Artificial Weathering
SEVAR also performs accelerated ageing tests in the Bandol Wheel and Bandol Wheel H equipments as well as temperature test chambers.
These equipments proved their interest since many years regarding the test rapidity and the good correlations with the outdoor ageing.
Since the high pressure mercury lamp used in the Bandol Wheel is very efficient and the fastness of the test performed much higher, their cost is generally much lower than the ones performed in classical apparatus.
The temperature test chambers can give lifetime estimations under dark conditions.
Accredited Testing Laboratory, Accreditation n° 1-6281, List of sites and scope available on www.cofrac.fr
Test processing
Generally one sample of each material is exposed in the equipment for a defined period.
Periodically, degradation measurement will be performed according to one of the means described below. A test report with all measurements will be transmitted to the client at the end of the test.
It is also possible to expose several specimen of each material tested and to get returns programmed in advance.
Degradations and evaluations
SEVAR engineers can realise the degradation inspections, in particular :
- changes in the visual aspect. They can be measured visualy (Delorme scale, Grey scale according to ISO 105-A02, chalking) or instrumentaly (glossmeter, spectrocolorimeter).
- changes of the mechanical properties (Tensile impact strength according to ISO 8256).
- measurement of the chemical evolution of the exposed products by FTIR technic (transmission or ATR mode).
