Polymer testing involves different types of aging tests to determine shelf life. However, xenon arc testing and UV testing revealed some very important aspects of behavior which may determine the use in the application. There is no comparison between these two tests because they are important to their respective application tests and are not interchangeable. Therefore, as a polymer supplier or polymer product manufacturer, decide on the application and make your selection based on this testing process.
Xenon lamp test
Xenon arc is a chemical that can severely affect the performance of polymers, causing wear or degradation if exposed for prolonged periods of time. Most xenon arc Test Chambers create a controlled test environment where moisture testing can also be performed simultaneously. When a polymer is used in outdoor applications, it is exposed to moisture for extended periods of time. If not tested for such operating conditions, during real-time use, the product may fail in less time and increase replacement costs. That's why this weathering simulation is important. It can be found that this test method is suitable for testing mechanical erosion and thermal shock. The three parameters for testing samples are irradiance, temperature and humidity.
UV test
UV light has a profound effect on the chemical and physical properties of polymers and can be quite destructive. Due to the presence of UV radiation in sunlight, it is important to check how a product behaves under UV light to assess performance for outdoor applications. The effects can be very different from a xenon arc attack; therefore, this method of testing has its own purpose. The UV aging chamber provides UV light, temperature regulation and water spray to simulate humidity. The chamber simulates periodic environmental conditions. Fluorescent UV light exposes samples to continuous or periodic radiation. Irradiance is similar to natural rays.
Manufacturers of weathering chambers allow operators to control the irradiance of light so that test procedures can be modified according to test requirements or internal test standards. Again, there is a question, which is more widely used? The answer is that both machines, xenon arc Testers and UV Testers, serve their own purposes and test polymer properties in different ways.
