Ultraviolet Chambers Based on Integrating Spheres for Use in Artificial Weathering.
Ultraviolet Chambers Based on Integrating Spheres for
Use in Artificial Weathering.
(115 K)
Chin, J. W.; Byrd, W. E.; Embree, E. J.; Martin, J. W.;
Tate, J. D.
Annual Meeting, 70th. Federation of Societies for
Coatings Technology (FSCT). Proceedings. November 5-7,
2001, Atlanta, GA, 1-16 pp, 2002.
Journal of Coatings Technology, Vol. 74, No. 929,
39-44, June 2002.
Keywords:
artificial weathering; ultraviolet chambers; coatings;
integrating sphere; artificial aging; polymers
Abstract:
Laboratory ultraviolet (UV) chambers are widely used to
obtain weathering data for a wide range of commercial
polymer products including coatings, textiles,
elastomers, plastics and polymeric composites. Although
numerous improvements have been made in the design of UV
chambers over the last 80 years, the repeatability and
reproducibility of the exposure results from these
chambers have remained elusive. This lack of
reproducibility and repeatability is attributed to
systematic errors in their design, operation, and
control which prevent direct comparisons of the
performance of materials exposed in the same
environment, comparisons of the performance of the same
material exposed in different laboratories, and the
comparison of field and laboratory results. This paper
describes an innovative UV chamber design based on
integrating sphere technology that greatly reduces the
magnitude of these errors, as well as provides
additional experimental capabilities.
