Evaluation of Aged PVDF by Instrumented Indentation Technique Available to Purchase

Instrumented indentation (IIT) is proposed as an alternative mechanical evaluation technique to identify ageing of semicrystalline thermoplastic polymers such as PVDF. This technique does not require special geometries such as standard tensile experiments and allows following changes in mechanical properties as deeper penetration depth are imposed. Therefore, it is able to detect differences in mechanical properties along the thickness of the material. For PVDF aged in crude oil, it was found that for shallow indentations the viscoelasticity effects are minimized. For deeper indentations it was possible to observe a loss of rigidity with aging time. The technique also allows to determine yield behavior.