Plastics Failure

The selection and application of engineered materials is an integrated process that requires an understanding of the interaction between materials properties, manufacturing characteristics, design considerations, and the total life cycle of the product. This reference book on engineering plastics provides practical and comprehensive coverage on how the performance of plastics is characterized during design, property testing, and failure analysis. The fundamental structure and properties of plastics are reviewed for general reference, and detailed articles describe the important design factors, properties, and failure mechanisms of plastics. The effects of composition, processing, and structure are detailed in articles on the physical, chemical, thermal, and mechanical properties. Other articles cover failure mechanisms such as: crazing and fracture; impact loading; fatigue failure; wear failures, moisture related failure; organic chemical related failure; photolytic degradation; and microbial degradation. Characterization of plastics in failure analysis is described with additional articles on analysis of structure, surface analysis, and fractography.

Plastics and rubbers together make up the most adaptable and varied class of materials available to product designers. They may be transparent or opaque, rigid or flexible, lightweight, insulating, and weatherproof. They are used in almost every industry, and in every part of the home. Applications range from the humble hot water bottle to the sheathing on a high voltage cable, and from a simple scrubbing brush to a tank for storing hydrochloric acid. Products may be disposable (e.g. packaging goods) or intended to last for decades, such as a buried sewage pipe. However, it is this very diversity which makes materials selection so difficult, and appropriate design so important. Indeed the one thing that all these particular products have in common is their presence in this book of failures. Failures due to degradation may result from exposure to the weather or an aggressive operating environment. Alternatively they may be caused by the introduction of an external agent unforeseen by the product designer. They may be rapid or very slow, and they may result from a combination of factors. In this book Dr. Wright describes the following mechanisms of polymer degradation, and then illustrates each failure mechanism with a number of case studies: Thermo-oxidation, Photo-oxidation, Degradation due to ionising radiation, Chemical attack, Environmental stress cracking, Other miscellaneous effects, including treeing, electrochemical degradation and biodegradation. Many of the case studies are based on Dr. Wrights own experiences whilst working at Rapra. In each case he describes the circumstances of the failure, and discusses both the consequences of the failure and the lessons that may be learned from it. Most of the failed products are familiar to us all, and his style is both readable and informative. Photographs are included where available. The book will be essential reading for designers, engineers, product specifiers and forensic engineers. Materials suppliers and processors will also benefit from the pragmatic analysis and advice it contains. It will also be of value to all students of polymer science and technology, providing an essential insight into the practical application of plastics and rubbers and the potential problems. Finally, it will be of interest to a much broader readership, including anyone who ever wondered why things break, and it should become a standard reference work in all technical libraries. This book was written with the support of the UK Department of Trade and Industry. It is intended to raise awareness of the causes and consequences of polymer product failures, in order to reduce the future incidences of such failures, and their considerable costs to industry

Written in easy-to-read and -use format, this book updates and revises its bestselling predecessor to become the most complete, comprehensive resource on plastics testing. This book has an emphasis on significance of test methods and interpretation of results. The book covers all aspects of plastics testing, failure analysis, and quality assurance - including chapters on identification analysis, failure analysis, and case studies. The book concludes with a substantial appendix with useful data, charts and tables for ready reference. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

This book contains analysis of reasons that cause products to fail. General methods of product failure evaluation give powerful tools in product improvement. Such methods, discussed in the book, include practical risk analysis, failure mode and effect analysis, preliminary hazard analysis, progressive failure analysis, fault tree analysis, mean time between failures, Wohler curves, finite element analysis, cohesive zone model, crack propagation kinetics, time-temperature collectives, quantitative characterization of fatigue damage, and fracture maps. Methods of failure analysis are critical to for material improvement and they are broadly discussed in this book. Fractography of plastics is relatively a new field which has many commonalities with fractography of metals. Here various aspects of fractography of plastics and metals are compared and contrasted. Fractography application in studies of static and cycling loading of ABS is also discussed. Other methods include SEM, SAXS, FTIR, DSC, DMA, GC/MS, optical microscopy, fatigue behavior, multiaxial stress, residual stress analysis, punch resistance, creep-rupture, impact, oxidative induction time, craze testing, defect analysis, fracture toughness, activation energy of degradation.Many references are given in this book to real products and real cases of their failure. The products discussed include office equipment, automotive compressed fuel gas system, pipes, polymer blends, blow molded parts, layered, cross-ply and continuous fiber composites, printed circuits, electronic packages, hip implants, blown and multilayered films, construction materials, component housings, brake cups, composite pressure vessels, swamp coolers, electrical cables, plumbing fittings, medical devices, medical packaging, strapping tapes, balloons, marine coatings, thermal switches, pressure relief membranes, pharmaceutical products, window profiles, and bone cements.

Industrial and domestic piping is increasingly made from various plastics and composites, and these materials withstand heavy use over long periods. They are, however, affected by environmental and other factors over time and can degrade, causing major problems within piping systems. Farshad's book deals with why plastic pipes and systems fail, and with how to investigate and diagnose such failures. Pipes may buckle, fracture, change in dimensions and colour, blister and delaminate, corrode through stress, be abraded and obstructed: all these cause problems and lead to loss of efficient operation of a system. The author's experience is backed up by a large data-base of results Wide target audience Only book covering the entire subject Unique approach based on long experience

Fractography in Failure Analysis of Polymers, Second Edition, provides a practical guide to the science of fractography and its application in the failure analysis of plastic components. In addition to a brief background on the theory of fractography, the authors discuss the various fractographic tools and techniques used to identify key fracture characteristics. The Second Edition includes additional material related to polymer life prediction testing and analysis. Case studies have been expanded, including a wide range of polymer types, new technologies, applications, and failure modes, as well as best practice guidelines enabling engineers to apply these lessons to their own work. Detailed images and their appropriate context are presented for reference in failure investigations. This text is vital for engineers who must determine the root causes of failure when it occurs, helping them further study the ramifications of product liability claims, environmental concerns, and brand image. This is also a valuable resource for all plastics professionals, including manufacturers, product designers, and consultants, forensic investigators, as well as educators in materials science. Presents comprehensive coverage of applied fractography, enabling improved reliability and longevity of plastic parts and products Includes case studies that demonstrate material selection decisions and how to reduce failure rates Provides best practice on how to analyze the cause of material failures, along with guidelines on improving design and manufacturing decisions

Written in easy-to-read and -use format, this book provides a strong training resource and reference for product designers using plastics in their products – helping them identify, quantify, and confirm whether problems are related to product design or process. • Updates coverage of data analysis techniques and examples and expands coverage of failure analysis, key because of increased litigation related to product liability • Overviews plastic testing methods and the framework to investigate causes of plastic part failure • Provides a strong training resource and reference for product designers using plastics in their products • Features a video tour of a plastics testing labroatory on a companion website and has a separate manual of problems and solutions that are appropriate for college professors using the book as a class textbook