Testing the Properties of Polymers with Xenon Test and UV Test

Polymer testing involves different types of weathering tests to ascertain the shelf life. However, the Xenon test and UV test reveals some very important behaviour aspects that could decide the usage in an application. There is no comparison between both these test as they are important for respective application testing and are not interchangeable. So as a polymer vendor or polymer product manufacturer, decide the application and based on that testing process can be chosen.  

 

Xenon is the chemical substance that severely impacts the properties of the polymer and causes wear and tear or degradation if the exposure persists for a longer time. Most of the Xenon test chamber produce a controlled environment for testing in which moisture test can also be done simultaneously. When the polymer is used for outdoor applications, it is exposed to the humid atmosphere for a longer time. If not tested for such working conditions, during the real time usage, product may fail in lesser time and adds the cost of replacement. This is why this sort of weathering simulation is important. This test method can be found suitable for testing mechanical erosion and thermal shock. The three parameters that a sample is tested upon are Irradiance, Temperature and Humidity. 

 

UV light has a deep impact on the chemical and physical properties of the polymer, which is quite destructive in nature. Due to the presence of the UV radiations in sunlight, it is important to check the behaviour of the product in the UV light to estimate the performance of the outdoor applications. The effect can be very different from xenon attack; thus, this testing method serves its own purpose. The UV weathering chamber has provision for UV light, temperature adjustment and water spray to simulate humidity. The chamber simulates the periodic environmental conditions. The fluorescent UV light can expose the sample to continuous radiation or period radiations. The irradiance is as similar as natural rays. 

 

The manufacturers of weathering chamber allow the operator to control the irradiance of the light, so that test procedure can be modified as per the testing requirements or internal testing standards. Again, there is a question, which one is used popularly? The answer is, both the machines, Xenon test chamber and UV test chamber, serve their own purpose and tests the properties of the polymer differently. If you are confused about choosing the right machine for your industry or lab, contact the experts at Presto.