ASTM D4976

This specification provides the standard requirements for polyethylene plastic molding and extrusion materials. The tests involved in this specification are intended to provide information for identifying materials in accordance with the groups, classes, and grades covered. Polyethylene plastic materials are classified into two groups in accordance with the molecular structure which may be branched or linear. Test specimens shall be compression molded, conditioned in a standard or controlled laboratory atmosphere, and tested to determine the materials' physical and electrical properties. The specimens shall comply with the following requirements: flow rate; density; tensile stress at yield; nominal strain at break; secant flexural modulus; environmental stress-crack resistance; slow crack growth resistance; thermal stress crack resistance; permittivity; dissipation factor; volume resistivity; water immersion stability; flammability; and weatherability.

This abstract is a brief summary of the referenced standard. It is informational only and not an official part of the standard; the full text of the standard itself must be referred to for its use and application. ASTM does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents of this abstract are accurate, complete or up to date.

1. Scope

1.1 This specification provides for the identification of polyethylene plastics molding and extrusion materials in such a manner that the supplier and the user can agree on the acceptability of different commercial lots or shipments. The tests involved in this specification are intended to provide information for identifying materials in accordance with the groups, classes, and grades covered. It is not the function of this specification to provide specific engineering data for design purposes.

1.2 Other requirements may be necessary to identify particular characteristics important to specialized applications. These shall be agreed upon between the user and the supplier, by using the suffixes given in Section .

1.3 Ethylene plastic materials, being thermoplastic, are reprocessable and recyclable (see Note 0). This specification allows for the use of those ethylene plastic materials, provided that any specific requirements as governed by the producer and the end user are met.

See Guide D 5033 for information and definitions related to recycled plastics.

1.4 The values stated in SI units are regarded as standard.

1.5 The following precautionary caveat pertains to the test method portion only, Section , of this specification. This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

1.6 For information regarding plastic pipe materials see Specification D 3350. For information regarding wire and cable materials, see Specification D 1248. For information on polyethylenes with densities below 0.910 g/cm³, see Classification D 5593.

There is no similar or equivalent ISO standard.

2. Referenced Documents

DOT Standard
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 302, Flammability of Interior Materials
ASTM Standards
D1238 Test Method for Melt Flow Rates of Thermoplastics by Extrusion Plastometer
D1248 Specification for Polyethylene Plastics Extrusion Materials for Wire and Cable
D1505 Test Method for Density of Plastics by the Density-Gradient Technique
D1531 Test Methods for Relative Permittivity (Dielectric Constant) and Dissipation Factor by Fluid Displacement Procedures
D1600 Terminology for Abbreviated Terms Relating to Plastics
D1693 Test Method for Environmental Stress-Cracking of Ethylene Plastics
D1898 Practice for Sampling of Plastics
D2565 Practice for Xenon-Arc Exposure of Plastics Intended for Outdoor Applications
D257 Test Methods for DC Resistance or Conductance of Insulating Materials
D2839 Practice for Use of a Melt Index Strand for Determining Density of Polyethylene
D2951 Test Method for Resistance of Types III and IV Polyethylene Plastics to Thermal Stress-Cracking
D3350 Specification for Polyethylene Plastics Pipe and Fittings Materials
D3892 Practice for Packaging/Packing of Plastics
D4000 Classification System for Specifying Plastic Materials
D4703 Practice for Compression Molding Thermoplastic Materials into Test Specimens, Plaques, or Sheets
D4883 Test Method for Density of Polyethylene by the Ultrasound Technique
D5033 Guide for Development of ASTM Standards Relating to Recycling and Use of Recycled Plastics
D5593 Classification for Thermoplastic Elastomers--Olefinic (TEO)
D568 Test Method for Rate of Burning and/or Extent and Time of Burning of Flexible Plastics in a Vertical Position
D618 Practice for Conditioning Plastics for Testing
D635 Test Method for Rate of Burning and/or Extent and Time of Burning of Plastics in a Horizontal Position
D638 Test Method for Tensile Properties of Plastics
D790 Test Methods for Flexural Properties of Unreinforced and Reinforced Plastics and Electrical Insulating Materials
D792 Test Methods for Density and Specific Gravity (Relative Density) of Plastics by Displacement
D883 Terminology Relating to Plastics
E29 Practice for Using Significant Digits in Test Data to Determine Conformance with Specifications
F1473 Test Method for Notch Tensile Test to Measure the Resistance to Slow Crack Growth of Polyethylene Pipes and Resins
G23 Practice for Operating Light-Exposure Apparatus (Carbon-Arc Type) With and Without Water for Exposure of Nonmetallic Materials (Discontinued 2001)
G53 Practice for Operating Light-and Water-Exposure Apparatus (Fluorescent UV-Condensation Type) for Exposure of Nonmetallic Materials (Discontinued 2001)
Military Standard
MIL-STD-105 Sampling Procedures and Tables for Inspection by Attributes

Index Terms

molding and extrusion materials; polyethylene; ICS Number Code 83.080.20 (Thermoplastic materials)

Citing ASTM Standards

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