Vicat softening point

Vicat softening point is the determination of the softening point for materials such as polyethylene, which have no definite melting point. It is taken as the temperature at which the specimen is penetrated to a depth of 1 mm by a flat-ended needle with a 1 sq. mm circular or square cross-section. Also known as Vicat Hardness. For the Vicat A test, a load of 9.81 N is used. For the Vicat B test, the load is 49.05 N.

Standards to determine Vicat Softening Point: ASTM D 1525, ISO 306