1. Scope
1.1 This practice describes the determination of the relative actinic effects of individual spectral bands of an exposure source on a material. The activation spectrum is specific to the light source to which the material is exposed to obtain the activation spectrum. A light source with a different spectral power distribution will produce a different activation spectrum.
1.2 This practice describes two procedures for determining an activation spectrum. One uses sharp cut-on UV/visible transmitting filters and the other uses a spectrograph to determine the relative degradation caused by individual spectral regions.
Note 1-Other techniques can be used to isolate the effects of individual spectral bands of a light source, for example, interference filters.
1.3 The techniques are applicable to determination of the spectral effects of solar radiation and laboratory accelerated test devices on a material. They are described for the UV region, but can be extended into the visible region using different cut-on filters and appropriate spectrographs.
1.4 The techniques are applicable to a variety of materials, both transparent and opaque, including plastics, paints, inks, textiles and others.
1.5 The optical and/or physical property changes in a material can be determined by various appropriate methods. The methods of evaluation are beyond the scope of this practice.
1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
Note 2-There is no ISO standard that is equivalent to this standard.
2. Referenced Documents (purchase separately) 
The documents listed below are referenced within the subject standard but are not provided as part of the standard.
ASTM Standards
D256 Test Methods for Determining the Izod Pendulum Impact Resistance of Plastics
D638 Test Method for Tensile Properties of Plastics
D822 Practice for Filtered Open-Flame Carbon-Arc Exposures of Paint and Related Coatings
D1435 Practice for Outdoor Weathering of Plastics
D1499 Practice for Filtered Open-Flame Carbon-Arc Exposures of Plastics
D2244 Practice for Calculation of Color Tolerances and Color Differences from Instrumentally Measured Color Coordinates
D2565 Practice for Xenon-Arc Exposure of Plastics Intended for Outdoor Applications
D4141 Practice for Conducting Black Box and Solar Concentrating Exposures of Coatings
D4329 Practice for Fluorescent UV Exposure of Plastics
D4364 Practice for Performing Outdoor Accelerated Weathering Tests of Plastics Using Concentrated Sunlight
D4459 Practice for Xenon-Arc Exposure of Plastics Intended for Indoor Applications
D4508 Test Method for Chip Impact Strength of Plastics
D4587 Practice for Fluorescent UV-Condensation Exposures of Paint and Related Coatings
D5031 Practice for Enclosed Carbon-Arc Exposure Tests of Paint and Related Coatings
D6360 Practice for Enclosed Carbon-Arc Exposures of Plastics
D6695 Practice for Xenon-Arc Exposures of Paint and Related Coatings
E275 Practice for Describing and Measuring Performance of Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrophotometers
E313 Practice for Calculating Yellowness and Whiteness Indices from Instrumentally Measured Color Coordinates
E925 Practice for Monitoring the Calibration of Ultraviolet-Visible Spectrophotometers whose Spectral Bandwidth does not Exceed 2 nm
G7 Practice for Atmospheric Environmental Exposure Testing of Nonmetallic Materials
G24 Practice for Conducting Exposures to Daylight Filtered Through Glass
G90 Practice for Performing Accelerated Outdoor Weathering of Nonmetallic Materials Using Concentrated Natural Sunlight
G113 Terminology Relating to Natural and Artificial Weathering Tests of Nonmetallic Materials
G147 Practice for Conditioning and Handling of Nonmetallic Materials for Natural and Artificial Weathering Tests
G152 Practice for Operating Open Flame Carbon Arc Light Apparatus for Exposure of Nonmetallic Materials
G153 Practice for Operating Enclosed Carbon Arc Light Apparatus for Exposure of Nonmetallic Materials
G154 Practice for Operating Fluorescent Light Apparatus for UV Exposure of Nonmetallic Materials
G155 Practice for Operating Xenon Arc Light Apparatus for Exposure of Non-Metallic Materials
Keywords
activation spectrum; cumulative spectral sensitivity curve; degradation; light exposure; sharp cut-on filter technique; spectrographic technique; ultraviolet radiation; Actinic radiation; Activation energy; Light exposure; Sharp cut-on filter technique; Spectral distribution; Spectral response curve; Spectrographic analysis; Wavelength distribution;
ICS Code
ICS Number Code 71.040.50 (Physicochemical methods of analysis)
DOI: 10.1520/G0178-03
ASTM International is a member of CrossRef.
Citing ASTM Standards
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