Polymer Material Testing

Written by Yash Kundra | Updated: August 28, 2025

Polymer Material Testing

Polymer material testing encompasses various chemical, mechanical and physical analysis techniques to characterize plastics, laminates, resins, composites, and other polymeric materials. For instance, we can use FT-IR to confirm that the parts are the right material, DSC to check for contamination, and the melt flow indexer to assess whether the components have degraded. In order to assess the mechanical integrity of a part, mechanical tests including durometer hardness, izod impact, tensile strength, and flexural strength are also helpful. Comprehensive characterization of polymers is essential in delivering a safe product and ensuring product durability and performance over its lifecycle.

Chemical Analysis: Provides insightful information on structure, composition, molecular weight, weight distribution, etc. Furthermore, residue, additives, fillers, and VOC analysis in polymers help understand their effect on the polymers’ stability and durability. Investigative chemical studies can also be performed for deformulation/reverse engineering of competitive products, comparative product studies, failure analysis of faulty products, and regulatory testing. Quality control of polymer raw materials and finished products is another area where chemical analysis techniques are frequently employed.

Physical and Mechanical Testing: Understanding the physical properties of polymers is essential for product manufacturers to maintain industry standards. Mechanical and physical characterization of polymers is widely used in industries from aerospace, automotive, defense, and consumer products to biomaterials. Bulk and surface mechanical testing include the tensile strength of polymeric films, fibers, coatings; strength, hardness, flexural and compressive properties of polymers for durability and elasticity, etc.

Other physical characterization techniques routinely employed for polymer material testing include thermal analysis (DSC, TMA, TGA, among others), rheological testing, electrical testing, optical testing, thermal testing, weathering, and environmental testing, including but not limited to humidity, UV, sterilization testing, etc.

Video 01: ASTM D638 & ISO 527-2 The Definitive Guide to Tensile Testing of Plastic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLP4MGo6h0Izqvhp9Lb2BtBW0jf8dSIynp&v=YL91SZEU-y4&feature=emb_imp_woyt

Testing

Chemical Analysis
Spectroscopy
Chromatography
Microscopy
Elemental Analysis
Wet Chemistry
Mechanical and Physical Testing
Tensile, Shear, and Flexural testing
Impact Testing
Stress and Strain
Bend Testing
Density, Hardness
Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)
Thermomechanical analysis (TMA)
Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)
Heat Deflection Temperature (HDT)
Vicat Softening Points
Melt Flow Index
Rheological Testing
Flammability
Weathering Tests
Accelerated Aging
Environmental Testing
Repeated Sterilization Testing

Polymer Material Testing Common Uses

Polymer materials are often tested to determine their properties and performance characteristics. Some common tests include tensile testing, which measures the force required to stretch or break a material; flexural testing, which measures a material’s ability to withstand bending; and impact testing, which measures a material’s ability to absorb energy upon impact. Other tests may include measurement of thermal properties, such as melting point and thermal expansion, as well as various forms of chemical analysis, such as infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Polymer identification and characterization for additives, coatings, adhesives, plastics, composites, etc.
Surface analysis
Failure analysis of products
Residue and contaminants detection and analysis
Product and raw material QC
Product shelf-life
Test and predict aging
Leachability and toxicity studies

Industries