Conference Report: WORKSHOP ON AGING, DIMENSIONAL STABILITY, AND DURABILITY ISSUES IN HIGH TECHNOLOGY POLYMERS Gaithersburg, MD May 28–29, 1992

The expected functional life of polymers and polymer-based composites subjected to a set of environments and stress conditions is often determined by issues of aging, dimensional stability and durability. The complexity of these issues leads not only to a need for further research developments but also improved methods of application of current physical and chemical knowledge to the design, manufacture, and use of materials. The knowledge base required to attain improvements in materials performance requires a "high technology" approach across the entire spectrum of industries that critically depend upon materials. Problems associated with the lifetime and performance of polymers and polymer-based composites are manifest in many products and industries ranging from automotive and aerospace to photographic and imaging applications and electronic packaging. In some cases, the product design is necessarily conservative to compensate for the lack of understanding of the base materials. In other cases, the developments required to advance into new markets are constrained because testing methodologies are unavailable to benchmark material performance. Furthermore, materials design cannot advance in the absence of a fundamental understanding of the mechanical performance of materials. Materials suppliers, end-users, and government experts were brought together at a workshop sponsored by the Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, held at NIST on May 28-29, 1992. The purpose of the workshop was to provide inputs and advice into the programs at NIST involved in the study of the mechanical performance of polymers. The participants in the workshop began a dialogue on the possible mechanisms of interaction between industry and government, viz., NIST, to address these problems in a mutually beneficial way. The long term goal is to enhance the knowledge base associated with materials performance, with the result of improving the competitiveness of U.S. industries that critically depend upon materials performance.