塑件内应力检测ESCR-附件.docVIP

MATERIALS TESTINGEvaluating Environmental Stress Cracking of Medical PlasticsEric J. Moskala and Melanie Jones When a plastic is exposed to a chemical environment, the material may undergo numerous changes. These can include weight gain if the plastic absorbs the chemical, weight loss if the plastic is degraded by the chemical or if the chemical extracts low-molecular-weight components of the plastic, dissolution if the chemical is a good solvent, or other changes such as variations in opacity or color. If the plastic is under stress, it may also experience environmental stress cracking, which can be defined as the crazing and cracking that may occur when a plastic under a tensile stress is exposed to aggressive chemicals. The potential for environmental stress cracking is of paramount concern when plastics are used in medical device components such as luers and stopcocks. In these applications, chemicals such as isopropanol and lipid solutions can initiate crazes—microcracks bridged by polymer fibrils—in the plastic and seriously compromise its mechanical integrity. Products like medical luers can be susceptible to crazing when under stress and exposed to aggressive chemicals. Photo: Eastman Chemical Co.The proper selection of a medical plastic requires a thorough analysis and interpretation of the phenomenon of environmental stress cracking. The goal of this article is to provide a framework for evaluating the suitability of a plastic for medical uses in terms of its stress-crack behavior. Our strategy will be to examine, in some detail, the roles of the three critical components of environmental stress cracking: the chemical environment, the plastic, and the tensile stress. THE CHEMICAL ENVIRONMENT Chemicals that cause environmental stress cracking can be divided into those that swell or wet the polymer and those that chemically react with the polymer. An example of the latter would be the caustic or aqueous sodium hydroxide that can hydrolyze poly(ethylene tere