The heat aging characteristics of plastic specimens are studied for various reasons. ISO 4577 represents an attempt to estimate the service life of parts fabricated from propylene plastics.
ISO 4577 specifies a method for the determination of the resistance of moulded test specimens of polypropylene and propylene-copolymers to accelerated aging by heat in the presence of air using a forced draught oven.
Note: The stability determined by ISO 4577 is not directly related to the suitability of the material for use when different environmental conditions prevail.
ISO 4577 on the determination of thermal-oxidative stability of polypropylene and propylene-copolymers is useful for:
Polypropylene offers a combination of superior physical, mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties not found in other thermoplastics.
Thermal stability refers to the ability of a material to maintain desirable mechanical properties such as strength, toughness, or elasticity at a given temperature.
ISO 4577 guidelines help you to assess whether the specified thermal levels are considered sufficiently severe to cause the failure of commercial grades of heat-stable propylene plastics within a reasonable period. If desired, lower temperatures can be applied to estimate the performance of propylene plastics with lower heat stabilities.
BS EN ISO 4577:2019 supersedes BS EN ISO 4577:1983 which has been withdrawn. BS EN ISO 4577:2019 includes some editorial changes with respect to BS EN ISO 4577:1983.
These include:
ENISO 4577
ISO 4577