Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Workshop on Future Needs for Service Life Prediction of Polymeric Materials

The objectives of this workshop are to identify gaps and future needs for service life prediction of polymeric materials. Topics will span knowledge of fundamental understanding, needed tool development, implementation of changes to current processes, and linkage to overall goals of development of next generation service life prediction. These focus areas will be illustrated with case studies from several industries highlighting the critical need for service life prediction. These include: 

  • Wire and cable
  • Photovoltaics
  • Roofing

The workshop will begin on noon, Wednesday, October 24th in Gaithersburg MD and finish by noon, Friday October 26th. The schedule will include keynote presentations and break-out discussion sessions, and conclude with a session integrating lessons learned and development of a path forward. 

Sponsors

Underwriters Laboratories and NIST

[print agenda]

Wed Afternoon: Overview of Current Challenges
  • 12:00-12:30 Introductions, Welcome
  • 12:30-1:15 Overview of Service Life Prediction for Polymers - Chris White (NIST)
  • 1:15-2:00 Progress on UL 746B, Long Term Thermal Aging (LTTA): Tool Development - Tom Chapin (UL)
  • 2:00-2:45 Progress on UL 746B, LTTA: Process for Implementing Changes - George Fechtmann (UL) and Noe Navarro

Break. 2:45-3:15

  • 3:15-4:00 Statistical Methods for Degradation Data with Dynamic Covariates & Application to Outdoor Weathering Yili Hong (Virgina Tech)
  • 4:00-4:45 Failure Analysis Tools - Maureen Reitman (Exponent)
  • 4:45-5:30 Matt Celina - Polymer Rapid qualification versus the science of polymer degradation, can standard tests be a compromise? (Sandia National Laboratory)

 

Thursday Morning: Case Studies

  • 9:00-9:45 Accelerated Testing and Lifetime Assessment for Engineering Thermoplastics - A. Achudnovsky, (Univ of Ill at Chicago)
  • 9:45-10:15 Photovoltaics, Progress for Service Life Prediction Models - Xiaohong Gu (NIST)
  • 10:15-10:45 Wire and Cable Aging in Nuclear Power Plants - Stephanie Watson (NIST)

Break 10:45-11:15

  • 11:15-11:45 The Management of Polymer Variation - Robert Lawton (DuPont)
  • 11:45-12:15 EPDM Flat Slope Roofing - Chris White (NIST)

Lunch 12:15 - 1:30

Thursday Afternoon: Breakout Sessions 1:30- 5:00

  • 1:30-3:30 Round one
  • 3:30-4:00 Report back
  • 4:00-5:00 Revise
    • Fundamentals of Polymer Science
    • Application Specific Needs
    • Tool Development
    • Process Development

Friday Morning:  

8:30‐12:00 Integration of Lessons Learned and Path Forward

12:00 Wrap up

Hilton Gaithersburg
620 Perry Parkway
Gaithersburg, MD 20877
(301) 977-8900

Reference: M-LIORCI
Cutoff date: 10/3/2012
Room rate: $226 + tax

Created March 30, 2012, Updated May 13, 2016