A new equipment to measure the combined effects of humidity, temperature, mechanical stress and UV exposure on the creep behaviour of polymers

To be able to study and predict the physical properties of a polymeric material under different environmental conditions is very important. Moisture, UV irradiation, thermal and mechanical stresses can dramatically change the characteristics of the material and hinder some specific applications. In this work, a new equipment able to perform creep tests under different environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, stress) is presented. Some preliminary results are also presented using a sample of polyamide 6. As this polymer is sensitive to all these variables, it is appropriate to verify the effectiveness of the new instrument.