Some mechanical properties of a commercial polymethyl methacrylate

The mechanical properties of thermoplastics are strongly interdependent and sensitive to changes of temperature and straining rate. These and other, less general, factors have an important bearing on the choice of testing techniques which can very often not merely be taken over from the established metal-testing practice. These points are discussed in detail, taking a few tests on the acrylic thermoplastic Perspex (polymethyl methacrylate) as instances. Some numerical values of the properties of Perspex in compression, tension, fatigue and impact are also given, mostly in graphical form.