Detailed Analysis of Five Major Performance Characteristics of ABS Plastics
ABS plastic is widely adopted primarily owing to its inherent performance advantages, which are elaborated in the following five aspects.
1. General Properties
ABS is supplied in the form of opaque ivory-white pellets. It is non-toxic, odourless and low in water absorption. Its finished articles can be pigmented into various colours and achieve a high gloss level up to 90%. ABS displays good compatibility with other materials and allows easy surface printing, coating and plating treatment.With a limiting oxygen index of 18.2, ABS belongs to flammable polymers. It burns with a yellow flame and black smoke; the material carbonises without dripping and emits a characteristic cinnamon odour.ABS is a resin featuring excellent comprehensive properties. It retains high impact strength and surface hardness within a relatively wide temperature range, boasts a higher heat distortion temperature than PA and PVC, and possesses favourable dimensional stability.The melt flowability of ABS is better than PVC and PC, inferior to PE, PA and PS, and similar to POM and HIPS. ABS melt is a non-Newtonian fluid. Its melt viscosity is related to both processing temperature and shear rate, yet more sensitive to shear rate.
2. Mechanical Properties
ABS exhibits excellent mechanical properties and exceptional impact strength, and can be used at extremely low temperatures. When an ABS product fractures, failure usually occurs in tensile mode rather than brittle impact fracture.ABS has good wear resistance and dimensional stability together with oil resistance, so it can be used for bearings under moderate loads and rotating speeds. Its creep tendency is higher than PSF and PC, but lower than PA and POM. Its flexural strength and compressive strength are relatively low among plastics. The mechanical properties of ABS are significantly affected by temperature.
3. Thermal Properties
ABS is an amorphous polymer without an obvious melting point. It has relatively high melt viscosity and poor flowability. It has weak weather resistance, and ultraviolet radiation will cause discoloration.Its heat distortion temperature ranges from 70℃ to 107℃ (around 85℃). The value can rise by approximately 10℃ after annealing treatment. ABS is sensitive to both temperature and shear rate. It still maintains certain toughness at -40℃ and can be used for long-term service between -40℃ and 85℃.
4. Electrical Properties
ABS has good electrical insulation performance, which is hardly affected by temperature, humidity and frequency, enabling its application in most environments.
5. Environmental Properties
ABS resists water, inorganic salts, alkalis, alcohols, hydrocarbon solvents and many kinds of acids. Nevertheless, it dissolves in ketones, aldehydes and chlorinated hydrocarbons. Contact with glacial acetic acid, vegetable oils and other substances may induce stress cracking.
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