Physical failure relating to product design

Poor design

Product design is fundamental to ensuring polymer component long term durability. Poor design will highlight polymeric material weaknesses to long term loads, chemical environment, high speed loading, fatigue loads resulting in brittle failure of the product within a short service life.

Poor processing

Poor processing of polymers causes failure through degradation & embrittlement process, high residual stresses, material inhomogeneity, introduction of product faults, defects or contaminants.

Visco-elastic response to long term loads

Polymers are sensitive to long term loads. These can be either static or cyclic loads through creep or fatigue mechanisms. These processes can dramatically reduce the strength & stiffness of polymer components in service conditions compared with those given on a standard data sheet. A lack of understanding of the significance of the long term mechanical effects on polymers is a common cause of failure

Chemical & environmental interactions

Polymer interaction with chemicals & environment can lead to degradation & embrittlement. For many plastics & thermoplastic elastomers specific interactions with common household products can lead to rapid crazing & cracking due to environmental stress cracking (ESC).