UV aging detection

Why do we need to do an aging test?

When the product is placed in the atmosphere for a period of time, different problems may occur, such as changes in appearance, including cracking, spots, powdering, or color changes, and even a decrease in usability;

The possible reason is that the loss of molecules in the resin leads to changes in the chemical bonds in the molecular structure, mainly caused by exposure to sunlight, industrial exhaust gases, bacteria, and so on.

The aging performance of a product directly affects its service life, so the testing of aging tests is of great significance!?

The atmospheric natural aging test is to place plastic samples on an exposure rack and directly expose them to the synergistic effects of various factors such as sunlight, heat energy, atmospheric humidity, oxygen and ozone, and industrial pollution in a natural climate environment;

Measure the performance changes before and after the test to evaluate the weather resistance of the material. In the aging test, the selection of the test site can represent the most severe region of a certain type of climate;

Or in areas close to the actual application of materials, the testing site should be open and flat, with no obstacles around that may affect the test results. The test stand should face the equator and have a 45 ° angle with the ground.

Measurement data of ultraviolet intensity detector

When the main performance indicators of the sample have dropped below the minimum allowable value for actual use or a certain critical retention rate, the test is considered to be completed.

In most cases, the test is terminated when the main performance indicators of the sample decrease to 50% of the initial value.

Due to the slow natural aging process and significant differences in geographical environments, it poses difficulties in evaluating the aging resistance of products.

People attempt to evaluate the aging performance of plastics in a shorter period of time, which is called accelerated aging test.

The accelerated aging test can use artificial light sources that simulate fluorescent lamps, including carbon arc lamps, xenon arc lamps, and fluorescent ultraviolet lamps. These artificial light sources will produce much stronger illumination than natural sunlight on the ground.

When using these artificial light sources, it is also common to simultaneously use a condenser to simulate the combined effects of rain and dew on the product for aging testing.