TÜV SÜD expands testing capacities for plastics
TÜV SÜD expands testing capacities for plastics
As technological progress advances, the number of products made from plastics and compound materials is keeping pace. At the same time, weathering causes damage to plastic materials in the form of fading, cracking or brittleness which amounts to millions of euros every year. Reliable estimates of product lifespans can only be provided by laboratory testing. The Institute for Plastics of TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH has now expanded its range of services by adding new test chambers for Xenon and UV testing and a climatic and ozone test chamber.
"These new high-tech test chambers will enable us to provide a more comprehensive and cost-effective range of materials testing services in future", affirms Marcus Demetz, director of the Institute for Plastics of TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH. In quality assurance tests, experts investigate the lifespan and durability of non-metallic materials under exposure to environmental influences. The laboratory has the facilities to simulate sunlight, moisture and humidity, heat, cold and the effects of ozone. These artificial and accelerated weathering tests supply reproducible results within a more compact scope of testing, thus saving costs. In addition, a few days of testing are enough to reveal changes to surface composition or losses in strength which would otherwise only become visible after years. "The informative value of the tests depends strongly on the correct interpretation of the effects generated by these artificially accelerated ageing processes", explains Marcus Demetz. If the polymer chains, and thus the basic material of the plastic, are damaged, the stability of the material will suffer in addition to the looks of the product. "This may involve significant safety risks and consequences under liability law when products such as motorcycle helmets or pressure valves for índustrial plants are affected."
Customized tests and environmental simulation
The features of the new test chambers at the Institute for Plastics include lamps that can simulate the entire spectrum of sunlight. Varying optical filters are added to reproduce the desired environmental conditions. Before subjecting the test specimen to the environmental simulation process, the experts initially verify the product's area of use and the required physical and technological tests. They then define the test criteria and parameters based on industry standards or customer requests. After weathering tests are completed, chromaticity is measured using a spectrophotometer and further analyses are conducted to evaluate mechanical properties.
Practically all plastics in the categories of thermoplastics (e.g. polyethylene), duroplasts (e.g. artificial resins) and elastomers (e.g. natural rubber) absorb a certain level of UV radiation. "UV resistance is an increasingly popular sales argument", comments Sebastiano Di Lella, materials expert at the TÜV SÜD Institute for Plastics. "But it's not always clear what it means. UV resistance has a limited life, and changes to the surface or structure of the plastic will develop automatically sooner or later."
Further information on the services provided by the Institute for Plastics of TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH can be found at www.tuev-sued.de/ifk (only available in German).
Contact: Dr. Thomas Oberst