ISO 815-2:2008 specifies a method for the determination of the compression set characteristics of vulcanized and thermoplastic rubbers at low temperatures.
The method is intended to measure the ability of rubbers of hardness within the range 10 IRHD to 95 IRHD to retain their elastic properties at specified temperatures after prolonged compression at constant strain (normally 25 %) under one of the alternative sets of conditions described. For rubber of nominal hardness 80 IRHD and above, a lower compression strain is used: 15 % for a nominal hardness from 80 IRHD to 89 IRHD and 10 % for a nominal hardness from 90 IRHD to 95 IRHD.
NOTE When rubber is held under compression, physical or chemical changes can occur that prevent the rubber returning to its original dimensions after release of the deforming force. The result is a set the magnitude of which depends on the time and temperature of compression as well as on the time and temperature of recovery. At low temperatures, changes resulting from the effects of glass hardening or crystallization become predominant and, since these effects are reversed by raising the temperature, it is necessary for all measurements to be undertaken at the test temperature.