This test, when applied to laminated plastics, is a measure of the interlaminar or intralaminar strength, whichever is smaller, in a direction normal to the plane of the laminate. When applied to nonlaminated plastics, the test is a measure of the cohesive strength of the material. The property determined is fundamental and has not yet been correlated with the results of any other method for bond strength.
The test may be found to be useful as (1) a research test when studying the effects of changes in independent variables, (2) a specification test, or (3) a referee test.
Before proceeding with this test method, reference should be made to the specification of the material being tested. Any test specimen preparation, conditioning, dimensions or testing parameters or combination thereof covered in the relevant ASTM materials specification shall take precedence over those in this test method. If there are no relevant ASTM material specifications then the default conditions apply. Table 1 of Classification System D4000 lists the ASTM materials standards that currently exist.