The combined effects of oxidising media and heat result in degradation by thermo-oxidation. The principles and cases described in this review emphasise long term degradation in service, but it is also observed that in-service durability is dependent upon degradation accumulated during processing. Two additional phenomena that influence thermo-oxidation are also described: catalysis by certain metal ions, and the influence of stress. Various categories of heat stabilising additives are described. Failed plastics and rubber products described in case studies range from hot water bottles and the jackets used to insulate domestic hot water cylinders to industrial hoses and joints.

During his thirty years with Rapra, Dr. Wright specialised in the failure of plastics materials and products, researching into critical issues of materials durability, such as creep, fatigue and environmental stress cracking. He published around ninety technical papers and three books, and was involved in the diagnosis of some five thousand product failures, making him a leading expert in this field.

A Rapra Review Report provides a concise expert overview of a subject, together with a substantial, indexed collection of references and abstracts compiled from the Polymer Library, which enable the reader to follow up key points in greater depth.