Plastics: Design Criteria

Abstract

Design is essentially an exercise in predicting performance. The designer of plastic parts must therefore be knowledgeable in such behavioral responses of plastics as those to mechanical and environmental stresses. This chapter presents important basic concepts of plastics, mechanical and electrical properties in particular that define their range of design behaviors. Along with the next two chapters, on environmental and structural considerations, it provides the background needed to understand performance analysis and the design methods available to the performing designer and engineer, as well as for those less familiar with conventional design and engineering practices. Parts made of plastics can then be designed using the logical approach applied to such other materials as steel, wood, glass, and concrete, which have their own specific techniques of analysis [1–2, 5–14, 29–33, 40–47, 79–86, 245–347].