Specimen preparation and property determination
Mechanical testing of plastics - Instantaneous characteristics

Test specimens can be obtained by molding, cutting or machining.

• Injection or compression molding conditions are likely to influence the properties of the molded specimens and the measurement values obtained from the various mechanical tests. It is therefore essential to accurately define the main technological parameters inherent in the molding process, such as processing conditions (pressures, temperatures, speeds, cycle times), specimen geometry, etc., taking into account possible interactions with material properties. Cooling conditions and specimen thickness have a major influence on the rate, geometry and distribution of crystallites in semi-crystalline polymers, or on the phase...