Frost resistance
Frost resistance defines an ability of a polymeric material being under loading to retain its thermal and deformation properties at low temperatures. Plastic becomes brittle and cracks at temperatures lower than the frost resistance temperature. Therefore the frost resistance is also understood as lack of brittleness and is characterized by the brittleness temperature depending on properties of a polymeric material.
The majority of the highly cross-linked polymers are subject to elastic destruction in a glassy state which they retain when cooling up to the temperature about -60 °C. Thermoplastics can maintain temperatures up to -200 °C without brittle destruction.