Determination of linear thermal expansion coefficient of polymeric materials by infrared thermography

In this paper, we present a new method for determination of the linear thermal expansion coefficient (LTEC) of polymeric materials by infrared thermography. The method is based on the thermo-elastic effect, which is closely related to the LTEC. The advantage of this method is that it is not only suitable for any size and shape of polymeric material, but also for both amorphous and crystalline polymers.