by weight of a crosslinked elastomer consisting essentially of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen and having epoxy and hydroxy functional groups prior to mixing with said nylon while both said nylon and said elastomer are in liquid state and continuing said mixing at least until there is formed a continuous phase of said nylon and a dispersed phase of said elastomer and chemically bonding said elastomer to said nylon at interfaces between said continuous phase and said dispersed phase by reacting said epoxy and hydroxy functional groups on said elastomer with amide groups on said nylon at a temperature in the range of about 170*C to about 350*C, said elastomer being further characterized by being formed by reacting at a temperature in the range of about 50*C to about 170*C

Claim 22

A process for preparing a rubber-reinforced polyamide which comprises mixing 100 parts by weight of a nylon having repeating carbonamide groups as an integral part of the polymeric chain and about 6 to about 70 parts by weight of a crosslinked elastomer consisting essentially of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen and having epoxy and hydroxy functional groups prior to mixing with said nylon while both said nylon and said elastomer are in liquid state and continuing said mixing at least until there is formed a continuous phase of said nylon and a dispersed phase of said elastomer and chemically bonding said elastomer to said nylon at interfaces between said continuous phase and said dispersed phase by reacting said epoxy and hydroxy functional groups on said elastomer with amide groups on said nylon at a temperature in the range of about 170*C to about 350*C, said elastomer being further characterized by being formed by reacting at a temperature in the range of about 50*C to about 170*C

Claim 23

A process in accordance with claim 12 wherein said elastomer is present in a concentration in the range of about 15 to about 40 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of said nylon, and said temperature is in the range of about 180*C to about 330*C.

Claim 24

A process in accordance with claim 13 wherein said time is in the range of about 2 to about 10 minutes.

Claim 25

A thermoplastic material in accordance with claim 12 wherein said carboxyl-bearing polymer is a carboxyl terminated polymer.

Claim 26

A thermoplastic material in accordance with claim 15 wherein said carboxyl terminated polymer is a polyester.

Claim 27

A thermoplastic material in accordance with claim 16 wherein said polyester is a linear polyester having a molecular weight of between about 1500 and about 5,000.

Claim 28

A thermoplastic material in accordance with claim 15 wherein said carboxyl terminated polymer is a copolymer.

Claim 29

A thermoplastic material in accordance with claim 12 wherein said carboxyl-bearing polymer is a copolymer containing randomly distributed carboxyl groups.

Claim 30

A thermoplastic material in accordance with claim 12 wherein said carboxyl-bearing polymer is a copolymer including about 2 to about 4 mole percent of carboxyl providing units, about 50 to about 98 mole percent of olefinic hydrocarbon monomers and about 0 to about 48 mole percent of monomers selected from the group consisting of acrylates, methacrylates and nitriles.

Claim 31

A process in accordance with claim 12 wherein said mixing and said chemical bonding are effected simultaneously.

Claim 32

A process in accordance with claim 12 wherein said nylon is nylon 6.

Claim 33

A process in accordance with claim 12 wherein said carboxyl-bearing polymer has average molecular weight in the range of about 3,000 to 6,000, said elastomer is present in a concentration in the range of about 15 to about 40 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of said nylon, said elastomer is reacted with said nylon at a temperature in the range of about 230*C to about 290*C, and said temperature for reaction of said elastomer with said nylon is maintained for a time in the range of about 0.5 to about 20 minutes.

Claim 34

A process in accordance with claim 12 wherein said carboxy terminated polymer has about 1.8 and about 2.5 carboxyl groups per molecule.