
The increasing use of polymers in engineering applications requires suitable accelerated test methods for predicting their long-term behavior. The stepped isothermal method (SIM), originally developed for product testing of geosynthetics, was successfully applied in the presented work to characterize the long-term creep behavior of polypropylene up to approximately 100 years. Based on the time-temperature superposition principle, this method can be described as a short-term creep experiment during which the temperature is elevated stepwise. It is shown that the temperature steps can be rescaled and shifted to generate a master curve matching the prediction of long-term creep resulting from the conventional approach of the time-temperature superposition principle (TTSP). This compliance with established test methods and its good reproducibility suggests that SIM might be a useful tool for accelerated testing of long-term creep behavior, especially for comparative purposes such as quick screening of material formulations during the early development stages, or the at-line assessment of resins as part of quality assurance.
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 84 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 1% | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Top 10% | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% |
