This test method for rate of water absorption has two chief functions: first, as a guide to the proportion of water absorbed by a material and consequently, in those cases where the relationships between moisture and electrical or mechanical properties, dimensions, or appearance have been determined, as a guide to the effects of exposure to water or humid conditions on such properties; and second, as a control test on the uniformity of a product. This second function is particularly applicable to sheet, rod, and tube arms when the test is made on the finished product.

Comparison of water absorption values of various plastics can be made on the basis of values obtained in accordance with 7.1 and 7.4.

Ideal diffusion of liquids into polymers is a function of the square root of immersion time. Time to saturation is strongly dependent on specimen thickness. For example, Table 1 shows the time to approximate time saturation for various thickness of nylon-6.

The moisture content of a plastic is very intimately related to such properties as electrical insulation resistance, dielectric losses, mechanical strength, appearance, and dimensions. The effect upon these properties of change in moisture content due to water absorption depends largely on the type of exposure (by immersion in water or by exposure to high humidity), shape of the part, and inherent properties of the plastic. With nonhomogeneous materials, such as laminated forms, the rate of water absorption may be widely different through each edge and surface. Even for otherwise homogeneous materials, it may be slightly greater through cut edges than through molded surfaces. Consequently, attempts to correlate water absorption with the surface area must generally be limited to closely related materials and to similarly shaped specimens: For materials of widely varying density, relation between water-absorption values on a volume as well as a weight basis may need to be considered.