Thermoplastics, being non-linear viscoelastic, impose constraints on testing. End products manufactured from these thermopolastics are often anisotropic and tend to complicate the relationships between laboratory test data and service performance. Mechanical Evaluation Strategies for Plastic Materials explains new testing strategies for providing service-pertinent data within a limited budget. It relates the structure of the tests and the functions that they serve to the intrinsic nature of the mechanical properties of thermoplastic materials.

The authoritative introduction to all aspects of plastics engineering — offering both academic and industry perspectives in one complete volume. Introduction to Plastics Engineering provides a self-contained introduction to plastics engineering. A unique synergistic approach explores all aspects of material use — concepts, mechanics, materials, part design, part fabrication, and assembly — required for converting plastic materials, mainly in the form of small pellets, into useful products. Thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers, and advanced composites, the four disparate application areas of polymers normally treated as separate subjects, are covered together. Divided into five parts — Concepts, Mechanics, Materials, Part Processing and Assembly, and Material Systems — this inclusive volume enables readers to gain a well-rounded, foundational knowledge of plastics engineering. Chapters cover topics including the structure of polymers, how concepts from polymer physics explain the macro behavior of plastics, evolving concepts for plastics use, simple mechanics principles and their role in plastics engineering, models for the behavior of solids and fluids, and the mechanisms underlying the stiffening of plastics by embedded fibers. Drawing from his over fifty years in both academia and industry, Author Vijay Stokes uses the synergy between fundamentals and applications to provide a more meaningful introduction to plastics. Examines every facet of plastics engineering from materials and fabrication methods to advanced composites Provides accurate, up-to-date information for students and engineers both new to plastics and highly experienced with them Offers a practical guide to large number of materials and their applications Addresses current issues for mechanical design, part performance, and part fabrication Introduction to Plastics Engineering is an ideal text for practicing engineers, researchers, and students in mechanical and plastics engineering and related industries.

Engineering with polymers is a growing technical field which requires special knowledge. Filling a need, this ready reference brings together the hard-to-get and recently acquired knowledge usually only found scattered in the original literature. At the beginning, the reference introduces plastics as a class of technical materials, gives an overview of their properties, presents plastics processing and its possible influence on the achievable quality of plastic parts. Afterwards, plastics testing is presented as a separate, practical-scientific field of work. The possibilities and fields of application of plastics testing will be discussed. This is followed by a comprehensive treatment of the individual, relevant test areas for the characterization and qualification of plastics and plastic molded parts made from them, with descriptions of the corresponding, practical test methods. A comprehensive index provides easy access to relevant information for successful engineering with plastics and suitable methods for material characterization and for quality assurance and damage analysis of parts. Written by experienced academics and industrial researchers and developers who know the problems of plastics engineers in their daily work - and the solutions - inside out, this book offers first-hand practical knowledge and intensive discussion. The book is aimed at industry, scientists and students involved in plastics and plastic engineering and aims to help them gain the necessary understanding of polymer materials and knowledge of practical testing and evaluation of plastics.

Now in its Third Edition, Plastics is the key text for senior students studying the science and engineering of plastic materials. Starting from microstructure and physical properties, the book covers the mechanical, chemical and electrical properties of plastic materials, and also deals in detail with wider plastics issues that today’s engineers and materials scientists need such as manufacturing processes and the design of plastic products. The new edition has been updated to reflect changes in polymer technology and the plastics industry, and the increased knowledge of the mechanical properties of plastics. A new first chapter introduces plastics properties through practical exercises, to help students to see the relevance of more academic chapters. Computer modeling has revealed the mechanics of many types of composites, so the emphasis of chapter 4 has shifted to modeling. Applications, product design and process technology have moved on; consequently the case studies in chapter 14 were updated. A new chapter 15 introduces sport and biomaterials case studies, since increasing numbers of students are enrolled on courses with these emphases. The material has been thoroughly updated, and the principles of polymer structure-property relationships set out more clearly. Meets latest undergraduate needs for studying polymer properties Expended coverage of materials selection and shape selection New teaching case studies plus new material on plastics for use in sport applications and biomaterials Examination questions to accompany each chapter

This book discusses the physical rather than the chemical examination of the properties of polymers on the basis of the type of equipment used, examples of the applications of these techniques are given. Techniques examined include thermal analysis (thermogravimetric analysis and evolved gas analysis), dynamic mechanical analysis and thermomechanical analysis, dielectric thermal analysis, ESR, MALDI, luminescence testing, photocalorimetry testing and the full range of equipment for mechanical, thermal, electrical, rheological, particle size, molecular weight.