Designation: D 1621 – 04a

Standard Test Method for

Compressive Properties Of Rigid Cellular Plastics1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 1621; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
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This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the Department of Defense.

1. Scope* 3.1.2 compliance correction—an analytical method of

1.1 This test method describes a procedure for determining modifying test instrument displacement values to eliminate the
the compressive properties of rigid cellular materials, particu- amount of that measurement attributed to test instrument
larly expanded plastics. compliance.
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the 3.1.3 compressive deformation—the decrease in length pro-
standard. The values in brackets are for information only. duced in the gage length of the test specimen by a compressive
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the load expressed in units of length.
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the 3.1.4 compressive strain—the dimensionless ratio of com-
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro- pressive deformation to the gage length of the test specimen or
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica- the change in length per unit of original length along the
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use. longitudinal axis.
3.1.5 compressive strength—the stress at the yield point if a
NOTE 1—This test method and ISO 844 are technically equivalent. yield point occurs before 10 % deformation (as in Fig. 1a) or,
2. Referenced Documents in the absence of such a yield point, the stress at 10 %
deformation (as in Fig. 1b).
2.1 ASTM Standards: 2 3.1.6 compressive stress (nominal)—the compressive load
D 618 Practice for Conditioning Plastics for Testing per unit area of minimum original cross section within the gage
E 4 Practices for Force Verification of Testing Machines boundaries, carried by the test specimen at any given moment,
E 83 Practice for Verification and Classification of Exten- expressed in force per unit area.
someter Systems 3.1.7 compressive stress-strain diagram—a diagram in
E 691 Practice for Conducting an Interlaboratory Study to which values of compressive stress are plotted as ordinates
Determine the Precision of a Test Method against corresponding values of compressive strain as abscis-
2.2 ISO Standard: sas.
ISO 844 Cellular Plastics—Compression Test of Rigid Ma- 3.1.8 compressive yield point—the first point on the stress-
terials3 strain diagram at which an increase in strain occurs without an
3. Terminology increase in stress.
3.1.9 deflectometer—a device used to sense the compres-
3.1 Definitions: sive deflection of the specimen by direct measurement of the
3.1.1 compliance—the displacement difference between test distance between the compression platens.
machine drive system displacement values and actual specimen 3.1.10 displacement—compression platen movement after
displacement. the platens contact the specimen, expressed in millimetres or
inches.
1
This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D20 on Plastics 3.1.11 gage length—the initial measured thickness of the
and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D20.22 on Cellular Plastics. test specimen expressed in units of length.
Current edition approved October 1, 2004. Published October 2004. Originally 3.1.12 modulus of elasticity—the ratio of stress (nominal) to
approved in 1959. Last previous edition approved in 2004 as D 1621 - 04.
2
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
corresponding strain below the proportional limit of a material
contact ASTM Customer Service at [email protected]. For Annual Book of ASTM expressed in force per unit area based on the minimum initial
Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on cross-sectional area.
the ASTM website.
3
Available from American National Standards Institute (ANSI), 25 W. 43rd St.,
4th Floor, New York, NY 10036.

*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standard.

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 D 1621 – 04a

X1 = 10 % CORE DEFORMATION
X2 = DEFLECTION (APPROXIMATELY 13 %)
FIG. 1 a Compressive Strength (See 3.1.5 and Section 9) FIG. 1 b Compressive Strength (See 3.1.5 and Section 9)

3.1.13 proportional limit—the greatest stress that a material 5.1.1 Load Measurement System—A load measurement sys-
is capable of sustaining without any deviation from propor- tem capable of accurately recording the compressive load
tionality of stress-to-strain (Hooke’s law) expressed in force imparted to the test specimen. The system shall be indicate the
per unit area. load with an accuracy of 61 % of the measured value or better.
The accuracy of the load measurement system shall be verified
4. Significance and Use in accordance with Practices E 4.
4.1 This test method provides information regarding the 5.2 Compression Platens—Two flat plates, one attached to
behavior of cellular materials under compressive loads. Test the stationary base of the testing instrument and the other
data is obtained, and from a complete load-deformation curve attached to the moving crosshead to deliver the load to the test
it is possible to compute the compressive stress at any load specimen. These plates shall be larger than the specimen
(such as compressive stress at proportional-limit load or loading surface to ensure that the specimen loading is uniform.
compressive strength at maximum load) and to compute the It is recommended that one platen incorporate a spherical
effective modulus of elasticity. seating mechanism to compensate for non-parallelism in the
4.2 Compression tests provide a standard method of obtain- specimen’s loading surfaces or non-parallelism in the base and
ing data for research and development, quality control, accep- crosshead of the testing instrument.
tance or rejection under specifications, and special purposes.
5.3 Displacement Measurement System—A displacement
The tests cannot be considered significant for engineering
measurement system capable of accurately recording the com-
design in applications differing widely from the load - time
pressive deformation of the test specimen during testing to an
scale of the standard test. Such applications require additional
accuracy of 61 % of the measured value or better. This
tests such as impact, creep, and fatigue.
measurement is made through use of the test machine cross-
4.3 Before proceeding with this test method, reference shall
be made to the specification of the material being tested. Any head drive system or using a direct measurement of compres-
test specimen preparation, conditioning, dimensions, or testing sion platen displacement.
parameters, or a combination thereof, covered in the materials 5.3.1 Direct Compression Platen Displacement—This sys-
specification shall take precedence over those mentioned in this tem shall employ a deflectometer that directly reads the distant
test method. If there are no material specifications, then the between the upper and lower compression platens. The accu-
default conditions apply. racy of the displacement measurement transducer shall be
verified in accordance with Practices E 83 and shall be classi-
5. Apparatus fied as a Class C or better.
5.1 Testing Machine—A testing instrument that includes 5.3.2 Test Machine Crosshead Drive System—This system
both a stationary and movable member and includes a drive shall employ the position output from the crosshead drive
system for imparting to the movable member (crosshead), a system as a indicator of compression platen displacement. This
uniform, controlled velocity with respect to the stationary method is only appropriate when it is demonstrated that the
member (base). The testing machine shall also include the effects of drive system compliance result in displacement
following: errors of less than 1 % of the measurement or if appropriate
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 D 1621 – 04a
compliance correction methods are employed to reduce the 7. Conditioning
measurement error to less than 1 %. 7.1 Conditioning—Condition the test specimens at 23 6
5.3.2.1 Determining Drive System Compliance—Testing in- 2°C [73.4 6 3.6°F] and 50 6 5 % relative humidity for not less
strument drive systems always exhibit a certain level of than 40 h prior to test in accordance with Procedure A of
compliance that is characterized by a variance between the Practice D 618, unless otherwise specified in the contract or
reported crosshead displacement and the displacement actually relevant material specification. In cases of disagreement, the
imparted to the specimen. This variance is a function of load tolerances shall be 61°C [61.8°F] and 62 % relative humid-
frame stiffness, drive system wind-up, load cell compliance ity.
and fixture compliance. This compliance can be measured then, 7.2 Test Conditions—Conduct tests in the standard labora-
if determined to be significant and empirically subtracted from tory atmosphere of 23 6 2°C [73.4 6 3.6°F] and 50 6 5 %
test data to improve test accuracy. The procedure to determine relative humidity, unless otherwise specified. In cases of
compliance follows: disagreement, the tolerances shall be 61°C [61.8°F] and
(1) Configure the test system to match the actual test 62 % relative humidity.
configuration.
(2) Position the two compression platens very close to each 8. Procedure
other simulating a zero thickness specimen in place. 8.1 Measure the dimensions of the specimen to a precision
(3) Start the crosshead moving at 12.5 mm [0.5 in.]/min in of 61 % of the measurement as follows:
the compression direction recording crosshead displacement 8.1.1 Thicknesses up to and including 25.4 mm [1 in.] shall
and the corresponding load values. be measured using a dial-type gage having a foot with
(4) Increase load to a point exceeding the highest load minimum area of 6.45 cm2[1 in.2]. Hold the pressure of the dial
expected during specimen testing. Stop the crosshead and foot to 0.17 6 0.03 kPa [0.025 6 0.005 psi].
return to the pre-test location. 8.1.2 Measure dimensions over 25.4 mm [1 in.] with a dial
(5) The recorded load-deflection curve, starting when the gage, a sliding-caliper gage, or a steel scale. When a sliding-
compression platens contact one another, is defined as test caliper gage is employed, the proper setting shall be that point
system compliance at which the measuring faces of the gage contact the surfaces
5.3.2.2 Performing Compliance Correction—Using the of the specimen without compressing them.
load-deflection curve created in 5.3.2.1, measure the system 8.1.3 Record each dimension as an average of three mea-
compliance at each given load value. On each specimen test surements.
curve at each given load value, subtract the system compliance 8.2 Place the specimen between the compression platens
from each recorded displacement value. This will be the new ensuring that the specimen center-line is aligned with the
load-deflection curve for use in calculations starting in Section center-line of the compression platens and the load will be
9. distributed as uniformly as possible over the entire loading
5.4 Micrometer Dial Gage, caliper, or steel rule, suitable for surface of the specimen. It will expedite the testing process if,
measuring dimensions of the specimens to 61 % of the when the specimen is in place, the upper platen is positioned
measured values. close to, but not touching, the specimen.
8.2.1 If following 5.3.2.1, attach the deflectometer or com-
6. Test Specimen pression extensometer to the compression platens.
8.3 Start the crosshead moving in the direction to compress
6.1 The test specimen shall be square or circular in cross
the specimen with the rate of crosshead displacement of 2.5 6
section with a minimum of 25.8 cm2 [4 in.2] and maximum of
0.25 mm [0.1 6 0.01 in.]/min for each 25.4 mm [1 in.] of
232 cm2 [36 in.2] in area. The minimum height shall be 25.4
specimen thickness.
mm [1 in.] and the maximum height shall be no greater than the
8.4 Record compression platen displacement and the corre-
width or diameter of the specimen. Care should be taken so that
sponding load data. This recorded curve will be used directly if
the loaded ends of the specimen are parallel to each other and
following 5.3.2.1 or could be modified following 5.3.2.2.
perpendicular to the sides.
8.5 Continue until a yield point is reached or until the
NOTE 2—Cellular plastics are not ideal materials, and the compressive specimen has been compressed approximately 13 % of its
modulus may appear significantly different, depending on the test condi- original thickness, whichever occurs first.
tions, particularly the test thickness. All data that are to be compared 8.5.1 When specified, a deformation other than 10 % may
should be obtained using common test conditions. be used as the point at which stress shall be calculated. In such
6.2 All surfaces of the specimen shall be free from large a case, compress the specimen approximately 3 % more than
visible flaws or imperfections. the deformation specified. Substitute the specified deformation
6.3 If the material is suspected to be anisotropic, the wherever “10 % deformation” is cited in Sections 9 and 10.
direction of the compressive loading must be specified relative
to the suspected direction of anisotropy. 9. Calculation
6.4 A minimum of five specimens shall be tested for each 9.1 Using a straightedge or through the use of computer
sample. Specimens that fail at some obvious flaw should be software, carefully extend to the zero load line the steepest
discarded and retests made, unless such flaws constitute a straight portion of the load-deflection curve examining only the
variable the effect of which it is desired to study. lower portion of the load-deflection curve. This establishes the
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 D 1621 – 04a
“zero deformation” or “zero strain” point (Point O in Fig. 1a TABLE 1 Precision Data
and Fig. 1b). Measure all distances for deformation or strain Materials Average, psi Sr A SR B rC RD
calculations from this point. A 13.6307 1.1491 1.6078 3.2174 4.5019
9.2 Measure from Point O along the zero-load line a B 31.3183 1.0944 1.1213 3.0642 3.1398
C 10.3981 0.9796 1.0764 2.7430 3.0141
distance representing 10 % specimen deformation. At that
A
point (Point M in Fig. 1a and Fig. 1b), draw a vertical line Sr= within-laboratory standard deviation for the indicated material. It is
obtained by pooling the within-laboratory standard deviations of the test results
intersecting the load-deflection or load-strain curve at Point P. from all of the participating laboratories.
9.2.1 If there is no yield point before Point P (as in Fig. 1b), B
SR= between-laboratories reproducibility, expressed as standard deviation.
read the load at Point P.
C
r = within-laboratory critical interval between two test results = 2.8 3 Sr.
D
R = between-laboratories critical interval between two test results = 2.8 3 SR.
9.2.2 If there is a yield point before Point P (as Point L in
Fig. 1), read the load and measure the percent core deformation
or strain (Distance O-R) at the yield point. 10.1.5 Values for each specimen, plus averages and standard
9.2.3 Calculate the compressive strength by dividing the deviations, of modulus (if requested) and compressive strength.
load (9.2.1 or 9.2.2) by the initial horizontal cross-sectional 10.1.6 Deformation at maximum load to two significant
area of the specimen. figures.
9.3 If compressive modulus is requested, choose any con- 10.1.7 Date of test.
venient point (such as Point S in Fig. 1b) along the steepest
straight line portion of the load-deflection or load-strain curve. 11. Precision
Read the load and measure the deformation or strain (Distance 11.1 Table 1 is based on a round robin4 conducted in 1998
O-T) at that point. in accordance with Practice E 691, involving three materials
9.3.1 Calculate the apparent modulus as follows: tested by seven laboratories. For each material, all of the
Ec 5 WH/AD (1)
samples were prepared at one source, but the individual
specimens were prepared at the laboratories that tested them.
where: Each test result was the average of seven individual determi-
Ec = modulus of elasticity in compression, Pa [psi], nations. Each laboratory obtained six test results for each
W = load, N [lbf], material. Precision, characterized by repeatability (Sr and r)
H = initial specimen height, m [in.], and reproducibility (SR and R) has been determined as shown
A = initial horizontal cross-sectional area, m2 [in.2], and in Table 1. Warning—The explanation of r and R are only
D = deformation, m [in.]. intended to present a meaningful way of considering the
9.3.2 Calculate the estimated standard deviation as follows: approximate precision of this test method. The data in Table 1
s 5 =~ (x 2 2 nX̄ 2!/~n 2 1! (2) should not be applied to acceptance or rejection of materials, as
these data apply only to the materials tested in the round robin
where: and are unlikely to be rigorously representative of other lots,
s = estimated standard deviation, formulations, conditions, materials, or laboratories. Users of
x = value of a single observation, this test method should apply the principles outlined in Practice
n = number of observations, and E 691 to generate data specific to their materials and labora-
X̄ = arithmetic mean of the set of observations.
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tory.
10. Report NOTE 3—The precision data presented in Table 1 was obtained using
the test conditions defined in this test method. If a material specification
10.1 Report the following information:
defines other test conditions, this precision data shall not be assumed to
10.1.1 Complete identification of the material tested, includ- apply.
ing type, source, code numbers, form, principal dimensions,
previous history, and so forth. 12. Keywords
10.1.2 Number of specimens tested if different from that 12.1 cellular plastics; compressive modulus; compressive
specified in 6.4. strength
10.1.3 Conditioning procedure used if different from that
specified in Section 7.
10.1.4 Atmospheric conditions in test room if different from 4
Supporting data are available from ASTM Headquarters. Request
those specified in Section 7. RR:D20–1201.

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 D 1621 – 04a
SUMMARY OF CHANGES

This section identifies the location of selected changes to this test method. For the convenience of the user,
Committee D20 has highlighted those changes that may impact the use of this test method. This section may also
include descriptions of the changes or reasons for the changes, or both.

D 1621 – 04a: (2) Added 4.3.

(1) Revised the definition of deflectometer. (3) Revised 7.1.
D 1621 – 04: (4) Added 9.3.2.
(1) Test method was revised throughout.
D 1621 – 00: (5) Added precision statement, Section 11, including Caution-
(1) Section 3, Terminology —Changed definitions to meet the ary note 4 and Note 3.
one sentence requirement. (2) Included the Summary of Changes section.

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