ABSTRACT:The fracture and yield strength of polyetherimide was evaluated over a temperature range of 23 to 140°C for materials with number-average (M n ) and weightaverage molecular weight (M w ) ranging from 15.6 to 22.8 and 36.6 to 52.3 kg/mol, respectively. The brittle-to-ductile transition temperature, where an equal probability exists that an impact will result in a brittle or ductile failure, was determined by evaluating the temperature at which fracture and yield strength are equal. The transition temperature decreased from 155 to 60°C with increasing molecular weight and provided a measure of relative ductility between material samples. As a case study, the practical impact strength of an injection-molded food service tray was determined at 20°C and correlated with fracture strength as a function of molecular weight.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.