Abstract

An improved low-temperature brittleness tester, capable of testing five specimens simultaneously, is described. All machine specifications conform to A.S.T.M. Method D 746-44T. Data are presented which show that many elastomers do not possess a sharp brittle point but are characterized by a distribution of failures over a temperature interval. The improved brittleness tester makes it possible to carry out the necessary statistical study of the distribution of per cent failures versus temperature with a reasonable amount of work. A simple analysis of the resulting distribution curve is presented.