Thermomechanical Analysis

One could argue that the standard type of thermomechanical analysis (TMA) tests, in which a very small load is applied to a sample, is really a subset of creep testing. Some vendors actually treat it as such in their dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) software. The basis of TMA is the change in the dimensions of a sample as a function of temperature. Subsequently, it has been developed into a powerful tool in the analytical laboratory. If the material is heterogeneous or anisotropic, it will have different thermal expansions depending on the direction in which they have been measured. A wide variety of tests are performed in TMA that are adapted from physical tests that were used before the instrument became commonly available. These tests may also be modeled or mimicked in TMA, like heat distortion and Vicat, film softening, and softening points.