plies shall not be used. Any deviations from the standard
orientation shall be reported and the test results noted as
non-standard.
8.4 The specimen surfaces shall be flat, clean, straight, and
dry to prevent slippage in the grips and mitigate any effects due
to moisture. Opposite surfaces must be essentially parallel and
intersecting surfaces perpendicular. Tolerances in thickness and
width must be better than 62 %.
8.5 The selected sample shall be taken from a representative
portion of the laminate. Laminate edges or other irregularities
created in the laminate by mold or bagging techniques should
be avoided.
9. Calibration
9.1 The DMA equipment shall be calibrated in accordance
with Test Method E1867 for temperature signals and in
accordance with the equipment manufacturer’s recommenda-
tion for the storage modulus. The equipment must be calibrated
in the same loading mode as will be used for testing, either dual
cantilever or three-point bending. The temperature calibration
points must span the DMA Tg result.
10. Conditioning
10.1 Moisture has significant effect on DMA Tg. Therefore,
it is recommended that the test specimens should be weighed
before and after DMA Tg testing to quantify the moisture
change in the specimen resulting from the DMA Tg test.
10.2 Dry Specimens—To minimize the presence of moisture
in the specimens, dry specimens must be conditioned prior to
testing by using either of the following techniques:
10.2.1 Dry the specimens in an oven in accordance with
Test Method D5229/D5229M, Procedure D, then stored until
test in a desiccator or sealed MIL-PRF-131
4
(or equivalent)
aluminized bag, or
10.2.2 Store the material in a desiccator or sealed alumi-
nized bag immediately after material curing (lamination),
where the material shall remain except for the minimum time
required for removal during specimen preparation and testing.
The maximum time between cure (lamination) and testing shall
be 30 days, after which, prior to testing, specimens shall be
oven-dried in accordance with 10.2.1.
10.3 Wet Specimens—Condition in accordance with Test
Method D5229/D5229M, Procedure B. The conditioned speci-
mens shall be tested within 30 minutes after removal from the
conditioning chamber, or stored in sealed MIL-PRF-131 (or
equivalent) aluminized bag until test.
11. Procedure
11.1 Test Specimen—Measure the specimen thickness and
width to 0.025 mm (0.001 in.) and record. Measure the
specimen length to 0.025 mm (0.001 in.) and record. Weigh the
specimen to the nearest milligram (0.001 g) and record.
11.2 Specimen Installation—Install the specimen in the
DMA test equipment oven based upon clamping method to be
employed.
11.3 Positioning of Specimen—Follow the manufacturer’s
procedure for positioning the specimen in the clamps.
Generally, the specimen should be centered between the clamp
faces and be parallel to the base of the instrument. Mount the
specimen in dual cantilever mode or three-point bending mode.
11.4 Heating Rate—The standard heating rate is 5 °C ⁄min
61 °C ⁄min (9 °F ⁄min 62 °F ⁄min). The same heating rate
shall be used for all samples whose results are to be compared.
Any deviations from this heating rate shall be noted in the
report and the result shall be reported as non-standard.
11.5 Frequency—The standard frequency to be used in this
standard is 1 Hz, and the instrument should be operated in
constant strain mode.
11.6 Strain Amplitude—The maximum strain amplitude
should be kept within the linear viscoelastic range of the
material. Strains of less than 0.1 % are standard.
11.7 Temperature Range—Program the run to begin at room
temperature or a temperature at least 50 °C (90 °F) below the
estimated DMA Tg and to end at a temperature at least 50 °C
(90 °F) above DMA Tg, but below decomposition temperature.
11.8 Purge Gas Flow Rate—Follow the manufacturer’s
manual or recommendations to set the purge gas flow rate. Five
litres/minute (0.2 CFM) is a typical purge gas flow rate setting.
For some types of dynamic mechanical analyzers, a purge gas
flow setting is not required.
11.9 Thermocouple Positioning—Follow the manufacturer’s
manual or recommendations to position the thermocouple.
Typically the thermocouple should be as close to the sample as
possible.
11.10 Test—Conduct DMA Tg measurements using the
instrument settings specified and record the load and displace-
ment data as a function of temperature. Allow the oven to cool
before removing the specimen. Weigh the specimen after the
test to the nearest milligram (0.001 g) after the removal from
the oven and record.
11.11 Specimen Examination—Examine the specimen after
the test and inspect for any visual anomalies (that is,
delamination, blisters, cracks, etc.). Record any visual anoma-
lies observed.
12. Interpretation of Results
12.1 Glass Transition Temperature (DMA Tg)—Plot the
logarithm of storage modulus (E’) and linear tangent delta (tan
δ) versus the linear temperature (Fig. 1). During the glass
transition, the storage modulus of the composite material is
significantly reduced. The DMA Tg is determined to be the
intersection of two tangent lines from the storage modulus by
this test method. The first tangent line (Line A, Fig. 1) is
selected at a temperature before the transition. This tempera-
ture is designated as TA. The second tangent line (Line B, Fig.
1) is constructed at the inflection point to approximately the
midpoint of the storage modulus drop. This temperature is
4
MIL-PRF-131, Barrier Materials, Watervaporproof, Greaseproof, Flexible,
Heat-Sealable. Available at http://assist.daps.dla.mil or from the Standardization
Document Order Desk, 700 Robbins Avenue, Building 4D, Philadelphia, PA
19111-5094.
D7028 − 07 (2024)
3