ISO/DIS 18989 is a draft ISO standard that describes a procedure for generating tensile stress–strain curves for plastics across a wide range of strain rates at ambient temperature, including highly dynamic conditions relevant to transient loading.
If you need help determining whether a high-speed tensile approach is appropriate for your material card, simulation inputs, or internal validation plan, talk with our team about the strain-rate range, specimen type, and data capture requirements.
ISO/DIS 18989 (draft): Plastics — Strain rate dependent tensile tests for thermoplastics at ambient temperature
This document focuses on strain-rate effects in uniaxial tensile deformation of plastics, supporting generation of stress–strain relationships for use cases such as transient/impact-style loading scenarios.
Because it is published as a Draft International Standard (DIS), labs and design teams should confirm the exact cited draft stage/edition when aligning procedures, equipment capability, and reporting formats.
Quick Definition
Document type: Draft International Standard (DIS) test procedure (under development).
Primary purpose: Determine tensile stress–strain behavior of plastics as a function of strain rate at ambient temperature, including highly dynamic, noncyclic loading.
Typical output: Stress–strain curves suitable for engineering characterization and material-model inputs.
What This Standard Covers
ISO/DIS 18989 describes general principles for producing stress–strain curves for plastics over a wide strain-rate field. The intent is to capture strain-rate dependent behavior in uniaxial tension under noncyclic, highly dynamic conditions.
The draft is particularly oriented toward thermoplastics (including injection-moulded materials, unfilled and filled), including short fiber reinforced thermoplastics (within a defined short-fiber length range), and it also references applicability to curable plastics. The scope is limited to tests performed in a standard climate at ambient temperature.
Why This Standard Matters in Testing
Plastics can show significantly different stiffness, strength, and ductility as strain rate increases. When parts experience rapid loading (for example, transient events), using only quasi-static tensile data can lead to poor correlation between simulation and real-world performance.
ISO/DIS 18989 is used to guide strain-rate dependent tensile characterization so teams can build more realistic material datasets and compare materials or processing conditions under more application-relevant loading rates.
Common Materials, Product Types, or Applications Covered
Common material types: Thermoplastics (unfilled or filled), injection-moulded thermoplastics, and short-fiber reinforced thermoplastics.
Typical application drivers: Transient or impact-style loading scenarios where strain-rate sensitivity influences design decisions, correlation studies, or simulation model inputs.
Typical users: Automotive and transportation engineering groups, polymer R&D teams, CAE/material modeling teams, and labs supporting high-rate mechanical characterization.
Common Test or Verification Workflow
Projects that cite ISO/DIS 18989 commonly follow a characterization workflow rather than a simple pass/fail verification.
Common workflow: (1) define target strain-rate range(s) relevant to the end-use or simulation model, (2) prepare and condition tensile specimens, (3) run tensile tests at the required strain rates using appropriate instrumentation and data acquisition, (4) generate stress–strain curves for each rate, and (5) compile a rate-dependent dataset for engineering comparison and/or material-card development.
Practical note: At higher strain rates, test validity is strongly influenced by gripping, alignment, inertia/wave effects, and time-synchronized measurement of force and strain; the equipment configuration and measurement approach typically determine whether results are usable for modeling.
Equipment Commonly Used for This Standard
ISO/DIS 18989 points to equipment capable of controlled tensile loading over a broad strain-rate range, with instrumentation suitable for highly dynamic measurements.
Common equipment families: Servo-hydraulic or electrodynamic high-speed tensile testing systems; universal testing machines for the lower-rate portion (when a combined approach is used); high-speed data acquisition and control electronics.
Common fixtures and instrumentation: Tensile grips designed for dynamic testing (minimizing slip and compliance); specimen alignment tooling; strain measurement suited to the required rates (for example, appropriate extensometry methods and/or optical strain measurement where applicable); synchronized force and displacement/strain measurement channels.
Selection caution: Quoting or specifying a system typically depends on the maximum strain rate, specimen geometry/material stiffness, required gauge-length strain measurement approach, and the acceptable level of oscillation/noise in the early part of the curve.
How to Read This Designation or Revision
ISO/DIS 18989: “DIS” indicates the document is a Draft International Standard. Draft content and technical requirements may change before it becomes a published ISO standard.
Revision sensitivity: For procurement documents, compliance plans, or internal test procedures, cite the exact edition/stage you are using (including the “DIS” status) to avoid ambiguity when the document progresses to later stages or publication.
Related Standards, Methods, or Frameworks
ISO/DIS 18989 is part of a broader set of plastics mechanical characterization standards where strain rate can be a key variable.
Related ISO reference (example): ISO 18872 addresses tensile properties of plastics at high strain rates and may be referenced when comparing approaches or aligning legacy datasets with newer strain-rate dependent characterization needs.
Get help selecting a strain-rate tensile testing setup
If you are specifying a high-speed tensile system for strain-rate dependent stress–strain curves, you can request a detailed quote based on your target strain-rate range, specimen geometry, and measurement requirements.