Durability testing of nonmetallic materials has been a common practice in many industries, such as paint and coatings, plastics,textiles and building materials. The role of this testing is expanding from a basic research tool to that of a quality control technique and predictor of service life. This change has necessitated the development of new procedures for exposing and evaluating materials and analyzing data.

STP 1294 addresses these developments with 14 peer-reviewed papers. In three sections:

• Characterizing Natural and Accelerated Exposure Environments and Samples

• Correlating Natural and Accelerated Durability Testing

• and Predicting Service Life.