SPE COURSE: Ductile-to-Brittle Transitions in Plastics
Course
Ductile-to-Brittle Transitions in Plastics
September 14, 2025 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM ET. Online
Summary
Thermoplastic resins are utilized in many applications because of their unique property set, including their ductile response to applied stress. This ductility is associated with the viscoelastic nature of polymers and is attributed to their unique molecular structure. In spite of that inherent ductility, most plastic components fail through one of the many brittle fracture modes. Experience through conducting thousands of plastic component failure analyses has shown that less than 5% were associated with ductile overload. The remainder represent brittle fractures of normally ductile materials. Thus, within evaluations of plastic component failures, the focus of the investigation frequently turns to identifying the nature of the ductile to brittle transition. This relatively brittle response to stress is evident through the examination and characterization of the fracture surface morphology. There are numerous factors, associated with material, processing, design, and service conditions that influence a ductile-to-brittle transition within plastic materials. These include: Temperature, Stress Concentration, Chemical Contact, Molecular Weight, Degradation, Filler Content, Contamination, Poor Fusion, Strain Rate, Time Under Load, Crystallinity, Plasticizer Content, among others
Jeffrey A. Jansen is the Engineering Manager and a Partner at The Madison Group, an independent plastics engineering and consulting firm. Jeff is a proven plastic professional with more than 30 years of experience solving problems and addressing opportunities related to polymeric materials. He specializes in failure analysis, material identification and selection, as well as compatibility, aging, and lifetime prediction studies for thermoplastic materials. Jeff has performed over 5,000 investigations, both for industrial clients and as a part of litigation. He is a regular presenter on the SPE webinar series, covering a wide range of topics related to plastics failure, material performance, testing, and polymer technology. Jeff is a graduate of Carroll College and the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
This course is designed for professionals who work with thermoplastic materials and need to understand failure mechanisms and durability, including:
Materials, polymer, and mechanical engineers
Product design engineers
Manufacturing and process engineers
Quality, reliability, and failure-analysis professionals
R&D scientists and lab technicians
Technical sales and application engineers
Professionals responsible for product performance and field failure investigations
Everyday Problems You’ll Address
Why did a normally ductile plastic component fail in a brittle manner?
How do temperature, strain rate, and time under load influence failure mode?
How do stress concentrations and design features promote brittle fracture?
What role do degradation, contamination, or poor processing play in failure?
How do fillers, crystallinity, or plasticizers affect toughness?
How can fracture surface analysis be used to determine failure mode?
Why This Course Matters
Most plastic component failures are brittle in nature, even when materials are inherently ductile.
This course matters because it provides the knowledge needed to correctly identify failure mechanisms, prevent premature failure, improve material selection and design, and enhance long-term reliability of plastic components in real-world applications."
Why Should You Attend?
Although thermoplastics are inherently ductile, most real-world failures occur through brittle fracture mechanisms. Understanding why ductile materials behave in a brittle manner is critical for preventing unexpected failures and improving product reliability.
This course explains the mechanisms behind ductile-to-brittle transitions and how material, processing, design, and service conditions interact to influence fracture behavior.
What You’ll Learn
You will gain a practical understanding of ductile-to-brittle transitions in plastics, including:
Fundamentals of polymer ductility and viscoelastic behavior
Mechanisms of ductile and brittle fracture in thermoplastics
How fracture surface morphology reveals failure mode
The influence of key variables, including:
Temperature and strain rate
Stress concentration and design features
Chemical exposure and degradation
Molecular weight and contamination
Crystallinity, filler content, and plasticizers
Processing defects such as poor fusion
Strategies to minimize brittle failure and improve durability
This educational program is provided as a service of SPE. The views and opinions expressed on this or any SPE educational program are those of the Speaker(s) and/or the persons appearing with the Speaker(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Society of Plastics Engineers, Inc. (SPE) or its officials, employees or designees. To comment or to present an opposing or supporting opinion, please contact us at info@4SPE.org.
Refund Policy
Full refund 14 days prior to the event start date. Please contact customerrelations@4spe.org for assistance with registration.
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Anti-Trust Statement
No discussion among members, volunteers, or staff, which attempts to arrive at any agreement regarding prices, terms or conditions of sale, distribution, volume, territories, or customers;
No activity or communication which might be construed as an attempt to prevent any person or business entity from gaining access to any market or customer for goods or services or any business entity from obtaining services or a supply of goods;
No activity or communication which might be construed as an agreement to refrain from purchasing or using any materials, equipment, services or supplies of or from any supplier; or
No other activity which violates anti-trust or applicable laws aimed at preventing unfair competition.
