Overview
ISO 11403-2:2022 - Plastics - Acquisition and presentation of comparable multipoint data - Part 2: Thermal and processing properties specifies standardized test procedures and presentation formats to produce comparable, multipoint property data for plastics. It covers three core property sets: enthalpy/temperature curves, linear-expansion/temperature curves, and melt shear viscosity. The standard defines test conditions, specimen handling, measurement intervals and reporting conventions so that data from different sources can be reliably compared.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope and purpose
- Standardizes methods to acquire multipoint thermal and processing data that depend on temperature, time and processing variables.
- Aims to make datasets comparable across suppliers, labs and materials.
- Specimen preparation and conditioning
- Use ISO 294-1, ISO 293, ISO 295, ISO 10724-1 or ISO 2818 as appropriate for molding or machining test specimens.
- Record molding parameters when no material-specific standard exists.
- Note: Clauses on specimen preparation and conditioning do not apply to the enthalpy (6.2) and melt shear viscosity (6.4) procedures.
- Enthalpy/temperature curve (ISO 11357-3)
- Use differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Cool from near the maximum recommended processing temperature to −40 °C at 10 K/min, then heat back at 10 K/min.
- Record specific enthalpy differences ΔH/m relative to a 23 °C reference at 10 K intervals (starting −40 °C; 20 °C replaced by 23 °C).
- Report melting/crystallization temperatures and enthalpy data from heating and cooling cycles.
- Linear-expansion/temperature curve (ISO 11359-2)
- Use thermomechanical analysis on multipurpose tensile specimens (ISO 20753 type A).
- Record normalized length and width changes (l − lr)/lr and (b − br)/br at 10 K intervals from −40 °C, with dry-state data required for hygroscopic materials.
- Melt shear viscosity (ISO 11443)
- Use capillary (rheometer) method at three temperatures spanning the polymer’s melt-processing range (one temperature matching the material MFR test).
- Measure true shear viscosity across a wide shear-rate range (≈3 s−1 to 30 000 s−1), reporting values at nine log‑spaced shear rates.
Applications and users
- Who uses it: material suppliers, polymer testing laboratories, rheologists, product designers, process engineers, quality managers and anyone involved in material selection or processing optimization.
- Practical value:
- Enables direct comparison of thermal transitions, crystallization/melting behaviour and rheological performance across materials.
- Supports process window definition, mold-filling/processing decisions and more discriminating material selection than single-point data.
- Facilitates standardized data exchange and integration into material databases and digital models.
Related standards
- ISO 11357-3 (DSC), ISO 11359-2 (TMA), ISO 11443 (capillary rheometry)
- Specimen and processing references: ISO 294-1, ISO 293, ISO 295, ISO 10724-1, ISO 20753, ISO 2818, ISO 1133, ISO 291, ISO 472
Keywords: ISO 11403-2:2022, plastics multipoint data, enthalpy/temperature curve, DSC, linear expansion, thermomechanical analysis, melt shear viscosity, capillary rheometer, material selection, processing properties.
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