The testing for chemical resistance for composites, specifically thermoplastics and thermosets, is fairly straightforward. Composites of various applications are subject to many kinds of chemical solvents found in fuels, lubricants, adhesives, paints, etc. The simplest and most useful way to characterize a particular materials resistance to a solvent is to subject the sample to the medium for a period time. A general characterization of the experiments could fall into these general categories:
1. No solvation-After
being subjected to a solvent, the material shows no disfiguration, no weight
change, and no detectable
loss in mechanical properties.
2. Partial solvation-After
being subjected to a solvent, the material shows slight disfiguration,
a significant % weight change
(0-15) and possible loss in mechanical properties.
3. Significant solvation-After
being subjected to a solvent, the material shows considerable distortion,
a sizable amount of
swelling and mass uptake, and a noticeable loss in mechanical properties.
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