Search Results for polymer testing

This article introduces the principal methodologies and some advanced technologies that are being applied for nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of fiber-reinforced polymer-matrix composites. These include acoustic emission, ultrasonic, eddy-current, computed tomography, electromagnetic acoustic transducer, radiography, thermography, and low-frequency vibration methods. The article also provides information on NDE methods commonly used for metal-matrix composites.

Flammability is the ability of a material to undergo easy ignition and rapid flaming combustion. This article provides information on flammability tests of polymers and codes and regulations that cite these tests. Many organizations are involved in the characterization and specification of flammability properties, resulting in several categorization strategies for flammability tests, including tests for specific fire response characteristics, research tests versus acceptance tests, tests for different levels of severity, and tests for basis of origin. The article presents an overview on the basic approaches in improving the fire resistance of polymers and the burning process (heating, decomposition, ignition, combustion, and propagation). It provides a brief description on the test methods which are classified into two types, one based on fire response characteristics and the other on particular applications of polymeric materials.

Mechanical properties are often the most important properties in the design and selection of engineering plastics. Temperature, molecular structure, crystallinity, viscoelasticity, and effects of environment, fillers and reinforcements are considered as the basic factors affecting the mechanical properties of engineering plastics. The testing methods for determining mechanical properties, including stress-strain test, modulus-directed tensile test, strength test, strength-directed tensile test, impact test, and dynamic mechanical test are discussed.

In terms of their electrical properties, plastics can be divided into thermosetting and thermoplastic materials, some of which are conductive or semiconductive. This article provides detailed information on factors that affect the property of plastics. It discusses the major test methods used to determine the following dielectric properties of plastics: dielectric breakdown voltage, dielectric strength, dielectric constant, dissipation factor, arc tracking resistance, insulation resistance, volume, and surface resistivity or conductivity. The test specifications and conditions, recommended by several U.S. and foreign testing organizations for characterizing the electrical properties of plastic materials are listed. The article describes the influence of these properties on selection of plastics for insulation application. An outline of the electromagnetic shielding and testing methods of electromagnetic interference are also provided. Designations, electrical properties, and applications of elastomers are tabulated.

Optical testing of plastics includes characterization of materials and analysis of optical components. This article focuses on procedures for testing various characteristics of optical components, including transmission and haze, yellowness, refractive index, birefringence, as well as surface irregularity, contamination, gloss, and color. It provides a short note on ad hoc testing, which is beneficial for practical applications in which lenses, prisms, and light pipes are being used and tested, as other test instruments are often not available.

Rheology is defined as the study of the flow and deformation of matter. This article begins with an examination of flow behavior. It describes the geometries and methods employed for rheological testing of polymers in their molten state. It also discusses materials that are predominantly in the solid state and the methods employed for solids testing. Examples of unidirectional and dynamic oscillatory testing are provided for different mechanical behaviors.

This article reviews the general mechanical properties and test methods commonly used for ceramics and three categories of polymers, namely, fibers, plastics, and elastomers. The mechanical test methods for determining the tensile strength, yield strength, yield point, and elongation of plastics include the short-term tensile test, the compressive strength test, the flexural strength test, and the heat deflection temperature test. The most commonly used tests for impact performance of plastics are the Izod notched-beam test, the Charpy notched-beam test, and the dart penetration test. Two basic test methods for a group or strand of fibers are the single-filament tension and tow tensile tests. Room temperature strength tests, high-temperature strength tests, and proof tests are used for testing the properties of ceramics.

This article describes weathering and environmental factors that contribute to degradation in plastics, including temperature variations, moisture, sunlight, oxidation, microbiologic attack, and other environmental elements. It presents a general overview of aging factors, their effects on plastic materials, and the accelerated test methods that can be used to estimate the reaction of a plastic component during actual use. The article focuses on the determination of service temperature as it indicates the ability of a material to retain a certain property, when exposed to elevated temperatures for an extended period of time. It concludes by describing various degradation processes, namely, thermal degradation, thermal oxidative degradation, photooxidative degradation, environmental corrosion, and chemical corrosion and discussing the ways of detecting these degradation processes.

Tribology is the science and technology of interacting surfaces in relative motion or, the study of friction, wear, and lubrication. This article focuses on friction and wear processes that aid in the evaluation and selection of materials, for polymers and some composites used in friction and wear applications. It provides information on friction, types of wear, and lubrication. The article includes a brief description of the friction and wear test methods, laboratory-scale friction, and wear testing, usually performed either to rank the performance of candidate materials for an application or to investigate a particular wear process. It describes the wear tests conducted with/without abrasives and explains the concept of PV limit (where P is contact pressure and V is velocity). The article concludes with references and tables of friction and wear test data for polymeric materials.

This article addresses the specialized aspects required to accurately quantify the behavior of soft materials, including polymers and polymeric composites, using the split-Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB). It details some of the specialized SHPB techniques that facilitate testing soft materials. These techniques include the data-reduction techniques and assumptions required to use polymer pressure bars, the importance of sample-size considerations to polymer testing, and temperature-control methodologies to measure the high-strain-rate uniaxial stress response of polymers and other soft materials.

Tribology is the study of contacting materials in relative motion and more specifically the study of friction, wear, and lubrication. This article discusses the classification and the mechanisms of friction, wear, and lubrication of polymers. It describes the tribological applications of polymers and the tribometers and instrumentation used to measure the tribological properties of polymers. The article discusses the processes involved in calculating the wear rate of polymers and the methods of characterization of the sliding interface. It provides information on the pressure and velocity limit of polymer composites and polymer testing best practices.

There are many different types of polymeric materials, ranging from glassy to semicrystalline polymers and even blends. Their mechanical properties range from pure elastic with very high strains to fracture (elastomers) to almost pure linear elastic (Hookian behavior) with low strains to fracture (glassy polymers). This article provides an overview of historical development of fracture behavior in polymers. It discusses the processes involved in three fracture test methods for polymers, namely linear elastic fracture mechanics, elastic-plastic fracture mechanics, and post-yield fracture mechanics.