SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 January 1994
STP18181S

Viability of High Irradiance Xenon Arc Weathering Tests

Source

In the field of materials durability testing, the demand for fast answers is ever increasing. All too often though, the validity of a test is sacrificed for the sake of speed.

To obtain acceptable correlation of accelerated weathering tests with end use experience, the exposure procedure should recreate the failure mechanisms caused by natural exposure. Distortions of the critical aspects of weathering must be minimized. The most important of these is the light source.

For the purpose of acceleration there are test methods that specify light sources which are more severe qualitatively than the light present in their end use environment. Such tests often produce anomalous results.

The philosophy of high irradiance xenon arc testing is that, for best results, it is necessary first to closely match the quality of the end use light, then for acceleration, the irradiance (quantity) may be significantly increased.

A case study will be presented which compares a popular test method with a version of itself, where the quality and quantity of the xenon light were modified. The modified test method yielded better results in shorter test times.

Author Information

Scott, KP
Atlas Electric Devices Company, Chicago, IL
Price: $25.00
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Details
Developed by Committee: G03
Pages: 216–231
DOI: 10.1520/STP18181S
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-5269-4
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-1863-8