This article addresses some established protocols for characterizing thermoplastics and whether they are homogeneous resins, alloyed, or blended compositions or highly modified thermoplastic composites. It begins with a discussion on characterizing mechanical, rheological, and thermal properties of polymer. This is followed by a section describing molecular weight determination using viscosity measurements. Next, the article discusses the use of cone and plate and parallel plate geometries in melt rheology. It then reviews the processes involved in the analysis of thermoplastic resins by chromatography. Finally, the article covers three operations of thermoanalysis, namely differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and thermomechanical testing.

This article discusses the most common thermal analysis methods for thermosetting resins. These include differential scanning calorimetry, thermomechanical analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, and dynamic mechanical analysis. The article also discusses the characterization of uncured thermosetting resins as well as the curing process. Then, the techniques to characterize the physical properties of cured thermosets and composites are presented. Several examples of stress-strain curves are shown for thermosets and thermoplastic polymers.

A failure analysis was conducted on a flow-sensing device that had cracked while in service. The polysulfone sensor body cracked radially, adjacent to a molded-in steel insert. This article describes the investigative methods used to conduct the failure analysis. The techniques utilized included scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermomechanical analysis, and melt flow rate determination. It was the conclusion of the investigation that the part failed via brittle fracture, with evidence also indicating low cycle fatigue associated with cyclic temperature changes from normal service. The design of the part and the material selection were significant contributing factors because of stresses induced during molding, physical aging of the amorphous polysulfone resin, and the substantial differential in coefficients of thermal expansion between the polysulfone and the mating steel insert.

This article reviews the analytical techniques most commonly used in plastic component failure analysis. These include the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, thermomechanical analysis, and dynamic mechanical analysis. The descriptions of the analytical techniques are supplemented by a series of case studies that include pertinent visual examination results and the corresponding images that aid in the characterization of the failures. The article describes the methods used for determining the molecular weight of a plastic resin. It explains the use of mechanical testing in failure analysis and also describes the considerations in the selection and use of test methods.