This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles

for the
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

Designation: D5592 − 94 (Reapproved 2018)

Standard Guide for

Material Properties Needed in Engineering Design Using
Plastics1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D5592; 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 (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

INTRODUCTION

Plastics are increasingly being used in durable applications as structural components on a basis
comparable with traditional materials such as steels and aluminum, as well as high performance
composite systems. Unlike many consumer-goods applications, where plastics typically serve as
enclosures, these durables applications primarily involve load-bearing components exposed to rather
broad varying operating environments over the life cycle of the product. This necessitates access to
material property profiles over a wide range of conditions, rather than typical values reported at room
temperature. In order to design effectively with plastics, the designer must take into account the effects
of time, temperature, rate, and environment on the performance of plastics, and the consequences of
failure.

1. Scope 1.5 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as

standard. No other units of measurement are included in this
1.1 This guide covers the essential material properties
standard.
needed for designing with plastics. Its purpose is to raise the
awareness of the plastics community regarding the specific 1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the
considerations involved in using the appropriate material safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
properties in design calculations. responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
priate safety, health, and environmental practices and deter-
1.2 This guide is intended only as a convenient resource for mine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
engineering design. It should be noted that the specific oper-
NOTE 1—There is no known ISO equivalent to this standard.
ating conditions (temperature, applied stress or strain,
environment, etc. and corresponding duration of such expo- 1.7 This international standard was developed in accor-
sures) could vary significantly from one application to another. dance with internationally recognized principles on standard-
It is, therefore, the responsibility of the user to perform any ization established in the Decision on Principles for the
pertinent tests under actual conditions of use to determine the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recom-
suitability of the material in the intended application. mendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical
Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
1.3 The applicable ISO and ASTM standard methods for the
relevant material properties are listed in this guide for the 2. Referenced Documents
benefit of design engineers. 2.1 ASTM Standards:2
1.4 It should be noted that for some of the desired D543 Practices for Evaluating the Resistance of Plastics to
properties, no ASTM or ISO standards exist. These include Chemical Reagents
D638 Test Method for Tensile Properties of Plastics
pvT data, no-flow temperature, ejection temperature, and
D695 Test Method for Compressive Properties of Rigid
fatigue in tension. In these instances, relying on available test
Plastics
methods is suggested.
D883 Terminology Relating to Plastics
D1435 Practice for Outdoor Weathering of Plastics
1
This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D20 on Plastics and
2
is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D20.10 on Mechanical Properties. For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
Current edition approved April 1, 2018. Published April 2018. Originally contact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM
approved in 1994. Last previous edition approved in 2010 as D5592 - 94 (2010). Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on
DOI: 10.1520/D5592-94R18. the ASTM website.

*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standard

Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States

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 D5592 − 94 (2018)
D1894 Test Method for Static and Kinetic Coefficients of ISO 4892-2 Plastics—Methods of Exposure to Laboratory
Friction of Plastic Film and Sheeting Light Sources—Part 2: Xenon Arc Sources
D1999 Guide for Selection of Specimens and Test Param- ISO 6721-2 Plastics—Determination of Dynamic Mechani-
eters from ISO/IEC Standards (Withdrawn 2000)3 cal Properties—Part 2: Torsion Pendulum
D2565 Practice for Xenon-Arc Exposure of Plastics In- ISO 8295 Plastics—Film and Sheeting—Determination of
tended for Outdoor Applications the Coefficients of Friction
D2990 Test Methods for Tensile, Compressive, and Flexural ISO 10350.1 Plastics—Acquisition and Presentation of
Creep and Creep-Rupture of Plastics Comparable Single-Point Data— Part 1: Moulding Mate-
D2991 Test Method for Stress-Relaxation of Plastics (With- rials
drawn 1990)3 ISO 11403-1 Plastics—Acquisition and Presentation of
D3045 Practice for Heat Aging of Plastics Without Load Comparable Multipoint Data—Part 1: Mechanical Prop-
D3123 Test Method for Spiral Flow of Low-Pressure Ther- erties
mosetting Molding Compounds ISO 11403-2 Plastics—Acquisition and Presentation of
D3418 Test Method for Transition Temperatures and En- Comparable Multipoint Data—Part 2: Thermal and Pro-
thalpies of Fusion and Crystallization of Polymers by cessing Properties
Differential Scanning Calorimetry ISO 11443 Plastics—Determination of the Fluidity of Plas-
D3641 Practice for Injection Molding Test Specimens of tics Using Capillary and Slit-Die Rheometers
Thermoplastic Molding and Extrusion Materials
D3835 Test Method for Determination of Properties of 3. Terminology
Polymeric Materials by Means of a Capillary Rheometer
D4473 Test Method for Plastics: Dynamic Mechanical Prop- 3.1 Definitions:
erties: Cure Behavior 3.1.1 aging—the effect on materials of exposure to an
D5045 Test Methods for Plane-Strain Fracture Toughness environment for an interval of time (see Terminology D883).
and Strain Energy Release Rate of Plastic Materials 3.1.2 coeffıcient of friction—a measure of the resistance to
D5279 Test Method for Plastics: Dynamic Mechanical Prop-
sliding of one surface in contact with another surface.
erties: In Torsion
E6 Terminology Relating to Methods of Mechanical Testing 3.1.3 coeffıcient of linear thermal expansion—the change in
E228 Test Method for Linear Thermal Expansion of Solid linear dimension per unit of original length of a material for a
Materials With a Push-Rod Dilatometer unit change in temperature.
E1823 Terminology Relating to Fatigue and Fracture Testing 3.1.4 compressive strength—the compressive stress that a
2.2 ISO Standards:4 material is capable of sustaining. In the case of a material that
ISO 175 Plastics—Determination of the Effects of Immer- does not fail in compression by a shattering fracture, the value
sion in Liquid Chemicals for compressive strength is an arbitrary value depending upon
ISO 294-1 Plastics—Injection Moulding of Test Specimens the degree of distortion that is regarded as indicating complete
of Thermoplastic Materials—General Principles, and failure of the material (modified from Terminology E6).
Moulding of Multipurpose and Bar Test Specimens
ISO 527-1 Plastics—Determination of Tensile Properties— 3.1.5 creep—the time-dependent increase in strain in re-
Part 1: General Principles sponse to applied stress (modified from Terminology E6).
ISO 527-2 Plastics—Determination of Tensile Properties— 3.1.6 creep modulus—the ratio of initial applied stress to
Part 2: Test Conditions for Moulding and Extrusion creep strain (see Test Method D2990).
Plastics
ISO 527-4 Plastics—Determination of Tensile Properties— 3.1.7 creep rupture stress—stress to produce material failure
Part 4: Test Conditions for Isotropic and Orthotropic Fibre corresponding to a fixed time to rupture (modified from Test
Reinforced Plastic Composites Method D2990).
ISO 604 Plastics—Determination of Compressive Properties 3.1.8 critical stress intensity factor—toughness parameter
ISO 899-1 Plastics—Determination of Creep Behaviour - indicative of the resistance of a material to fracture at fracture
Tensile Creep initiation (see Test Method D5045).
ISO 899-2 Plastics—Determination of Creep Behaviour -
Flexural Creep by Three-Point Loading 3.1.9 engineering stress—stress based on initial cross sec-
ISO 2578 Plastics—Determination of Time-Temperature tional area of the specimen.
Limits After Prolonged Exposure to Heat 3.1.10 fatigue—the process of progressive localized perma-
ISO 3167 Plastics—Multipurpose Test Specimens nent deleterious change or loss of properties occurring in a
ISO 4607 Plastics—Methods of Exposure to Natural Weath- material subjected to cyclic loading conditions (modified from
ering Definitions E1823).
3.1.11 Poisson’s ratio—the absolute value of the ratio of
3
The last approved version of this historical standard is referenced on transverse strain to the corresponding axial strain resulting
www.astm.org.
4
Available from American National Standards Institute (ANSI), 25 W. 43rd St., from uniformly distributed axial stress below the proportional
4th Floor, New York, NY 10036, http://www.ansi.org. limit of the material (see Terminology D883).

2
 D5592 − 94 (2018)
3.1.12 proportional limit—the greatest stress that a material material suppliers because of the lack of standardized reporting
is capable of sustaining without any deviation from propor- format in the plastics industry. ISO 10350.1, ISO 11403-1, and
tionality of stress to strain (Hooke’s law) (see Test Method ISO 11403-2 are intended to address the comparability of data
D638). issue only as far as single-point and multipoint data for
3.1.13 PV limit—the limiting combination of pressure and material selection. This guide attempts to serve as a means to
velocity that will cause failure of any polymer rubbing against standardize the format to report comparable data for engineer-
another surface without lubrication at a specific ambient ing design. It is essential that incorporating standardized test
temperature and tested in a specific geometry. specimen geometry and specific test conditions as recom-
mended in Guide D1999, Practice D3641, or ISO 3167 and
3.1.14 secant modulus—the ratio of engineering stress to ISO 294-1 are an integral part of the data generation.
corresponding strain at a designated strain point on the
stress-strain curve (see Test Method D638). 5. Material Properties in Engineering Design
3.1.15 shear modulus—the quotient of the shearing stress 5.1 Finite element analysis is an integral part of computer
and the resulting angular deformation of the test specimen aided design/engineering (CAD/CAE). It serves as a powerful
measured in the range of small recoverable deformations (see tool for design engineers in performing engineering analysis of
ISO 6721-2). plastics components to predict the performance. The material
3.1.16 shear strength—the maximum shear stress that a data inputs required for carrying out these analyses essentially
material is capable of sustaining. Shear strength is calculated constitute the minimum data needed in engineering design.
from the maximum load during a shear or torsion test and is 5.2 The material properties essential in engineering design
based on the original dimensions of the cross section of the can be grouped into three main categories; (1) properties
specimen (see Terminology E6). essential for structural analysis, (2) properties essential for
3.1.17 tensile modulus—the ratio of engineering stress to assessing manufacturability, and (3) properties essential for
corresponding strain below the proportional limit of a material evaluating assembly. The properties essential for structural
in tension (modified from Test Method D638). analysis are employed in assessing the structural integrity of
3.1.18 tensile stress at break—the tensile stress sustained by the designed part over its useful life or in determining the
the material at break (modified from Test Method D638). required geometry of the part to ensure structural integrity. The
properties essential for assessing manufacturability are em-
3.1.19 tensile stress at yield—the tensile stress sustained by ployed in simulating the part filling/post filling steps to
the material at the yield point (modified from Test Method optimize processing conditions and for predictions of dimen-
D638). sional stability of the manufactured part. The properties essen-
3.1.20 warpage—distortion caused by non-uniform change tial for assembly considerations are employed in evaluating the
of internal stresses (D883). ability to join/assemble the component parts.
3.1.21 yield point—the first point on the stress-strain curve 5.3 As functional requirements are often specific to each
at which an increase in strain occurs without an increase in application, the material properties essential for structural
stress (see Test Method D638). analysis can be classified into two categories—those that are
somewhat application specific and those that are not.
4. Significance and Use
5.4 Whether the individual property is application-specific
4.1 This guide is intended to serve as a reference to the or not, certain properties are directly employed in design
plastics community for material properties needed in engineer- calculations while others are employed more or less for
ing design. verification of the design limits. For example, although parts
4.2 Product datasheets or product literature typically report may fail in service under multi-axial impact loading
single-point values at ambient conditions and hence, by their conditions, the impact energy data can be used only in design
very nature, are inadequate for engineering design and struc- verification, at best. Additional examples of properties that are
tural analysis of a component or system. A detailed property useful only for design verification include fatigue (S-N) curves,
profile for the particular grade chosen for a given part not only wear factor, PV limit, retention of properties following expo-
enhances the confidence of the design engineer by allowing a sure to chemicals and solvents, and accelerated aging or UV
more realistic assessment of the material under close-to-actual exposure/outdoor weathering.
service environments but also may avoid premature failure of 5.5 Almost all structural design calculations fall under one
the designed component and potential liability litigation later. of the following types of analysis or some combination thereof:
Additionally, it would also eliminate use of larger “design beam or plate; pipe; snap fits, pressfits, threads, bearing, bolts;
safety factors” that result in “overengineering” or “overde- or buckling. The properties needed for each of these design
sign.” Not only is such overdesign unwarranted, but it adds to calculations are summarized in Table 1.
the total part cost, resulting in a good example of ineffective 5.6 In plate and beam analyses, flexural modulus is often
design with plastics and a prime target for substitution by other used in determining the beam deflection or stiffness. However,
materials. development of apparent stress gradient across the beam or
4.3 One of the problems faced by design engineers is access plate thickness in flexure fails to satisfy the basic assumptions
to comparable data among similar products from different of uniformity of stress in most material models used in

3
 D5592 − 94 (2018)
TABLE 1 Material Properties Needed for Engineering Design Using Plastics
I. Structural Considerations
Plate or Beam Analysis (stiffness versus deflection) Pipe Analysis (stiffness versus hoop stresses)
Tensile modulus Tensile modulus
Poisson’s ratio Poisson’s ratio
Creep modulus Critical stress intensity factor, K1c
Tensile creep rupture stress Tensile creep rupture stress
Shear strength
Snap Fits Analysis (cantilever beam deflection) Press Fits Analysis (hoop stress)
Tensile modulus Tensile modulus
Poisson’s ratio Poisson’s ratio
Creep modulus Compression modulus
Secant modulus Compression strength
Shear modulus Coefficient of friction
Tensile strength at yield Tensile strength at yield
Coefficient of friction Creep modulus
Stress relaxationA
Threads Analysis (screw pullout forces, thread stripping torque) Bearing Analysis
Shear strength Coefficient of friction
Coefficient of friction Coefficient of thermal expansion
Tensile strength at break Wear factorB
Tensile modulus PV limitB
Compressive modulus Compressive yield strength
Bolts Analysis Buckling Analysis
Compressive strength Compressive modulus
Tensile creep strain Secant modulus
Tensile creep rupture stress Creep modulus
A
Stress relaxation Poisson’s ratio
Compressive creep modulus
II. Manufacturability Considerations
Mold Filling/Cooling Analysis Shrinkage and Warpage Analysis
Viscosity—shear rate data Mold shrinkage as function of thickness, gate geometry, and processing
Flowability (thermosets) parameters
Melt densityB Coefficient of linear thermal expansion
B
Thermal conductivity No-flow temperatureB
Specific heatB Glass transition temperature
Ejection temperatureB Crystallinity
No-flow temperature Crystallization temperature
Cure kinetics (thermosets) Heat of crystallization
pvT dataB Crystallization kineticsB
Elastic modulus
Poisson’s ratio
Shear modulus
III. Assembly Considerations
Weldability
Shear strength
Density
Coefficient of friction
Thermal conductivityB
Specific heatB
Crystalline melting temperature
A
See Practice D2991.
B
No ASTM or ISO standards exist today.

engineering analysis. For this reason, tensile modulus is more consider the material properties such as properties in tension,
appropriate and is therefore recommended. creep, and coefficient of linear thermal expansion, in both
5.7 Creep and fatigue data are commonly reported in directions.
flexure. However, the most useful data to the designer is 5.10 The required materials characterizations are summa-
uniaxial loading in tension mode. rized in Table 2. Suggested conditions are intended to serve as
5.8 Material properties in molded parts are a function of a guide in establishing standardized specific test conditions for
processing conditions because of their influence on orientation the purpose of providing comparable data.
and morphology developed in the molded part. Thus the
properties measured from large molded parts may differ from 6. Data Reporting Format
those obtained with standard test specimens. Use of filled or 6.1 Standardization of format for reporting the data for
reinforced materials may magnify these differences. engineering design acquired using harmonized test methods is
5.9 Molded parts frequently display anisotropy. As a result, deemed essential for providing comparable data among similar
significant property differences between flow and the trans- products from different suppliers.
verse directions can result. The use of filled or reinforced 6.2 In the case of single-point data, the reporting format for
materials may magnify this effect. It is, therefore, essential to each property shall include average, standard deviation, and

4
 D5592 − 94 (2018)
TABLE 2 Material Property Characterization Requirements
Test Method Suggested Conditions
ASTM ISO
I. Structural Criteria
Properties in tension D638 ISO 527-1, ISO at 23°C, at least three elevated temperatures and one temperature below standard
527-2, and ISO laboratory conditions at standard strain rate; at three additional strain rates at 23°C
527-4
Poisson’s ratio D638 ... at 23°C, at least one elevated temperature and one temperature below standard labo-
ratory conditions
Properties in compression D695 ISO 604 at 23°C, two additional elevated temperatures and one temperature below standard
laboratory conditions
Shear modulus (DMA/DMTA) D5279 ISO 6721-2 −150°C to Tg + 20°C or Tm + 10°C at approximately 1 Hz
Creep in tension D2990 ISO 899-1 at 23°C and at least two elevated temperatures for 1000 h at three stress levels
Fatigue in tension ... ... (a) S − N curves at three Hz at 23°C; 80, 70, 60, 55, 50, and 40 % of tensile stress at
yield; R = 0.5; 1 million cycles run out.
... ... (b) a − N curves at 3 Hz at 23°C; single edge notched specimens; three stress levels;
R = 0.5.
Coefficient of friction D1894 ISO 8295 against itself and steel
Application specific
Creep in bending D2990 ISO 899-2 at 23°C and at least two elevated temperatures for 1000 h and at least three stress
levels
Creep in compression D2990 ISO 899-1 at 23°C and at least two elevated temperatures for 1000 h and at least three stress
levels
Fatigue In Bending ... ... at 23°C; fully reversed; 80, 70, 60, 55, 50, and 40 % of tensile stress at yield at ap-
proximately 3 Hz
Fracture toughness D5045 ... K1c or G1c
Solvent resistance D543 ISO 175 Retention of tensile properties exposed to specific chemicals under no strain as well as
0.1, 0.25, and 0.5 % strain
UV Exposure/Weathering D2565 ISO 4892-2 1. Xenon Arc (0.35 to 0.70 W/m2 at 340 nm; 65°C black panel; and 50 % RH at ap-
proximately 315, 630, 1260, 1890, and 2520 kJ/m2 ; borosilicate/borosilicate or equiva-
lent filters);
Retention of tensile properties, color (CIELAB, D65, 10° standard observer, specular
included), and 60° Gardner gloss.
D1435 ISO 4607 2. 45° unbacked outdoor weathering (Florida and Arizona) for 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24
months;
Retention of tensile properties, color (CIELAB, D65, 10° standard observer, specular
included), and 60° Gardner gloss.
Accelerated Aging D3045 ISO 2578 Retention of instrumented impact strength and tensile properties, color and Gloss at
three temperatures for 1000 h
II. Manufacturing Criteria
Viscosity-shear rate data D3835 ISO 11403-2 and At approximately three temperatures, over shear rate range 10 to 10 000 s−1
ISO 11443

Flowability D3123 ...

Melt density ... ... at 0 MPa and processing temperature
Thermal conductivity ... ... 23°C to processing temperature
Specific heat ... ... 23°C to processing temperature
No-flow temperature ... ...
Ejection temperature ... ...
Crystallization temperature D3418 ...
Heat of crystallization D3418 ...
Glass transition temperature D3418 ...
Flowlength versus nominal wall ... ... simulations at three combinations of melt temperature and mold temperature
thickness
pvT data ... ... 23°C to processing temperature; over 0 to 200 bars
Coefficient of linear thermal E228 ... over the range − 40° to 85°C
expansion
Mold shrinkage ... ISO 294-1 at least two thicknesses as function of cavity pressure, melt temperature, mold
temperature, injection time, and fixed gate geometry
Crystallization kinetics ... ...
Cure kinetics D4473 ...

number of specimens tested. These are required to enhance the The tabulated data lend itself to extraction of the information
confidence level of the designer. for design calculations.
6.3 In the case of multipoint data, the reporting format for
each property shall be in both graphical format and tabulated 7. Keywords
data. The graphical format is desired to illustrate the behavior 7.1 computer aided design (CAD); computer aided engi-
of the material in response to changes in temperature, time, and neering (CAE); engineering design; finite element analysis;
strain rate, in a format that is concise, indicative of the trends, manufacturability; plastics; structural analysis
and compatible with the needs of design methods employed.

5
 D5592 − 94 (2018)
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