CALIBRE* polycarbonate resins meet a wide range of impact requirements- from 1.5 to 18.0 ft-lb/in (80 to 950 J/m) notched Izod impact strength. However, understanding the "balance" of end-use temperature and impact requirements is crucial in selecting a resin for a specific application.

Instrumented Dart Impact

  The instrumented, high-speed, dart impact test yields a plot of the force (load) and elongation (displacement) required to puncture a disc with a dart. The dart delivers a multiaxial impact, which is measured to determine the total energy needed to fracture the disc.


Figure 9- Instrumented Dart Impact Strength versus Melt Flow Rate, CALIBRE 300 and 300EP Series Resins

  Figure 9 is a plot of the total energy required to fracture injection molded, 0.125 inch (3.2mm) thick discs versus the melt flow rates of CALIBRE 300 and 300 EP Series resins at -20, 73 and 100¡ÆF (-29, 23 and 38¡ÆC). The test was conducted according to ASTM D 3763, using a 1.5 inch (38.1 mm) diameter aperture. As was evident in previous tests, the impact strength of the resins decreases slightly with increasing melt flow rate. The lower melt flow rate resins are seen to be slightly tougher than their higher melt flow rate counterparts. However, all samples exhibited ductile behavior.
For a CALIBRE resins of a given melt flow rate, the total energy value required to produce a fracture remains essentially the same across the temperature range of -20 to 100¡ÆF (-29 to 38¡ÆC).


Figure 10- Instrumented Dart Impact versus Thickness, CALIBRE 300 and 300EP 22 MFR Resin

  When instrumented dart impact strength is plotted against sample thickness, the total energy of the impact decreases linearly with sample thickness. However, all of the samples failed in a ductile manner. (There was no thickness at which the failure mechanism changed from ductile to brittle as there is when using notched Izod impact.) Figure 10 illustrates the relationship between the total energy of the instrumented dart impact versus thickness for CALIBRE 300 EP 22 MFR resin. Data are shown for both unaged specimens and those aged 64 hours at 248¡ÆF (120¡ÆC). All impacts were ductile.

  The differences in energy and the changes in the mode of failure between the notched Izod and the instrumented dart impact tests stress the importance of completely understanding the test method and results. No one physical property test method, performed on a test specimen, can completely predict a fabricated part's performance. Test data should be used for initial material screening and to understand material behavior under the test conditions.

Impact Strength

Tensile Strength



"*" Trademark of the Dow Chemical Company, licensed for use by LG DOW Polycarbonate LTD.