Chemical Resistance of Thermoplastics

A one-of-a-kind reference source, Chemical Resistance of Thermoplastics is a thorough cross-referenced compilation of chemical resistance data that explains the impact of thousands of exposure media on the properties and features of common thermoplastics. Polymers are often tested for chemical resistance by submerging test specimens in the relevant fluids at various temperatures. The specimens are taken out after a predetermined amount of time, and changes to their mass, size, and mechanical characteristics are measured. Because the internal and external stressors that a polymer experiences in service can have a significant impact on the kind of chemical attack, this information is only marginally useful in assessing a polymer's appropriateness for a particular application. Environmental stress cracking (ESC), which happens when embrittlement of polymers takes place under certain circumstances, is characterised by the presence of liquids or vapours that ordinarily wouldn't attack the polymer if the stress weren't there. ESC, a time-dependent phenomena, frequently first manifests on the polymer surface as tiny, light-reflecting hairline fissures. In reality, long polymer strands that can nevertheless transfer some weight across these tiny gaps. However, they will behave as stress concentrators and fail if exposed to impact loads. They have the potential to grow into fractures in and of themselves over time. The weak chemical resistance of amorphous thermoplastics is frequently seen as their fatal flaw.