thermal properties


Thermal Properties Laboratory

SCOPE OF THE LABORATORY ACTIVITIES

Thermal characteristics of polymeric materials have an essential significance for both their structure study and evaluation of their application and technological properties. Therefore, ITC is concerned on testing and evaluation of the thermal properties in great extent. The laboratory of thermal properties is aimed especially at the testing and evaluation of basic thermo-physical parameters. The appropriate testing equipment is available for these laboratory activities.

TESTING - LIST OF SELECTED TESTS

Differential scanning calorimetry

The most frequently applied thermal properties testing method is in the ITC laboratory a differential scanning calorimetry method (DSC), which enables determining the significant thermodynamical parameters of tested materials using the device DSC ?TA 60 supplied by Shimadzu. Temperature interval covered by this device ranges from -150°C to +500°C. It is used especially for determination:

	melting point and crystallization temperature
	glass-transition temperature
	enthalpy of particular physical processes
	crystallinity values
	specific heats and thermal capacities

Further it is used for observation of crystallization kinetics, study of crosslinking and vulcanization, evaluation of material degradation process, evaluation of thermo-mechanical history of the samples and evaluation of several other important characteristics of material.
The DSC method can be well applied at an evaluation of the construction products, especially the pipes and the protective materials, where their thermo-oxidation stability should be defined as a time period in which the given material does not oxidize during warming in the oxygen atmosphere.

Thermal expansion

Polymeric materials have a significantly higher coefficient of the thermal expansion than the classical ones. In reality, this can cause several technical problems. Therefore the ITC lab measures the linear thermal expansion coefficient for the solid material by means of a silica dilatometer with mechanical indication of the dimensional changes. These measurements can be carried out in the temperature range from ? 30°C up to +200°C. Using the thermo-mechanical analyzer SHIMADZU TMA 50 the useful temperature range is extended up to + 1000°C.

Thermal and temperature conductivity

For evaluation of thermo isolation properties of products and cellular materials is the laboratory equipped with a thermal conductivity measuring device - ISOMET 2104 manufactured by the company Applied Precision. The measurement is non-stationary ? applying the method of thermal pulses with using of surface or injection measuring probes. The measuring device evaluates besides the thermal conductivity l even the specific heat by constant volume and the temperature conductivity factor.

Softening temperature

The laboratory conducts the test for evaluation of polymer materials temperature resistance by the means of the heat softening temperature according to Vicat's method or by measurements of the load deflection using testing apparatus supplied by company Frank.

OFFER OF SERVICES

Laboratory testing serves as basis of:

	conformity assessment according to appropriate Czech legislation and/or European Directives
	product or materials characteristics certification
	product's quality evaluation
	product certification
	issue of an ATEST
	ssue of a Test Report of Accredited Laboratory