Structural Plastics
Manufacturers of structural plastics rely on the versatility of their products to cater to a broad customer base with an array of unique demands. The most successful manufacturers know the right dials to turn and components to add to create products that fully meet their customers’ needs. With great versatility comes a wide field of requirements – from customers, designers, and authorities having jurisdiction. Innovative manufacturers choose to use their resources strategically, and many find that collaborating with a third-party agency is the most efficient way to address market demands.
Typical uses of structural plastics include outdoor deck floors, handrail and guardrail systems, stairs, fences, landscaping timbers, cladding and siding, park benches, molding and trim, window and door frames, and indoor furniture.
ICC-ES accredited laboratories conduct tests on structural plastics for various characteristics, including but not limited to:
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- Flexure
- Temperature and moisture effects
- Accelerated weathering/ultraviolet resistance test
- Freeze-thaw resistance test
- Biodeterioration tests, including termite and fungus decay resistance
- Fire performance
- Creep recovery
- Duration of load or creep rupture
- Determination of unadjusted allowable load
- Mechanical fastener testing and uplift resistances
- Slip resistance
- Concentrated and uniform load tests