Modelling the non Fickian water absorption in polyamide 6

This paper investigates the water absorption of polyamide 6. The high amount of absorbed water in the polymer and the large resulting decrease in the glass transition temperature (Tg) leads to a non Fickian water diffusion when samples are immersed, which is a significant difficulty when trying to model the water profile in thick specimens. The aim of this study is to be able to model this particular behaviour based on physical considerations. First, it is shown that the non Fickian water diffusion is caused by an increase in the diffusivity during water absorption. Two cases are then identified; one below Tg where the diffusivity is described using an Arrhenius law and one above Tg based on the free volume theory. Then, these two laws are implemented in a specific model that is able to describe the non Fickian water diffusion over a wide range of temperatures.