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Project: Glossary of thermal and thermomechanical properties of polymers

Objective
To identify the most important terms concerning thermal effects properties of relevance for polymers and to give recommendations of unequivocal definitions of these terms.
Description
In literature and practical use it is obvious that there is a significant lack of a collection and unequivocal definitions of such terms in the field of polymer science. Some terms are even used in entirely different contexts or with different meanings to those intended. This project shall give definitions of terms related to thermal and thermomechanical properties of polymeric bulk materials.

The terms which have been selected for the preliminary list (see below) are those met in the conventional thermal (calorimetric) and thermomechanical (static or dynamic) characterization of polymeric materials. The project will be based to some extent on earlier reports related to nomenclature and terminology of thermal analysis published by the International Confederation for Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry (ICTAC: www.ictac.org).

Progress

List of terms initially proposed to be defined

adiabatic
alpha relaxation
alpha loss peak
annealing
beta relaxation
beta loss peak
brittle - ductile transition
brittle temperature
brittle point
calorimetry
calorimeter
clearing point
clearing temperature
isotropization temperature
characteristic temperatures (of a calorimetric experiment)
cold crystallization
configurational melting
conformational entropy
conformational melting
copolymer melting
damping
dielectric thermal analysis
differential scanning calorimetry
differential thermal analysis
dilatometry
dynamic
dynamic-load thermomechanical analysis dynamic mechanical analysis
enthalpy relaxation
first order transition
flow temperature
gamma relaxation
gamma loss peak
glass transition temperature
glass temperature
glass-rubber transition temperature
Hoffman and Weeks plot
isobaric
isochorus
isothermal
Kohl - Williams - Watts equation
mechanical melting
melt flow index
melting
melting point
melting temperature
oscillating DSC
temperature modulated DSC
quenching
quench cooling
recrystallization relaxation time
relaxation spectrum
spectrum of relaxation times
scanning
second order transition
secondary relaxations
secondary relaxation temperature
shift factor
soft-point
softening point
softening of polymer
Tammann's 2/3rd rule
thermal analysis
thermally stimulated depolarization
thermally stimulated current
thermodilatometry
thermodynamic melting point
thermodynamic equilibrium melting point thermogravimetry
thermogravimetric analysis
thermochromism
thermoluminescence thermomechanical analysis
thermomechanical properties
thermooptometry
time-temperature superposition principle
torsional braid analysis transition temperature
Williams-Landel-Ferry equation

 <project announcement published in Chem. Int. Jul/Aug 2007, p. 19>