ASTM D 882 Tensile Properties of Thin Plastic Sheeting (Plastic Extruded Film)

Sample conditioning is a minimum of 40 hours. Anisotropic materials (extruded film) are tested using 5 specimens in machine direction (MD) and traverse direction (TD) for each tensile modulus of elasticity and tensile energy to break, totaling 20 specimens per sample.

All samples tested on Shimadzu AGS-X Universal Testing Machine (UTM) with 500 mm frame extension.

Results: 4-8 page report containing the conditions, specimen information, calculations, results, and graphs in pdf, word or excel format. You choose the format and reporting units (SI or English).

Summary: Sample is conditioned per ASTM D 618 for 48 hours prior to cutting the 20 specimens.

Tensile modulus of elasticity specimens: Five specimens are cut in the machine and traverse direction that are 300 mm (12 inches) in length by 25mm (1 inch) width and the individual thickness is measured prior to testing. Gage length of 250 mm (10 inches) and crosshead speed of 25 mm/min (1.0 inches/minute) is used. Each orientation has a separate data file, exported to excel and emailed to you directly.

Tensile strength, elongation and tensile energy to break: Three specimens are cut and tested to determine the crosshead speed and initial grip separation (ASTM D 882, Table 1).  Five specimens are cut in the machine and traverse direction and tested in accordance to the conditions in Table 1.

Reported results include: sample preparation, specimen dimensions, number of specimens, strain rate, gauge length, crosshead speed, conditioning procedure, breaking factor, tensile strength, percent elongation at break, tensile energy to break, yield points and comments, and modulus of elasticity.

Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Thin Plastic Sheeting

Testing of this nature reveals a polymer material's ability to withstand the stresses associated of getting pulled apart in a linear direction.

Tensile Testing yields information about how much force it takes to pull a polymer material apart (tensile strength at break), how far a polymer material will stretch before breaking (elongation at break), and how it deforms as it gets pulled apart (ratio of tensile stress to tensile strain).

In the case of thin sheet material, sometimes it makes sense to test tensile properties both parallel (machine direction MD) and perpendicular (traverse direction TD) to the direction in which the film came off the production line.

Possible reasons why a company might test for Tensile Properties of Thin Sheeting include:


Significance and Use

Tensile properties determined by this test method are of value for the identification and characterization of materials for control and specification purposes. Tensile properties may vary with specimen thickness, method of preparation, speed of testing, type of grips used, and manner of measuring extension.

The tensile modulus of elasticity is an index of the stiffness of thin plastic sheeting. The reproducibility of test results is good when precise control is maintained over all test conditions. When different materials are being compared for stiffness, specimens of identical dimensions must be employed.

The tensile energy to break (TEB) is the total energy absorbed per unit volume of the specimen up to the point of rupture. In some texts this property has been referred to as toughness.