Why are listed mechanical and physical properties different for certain material types?
As we are all aware, a hard metal is a very different material to a polymer. Consequently, the types of mechanical and physical properties that best describe their behaviour are different. Also, the test methods for different materials are often very different and it would be misleading to try and fit all material properties into a uniform template. For example, the method for measuring hardness in a hard metal is different to the method used for measuring hardness in polymers. It should also be noted that due to the limitations of using a common property table for all materials, for certain polymeric materials the property search tool will only work when searching for the following properties; Density, Ductility, Tensile Strength, Max. Service Temp, Breakdown Potential, Dielectric Constant and Resistivity. However, the article located by the search is likely to contain more in-depth polymer specific property information.
