ASTM_D_3012_-_13.pdf

Designation:D301213Standard Test Method forThermal-Oxidative Stability of Polypropylene Using aSpecimen Rotator Within an Oven1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D3012;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope*1.1 This test method provides a means for estimating theresistance of polypropylene,in molded form,to acceleratedaging by heat in the presence of air using a forced draft oven.1.2 The stability determined by this test method is notdirectly related to the suitability of the material for use whendifferent environmental conditions prevail and shall not beused to predict performance.NOTE1The specified thermal levels in this test method are consideredsufficiently severe to cause failure of commercial grades of heat-stablepolypropylene within a reasonable period of time.If desired,lowertemperatures can be applied to estimate the performance of polypropylenewith lower heat stabilities.1.3 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as thestandard.The values in parentheses are for information only.1.4This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.NOTE2This test method and ISO 45771983 are technically similarbut different in preparation of test specimens,thickness of test specimen,measurement of the number of air flow changes in the ovens,and thenumber of air changes per hour required.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D618 Practice for Conditioning Plastics for TestingD883 Terminology Relating to PlasticsD3641 Practice for Injection Molding Test Specimens ofThermoplastic Molding and Extrusion MaterialsD4101 Specification for Polypropylene Injection and Extru-sion MaterialsD5374 Test Methods for Forced-Convection Laboratory Ov-ens for Evaluation of Electrical InsulationE77 Test Method for Inspection and Verification of Ther-mometersE220 Test Method for Calibration of Thermocouples ByComparison TechniquesE608 Specification for Mineral-Insulated,Metal-SheathedBase Metal ThermocouplesE644 Test Methods for Testing Industrial Resistance Ther-mometersE691 Practice for Conducting an Interlaboratory Study toDetermine the Precision of a Test MethodE1137/E1137M Specification for Industrial Platinum Resis-tance ThermometersE2251 Specification for Liquid-in-Glass ASTM Thermom-eters with Low-Hazard Precision Liquids2.2 ISO Standard:3ISO 45771983 PlasticsPolypropylene and PropyleneCopolymersDetermination of Thermal Oxidative Sta-bility in Air-Oven MethodISO1873 PlasticsPolypropyleneandPropylene-Copolymer Thermoplastics:Part 1:DesignationPart 2:Determination of Properties3.Terminology3.1 DefinitionsThe definitions of plastics used in this testmethod are in accordance with Terminology D883 unlessotherwise indicated.4.Summary of Test Method4.1 Aging is accelerated by exposing the specimens to anelevated temperature in a forced draft oven equipped with abiaxial or uniaxial rotating specimen holder.4.2 Visual examination is used to determine the time tofailure.The time to failure of the material is taken as thenumber of days after which the specimen shows localizedcrazing,crumbling,or discoloration,or a combination thereof.1This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D20 on Plasticsand is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D20.15 on Thermoplastic Materi-als.Current edition approved April 1,2013.Published April 2013.Originallyapproved in 1972.Last previous edition approved in 2007 as D3012-07.DOI:10.1520/D3012-13.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.3Available from American National Standards Institute(ANSI),25 W.43rd St.,4th Floor,New York,NY 10036.*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standardCopyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 5.Significance and Use5.1 Under the severe conditions of this test method,thespecimens undergo degradation at a rate that is dependent uponthe thermal endurance of the polypropylene material underexamination.5.2 The thermal level of this test method is consideredsufficiently severe to cause failure of commercial grades ofheat-stable polypropylene within a reasonable period of time.If desired,lower temperatures can be applied to estimate theperformance of polypropylene materials with lower heat sta-bility.5.3 The technique of specimen rotation described in this testmethod provides an esti