Composite Tests

Fiberglass content
• A silica dish of appropriate dimensions shall be heated in a muffle
furnace at 575 + 25 Deg. C for 15 minutes, cooled in a desiccator
and weighed (W1).
• The test specimen shall then be placed in the dish and the whole unit
heated at 105 Deg. C for 2 hours cooled in a desiccator and weighed
(W2).The sample with dish shall then be heated in a ventilated
muffle furnace at a temperature of 575 + 25 Deg. C for 30
minutes, cooled in a desiccator and weighed (W3).
• This process is repeated until difference in weight in successive
weighing is less than 0.01 gm. The contents in the dish shall be treated
with concentrated HCL and the acid shall be removed by washing. The
contents remaining in the dish shall then be dried at 105 Deg. C for 2
hours and weighed (W4). This process shall be repeated until the
difference in weigh is less than 0.01 gm. The contents shall be
examined to find whether filler particles still remain within the
contents. If filler particles are not present, the fibre content Shall be
calculated as follows:
• Fibre content (%) = 100 x (W4 -W1) / (W2 -W1)
 Fiberglass content
• Test piece shall be cut to size 50 x 50 mm from the
product.
• The exposed edges of the test pieces shall be coated with
resin/lacquer to prevent inter-laminar attack by water.
• The test piece is dried at 50 + 3 deg. C for 24 hours in an
air oven, then allowed to cool in a desiccators.
• Then weighed accurately (W1). Then the test piece is
immersed in distilled water for 24 hours at 27 + 2 Deg. C.
• The test piece is taken out, and the water is wiped out
with a piece of dry cloth and then weighed accurately.
(W2).
• The % of water absorption = [(W2-W1) x 100]/W1
 Water absorption (ASTM 5229)
• Test procedure:
• At least five 100 mm * 100 mm test specimens are
machined from customer supplied product.
• The side edges are then sealed to prevent moisture
absorption through the sides. The specimens are then
dried, removed from the drying oven, and allowed to cool
in a desiccator. The specimens are then weighed on an
analytical balance to the nearest 0.1 mg. The specimens
are then placed in the appropriate conditioning
environment. The specimens are removed from the
conditioning environment periodically, allowed to
equilibrate to room temperature in a sealed container, and
weighed. This procedure is repeated until there is no
discernable increase in specimen weight.
 Water absorption (ASTM 5229)
• Specimen size:
A common size is 100 mm * 100 mm.

• Data:
Calculated mass change at equilibrium:
Mass Change = (Wi – Wb) / Wb * 100
 Density and Specific Gravity
ASTM D792
• Test Procedure:
• There are two basic test procedures- Method A and Method B. The more
common being Method A, can be used with sheet, rod, tube and molded
articles. For Method A, the specimen is weighed in air then weighed when
immersed in distilled water at 23°C using a sinker and wire to hold the specimen
completely submerged as required. Density and Specific Gravity are calculated.
• Specimen size: Any convenient size.
• Data:
Specific gravity = a/[(a + w)-b]
a = mass of specimen in air.
b = mass of specimen and sinker (if used) in water.
W = mass of totally immersed sinker if used and partially immersed wire.

• Density, kg/m = (specific gravity) x (997.6)

 Barcol Hardness ASTM 2583
• Scope:
Barcol Hardness is used to determine the hardness of both reinforced and
non-reinforced rigid plastics.
Test Procedure:
The specimen is placed under the indentor of the Barcol hardness tester
and a uniform pressure is applied to the specimen until the dial indication
reaches a maximum. The depth of the penetration is converted into
absolute Barcol numbers.
Specimen size:
Specimens are required to be a minimum thickness of 1/16th of an inch.
Data:
Data is expressed as Barcol numbers given by the instrument.
Equipment Used:
Barber-Colman Barcol Hardness Tester.