Application of any procedure whose object is to determine the physical properties of a material. There are four major categories of tests: (1) Those that are direct measurements of a property, e.g., tensile strength. (2) Those that subject the material to actual service conditions; these often require a long period of time, e.g., shelf life of foods and corrosion of metals. (3) Accelerated tests, which require specially designed equipment that simulates service conditions on an exaggerated scale; in these, only a few hours are necessary to duplicate years of service life, e.g., oxygen bomb aging of elastomers. (4) Nondestructive testing by X ray or radiography. Elaborate standard testing procedures are established by the American Society for Testing and Materials. The more common types of tests are as follows:abrasion (elastomers, textiles)adhesion (glues, resins)aging (elastomers, plastics, leather, food products)color stability (pigments, organic dyes) (exposure)corrosion (metals, alloys) (exposure)dielectric (electrical tapes, plastics, glass)flammability (textiles, fibers, paper, plastics)flash point of combustible liquids (Tag closed cup TCC, Cleveland open cup COC, open cup OC hardness (metals, elastomers, plastics) (Brinell, Rockwell, Shore penetration)high temperature (elastomers, adhesives)impact strength (composites, glass cement)sun-cracking (paints, varnishes, elastomers) (exposure)tear (paper, rubber, textiles)tensile strength (fibers, elastomers, paper, textiles, metals) viscosity (lubricants) (Saybolt, Engler)See Exposure Testing; Nondestructive Testing; Aging.
