Overview
ISO 9352:2012 specifies a general, repeatable method for determining the resistance to abrasive wear of plastics under the action of abrasive wheels. It applies to moulded test specimens, components and finished products (but not to cellular materials or paints). The standard describes apparatus, specimen preparation, conditioning, test procedure and ways to express results for comparative evaluation of wear resistance.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Principle: Two abrasive wheels contact a rotating specimen under a specified load; wear is assessed after a set number of revolutions (e.g., mass loss, volume loss or optical change).
- Apparatus: Requirements include an abrasion test machine with a flat rotating disc (nominal 100 mm diameter; 72 rev/min at 60 Hz or 60 rev/min at 50 Hz), oscillating wheel arms, and a vacuum debris extraction system. Wheel geometry, mounting and clearances are defined.
- Abrasive wheels / paper: Wheel types and grit guidance are provided (resilient “CS” series for flexible plastics; vitrified “H” series for rigid plastics). Wheel dimensions, refacing and abrasive-paper replacement intervals are specified. Annex A gives a method to determine abrasive power.
- Test specimens: Disc or octagonal specimens of uniform thickness between 0.5 mm and 10 mm, with a central hole for the test fixture. Preparation and cleaning refer to established machining or moulding standards.
- Conditioning: Specimens are conditioned at standard atmospheres (23 °C ±2 °C, 50 % ±5 % RH) per ISO 291, typically for at least 48 hours before testing.
- Procedure & controls: Load per wheel, vacuum nozzle placement, number of revolutions and refacing intervals are prescribed or referred to in material-specific standards. Care against surface contamination is emphasized.
- Expression of results: Results may be reported as change in a property after fixed revolutions, revolutions to defined deterioration, mass loss (kg/1000 rev), or volume loss (mm3/1000 rev).
- Precision: Interlaboratory precision data are not provided in the standard.
Applications and users
ISO 9352 is used for:
- Quality control and comparative wear testing of plastics and polymer components
- Product development and material selection for wear-prone applications (bearings, seals, sliding parts, coatings evaluation where applicable)
- Test laboratories, manufacturers of plastics, material scientists, and standards/validation teams who require reproducible abrasion test methods
Keywords: ISO 9352, abrasive wear, plastics wear resistance, abrasion test machine, abrasive wheels, Taber-style testing, wear testing standards.
Related standards
Relevant cross-references cited include: ISO 291, ISO 293, ISO 294‑1, ISO 295, ISO 2818, ISO 48, ISO 6506‑1, ISO 6507‑1 - these govern conditioning, specimen preparation and complementary hardness tests used in conjunction with ISO 9352.
