ISO 899-2:2003 specifies a method for determining the flexural creep of plastics in the form of standard test specimens under specified conditions such as those of pretreatment, temperature and humidity. It applies only to a simple freely supported beam loaded at mid-span (three-point-loading test).

The method is suitable for use with rigid and semi-rigid non-reinforced, filled and fibre-reinforced plastics materials (see ISO 472 for definitions) in the form of dumb-bell-shaped test specimens moulded directly or machined from sheets or moulded articles.

NOTE The method may be unsuitable for certain fibre-reinforced materials due to differences in fibre orientation.

The method is intended to provide data for engineering-design and research and development purposes. Data for engineering-design purposes requires the use of extensometers to measure the gauge length of the specimen. Data for research or quality-control purposes may use the change in distance between the grips (nominal extension).

Flexural creep may vary significantly with differences in specimen preparation and dimensions and in the test environment. The thermal history of the test specimen can also have profound effects on its creep behaviour (see Annex A). Consequently, when precise comparative results are required, these factors must be carefully controlled.

If flexural-creep properties are to be used for engineering-design purposes, the plastics materials should be tested over a broad range of stresses, times and environmental conditions.

The method may not be suitable for determining the flexural creep of rigid cellular plastics (attention is drawn in this respect to ISO 1209-1, Cellular plastics, rigid -- Flexural tests -- Part 1: Bending test, and ISO 1209-2, Cellular plastics, rigid -- Flexural tests -- Part 2: Determination of flexural properties).