ASTM D3045-92(1997)

Standard Practice for Heat Aging of Plastics Without Load

SCOPE
1.1 This practice is intended to define the exposure conditions for testing the resistance of plastics to oxidation or other degradation when exposed solely to hot air for extended periods of time. Only the procedure for heat exposure is specified, not the test method or specimen. The effect of heat on any particular property may be determined by selection of the appropriate test method and specimen.  
1.2 This practice should be used as a guide to compare thermal aging characteristics of materials as measured by the change in some property of interest. This practice recommends procedures for comparing the thermal aging characteristics of materials at a single temperature. Recommended procedures for determining the thermal aging characteristics of a material at a series of temperatures for the purpose of estimating time to a defined property change at some lower temperature are also described.
1.3 This practice does not predict thermal aging characteristics where interactions between stress, environment, temperature, and time control failure occurs.
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety problems, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  Note-ISO-2578 is considered to be technically equivalent to this practice.

General Information

• Status: Historical
• Publication Date: 09-Nov-1997
• Technical Committee: D20 - Plastics
• Drafting Committee: D20.50 - Durability of Plastics

Relations

• Replaced By: ASTM D3045-92(2003) - Standard Practice for Heat Aging of Plastics Without Load
• Effective Date: 10-Mar-2003
• Referred By: ASTM D5870-22 - Standard Practice for Calculating Property Retention Index of Plastics
• Effective Date: 10-Nov-1997
• Referred By: ASTM C1173-22 - Standard Specification for Flexible Transition Couplings for Underground Piping Systems
• Effective Date: 10-Nov-1997
• Referred By: ASTM D8280-20a - Standard Test Method for Determination of the Blooming of Brominated Flame Retardants onto the Surface of Plastic Materials by Ion Chromatography
• Effective Date: 10-Nov-1997
• Referred By: ASTM D5721-22 - Standard Practice for Air-Oven Aging of Polyolefin Geomembranes
• Effective Date: 10-Nov-1997
• Referred By: ASTM D4434/D4434M-21 - Standard Specification for Poly(Vinyl Chloride) Sheet Roofing
• Effective Date: 10-Nov-1997
• Referred By: ASTM E2925-19a - Standard Specification for Manufactured Polymeric Drainage and Ventilation Materials Used to Provide a Rainscreen Function
• Effective Date: 10-Nov-1997
• Referred By: ASTM D6754/D6754M-23 - Standard Specification for Ketone Ethylene Ester Based Sheet Roofing
• Effective Date: 10-Nov-1997
• Referred By: ASTM D7444-18a - Standard Practice for Heat and Humidity Aging of Oxidatively Degradable Plastics
• Effective Date: 10-Nov-1997
• Referred By: ASTM E1877-21 - Standard Practice for Calculating Thermal Endurance of Materials from Thermogravimetric Decomposition Data
• Effective Date: 10-Nov-1997
• Referred By: ASTM E2785-14(2022) - Standard Test Method for Exposure of Firestop Materials to Severe Environmental Conditions
• Effective Date: 10-Nov-1997
• Referred By: ASTM D5592-94(2018) - Standard Guide for Material Properties Needed in Engineering Design Using Plastics
• Effective Date: 10-Nov-1997
• Referred By: ASTM G114-21 - Standard Practices for Evaluating the Age Resistance of Polymeric Materials Used in Oxygen Service
• Effective Date: 10-Nov-1997
• Referred By: ASTM D7194-19 - Standard Specification for Aerospace Parts Machined from Polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE)
• Effective Date: 10-Nov-1997

Standards Content (Sample)

NOTICE: This standard has either been superceded and replaced by a new version or discontinued.
Contact ASTM International (www.astm.org) for the latest information.
Designation: D 3045 – 92 (Reapproved 1997)
Standard Practice for
Heat Aging of Plastics Without Load
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 3045; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope E 145 Specifications for Gravity-Convection and Forced-
Ventilation Ovens
1.1 This practice is intended to define the exposure condi-
E 456 Terminology Relating to Quality and Statistics
tions for testing the resistance of plastics to oxidation or other
2.2 ISO Standard:
degradation when exposed solely to hot air for extended
ISO 2578 (1974) Determination of Time-Temperature Lim-
periods of time. Only the procedure for heat exposure is
its After Exposure to Prolonged Action of Heat
specified, not the test method or specimen. The effect of heat
on any particular property may be determined by selection of
3. Terminology
the appropriate test method and specimen.
3.1 The terminology given in Terminology D 883 and Ter-
1.2 This practice should be used as a guide to compare
minology E 456 is applicable to this practice.
thermal aging characteristics of materials as measured by the
change in some property of interest. This practice recommends
4. Significance and Use
procedures for comparing the thermal aging characteristics of
4.1 The use of this practice presupposes that the failure
materials at a single temperature. Recommended procedures
criteria selected to evaluate materials (that is, the property or
for determining the thermal aging characteristics of a material
properties being measured as a function of exposure time) and
at a series of temperatures for the purpose of estimating time to
the duration of the exposure can be shown to relate to the
a defined property change at some lower temperature are also
intended use of the materials.
described.
4.2 Plastic materials exposed to heat may be subject to
1.3 This practice does not predict thermal aging character-
many types of physical and chemical changes. The severity of
istics where interactions between stress, environment, tempera-
the exposures in both time and temperature determines the
ture, and time control failure occurs.
extent and type of change that takes place. A plastic material is
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the
not necessarily degraded by exposure to elevated temperatures,
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
but may be unchanged or improved. However, extended
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
periods of exposure of plastics to elevated temperatures will
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-
generally cause some degradation, with progressive change in
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.
physical properties.
NOTE 1—ISO-2578 is considered to be technically equivalent to this
4.3 Generally, short exposures at elevated temperatures may
practice.
drive out volatiles such as moisture, solvents, or plasticizers,
relieve molding stresses, advance the cure of thermosets, and
2. Referenced Documents
may cause some change in color of the plastic or coloring
2.1 ASTM Standards:
agent, or both. Normally, additional shrinkage should be
D 573 Test Method for Rubber—Deterioration in an Air
expected with loss of volatiles or advance in polymerization.
Oven
4.4 Some plastic materials may become brittle due to loss of
D 618 Practice for Conditioning Plastics and Electrical
plasticizers after exposure at elevated temperatures. Other
Insulating Materials for Testing
types of plastics may become soft and sticky, either due to
D 883 Terminology Relating to Plastics
sorption of volatilized plasticizer or due to breakdown of the
D 1870 Practice for Elevated Temperature Aging Using a
polymer.
Tubular Oven
4.5 The degree of change observed will depend on the
D 1898 Practice for Sampling of Plastics
property measured. Different properties, mechanical or electri-
cal, may not change at the same rate. For instance, the arc
This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D-20 on Plastics
and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D 20.50 on Permanence Properties.
Current edition approved Nov. 15, 1992. Published January 1993. Originally Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 10.01.
e1 5
published as D 3045 – 74. Last previous edition D 3045 – 74 (84) . Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 14.02.
2 6
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 09.01. Available from American National Standards Institute, 11 W. 42nd St., 13th
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 08.01. Floor, New York, NY 10036.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
NOTICE: This standard has either been superceded and replaced by a new version or discontinued.
Contact ASTM International (www.astm.org) for the latest information.
D 3045
resistance of thermosetting compounds improves up to the 6. Sampling
carbonization point of the material. Mechanical properties,
6.1 The number and type of test specimens required shall be
such as flexural properties, are sensitive to heat degradation
in accordance with the ASTM test method for the specific
and may change at a more rapid rate. Ultimate properties such
property to be determined; this requirement should be met at
as strength or elongation are more sensitive to degradation than
each time and temperature selected.
bulk properties such as modulus, in most cases.
6.2 Sampling should also be in accordance with the perti-
4.6 Effects of exposure may be quite variable, especially
nent considerations outlined in Practice D 1898.
when specimens are exposed for long intervals of time. Factors
7. Test Specimens
that affect the reproducibility of data are the degree of
temperature control of the enclosure, humidity of the oven, air
7.1 The number and type of test specimens required shall be
velocity over the specimen, and period of exposure. Errors in
in accordance with the ASTM test method for the specific
exposure are cumulative with time. Certain materials are
property to be determined; this requirement should be met at
susceptible to degradation due to the influence of humidity in
each time and temperature selected. Unless otherwise specified
long-term heat resistance tests. Materials susceptible to hy-
or agreed upon by all interested parties, expose a minimum of
drolysis may undergo degradation when subjected to long-term
three replicates of each material at each time and temperature
heat resistance tests.
selected.
4.7 It is not to be inferred that comparative material ranking
7.2 The specimen thickness should be comparable to but no
is undesirable or unworkable. On the contrary, this practice is
greater than the minimum thickness of the intended applica-
designed to provide data which can be used for such compara-
tion.
tive purposes. However, the data obtained from this practice,
7.3 The method of specimen fabrication should be the same
since it does not account for the influence of stress or
as that of the intended application.
environment that is involved in most real life applications,
8. Conditioning
must be used cautiously by the designer, who must inevitably
make material choices using additional data such as creep and 8.1 Conduct initial tests in the standard laboratory atmo-
creep rupture that are consistent with the requirements of his sphere as specified in Practice D 618, and with specimens
specific application. conditioned in accordance with the requirements of the ASTM
4.8 It is possible for many temperature indexes to exist, in test method for determining the specific property or properties
fact, one for each failure criterion. Therefore, for any applica- required.
tion of the temperature index to be valid, the thermal aging 8.2 When required, conditioning of specimens following
program must duplicate the intended exposure conditions of exposure at elevated temperature and prior to testing, unless
the end product. If the material is stressed in the end product in otherwise specified, shall be in accordance with Practice
a manner not evaluated in the aging program, the temperature D 618.
index thus derived is not applicable to the use of the material 8.3 If possible, avoid simultaneous aging of mixed groups
in that product. of different compounds which might cause cross contamina-
4.9 There can be very large errors when Arrhenius plots or tion.
equations based on data from experiments at a series of
9. Procedure
temperatures are used to estimate time to produce a defined
9.1 When tests at a single temperature are used, all materials
property change at some lower temperature. This estimate of
must be exposed at the same time in the same device. Use a
time to produce the property change or “failure” at the lower
sufficient number of replicates of each material for each
temperature is often called the “service life.” Because of the
exposure time so that results of tests used to characterize the
errors associated with these calculations, this time should be
material property can be compared by analysis of variance or
considered as “maximum expected” rather than “typical.”
similar statistical data analysis procedure.
5. Apparatus
9.2 When testing at a series of temperatures in order to
5.1 Provisions for conditioning at specified standard condi- determine the relationship between a defined property change
tions. and temperature, use a minimum of four exposure tempera-
5.2 Oven—A controlled horizontal or vertical air flow oven, tures. The following procedures are recommended for selecting
employing forced-draft circulation with substantial constant exposure temperatures:
fresh air intake is recommended. When it is necessary to avo
...