1. Scope

1.1 This practice covers procedures for the calculation of a property retention index (PRI) of thermoplastic and thermoset plastics after exposure to thermal aging, natural or artificial accelerated weathering, or chemical exposures.

1.2 This practice is not intended to establish a fixed procedure for conducting the exposure test, but it is intended to provide a set of specific procedures used to calculate the retention index of a characteristic property of the material after it has been exposed. Selection of the specific exposure test conditions depends on the material being tested and the property being measured. It is up to the user to determine which exposure test conditions are most relevant to the specific material and the service condition being used. The exposure test used must be conducted in accordance with conditions described in specific exposure standards.

1.3 This practice does not describe procedures for sampling the materials to be tested. These procedures are described in the standards and specifications applicable to the material being evaluated.

1.4 The procedure used to calculate the PRI depends on whether the test used to characterize the materials being exposed is destructive or nondestructive. The PRI can be useful in describing short-term mechanical, electrical, and other properties of plastics at specified temperatures after the materials have been subjected to an exposure test.

1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

Note 1There is no similar or equivalent ISO standard. ISO DIS 11248 is significantly different since it pertains only to thermosetting resins.

2. Referenced Documents (purchase separately) The documents listed below are referenced within the subject standard but are not provided as part of the standard.

ASTM Standards

D543 Practices for Evaluating the Resistance of Plastics to Chemical Reagents

D618 Practice for Conditioning Plastics for Testing

D883 Terminology Relating to Plastics

D1435 Practice for Outdoor Weathering of Plastics

D1898 Practice for Sampling of Plastics

D2565 Practice for Xenon-Arc Exposure of Plastics Intended for Outdoor Applications

D3045 Practice for Heat Aging of Plastics Without Load

D4329 Practice for Fluorescent UV Exposure of Plastics

D4364 Practice for Performing Outdoor Accelerated Weathering Tests of Plastics Using Concentrated Sunlight

D4459 Practice for Xenon-Arc Exposure of Plastics Intended for Indoor Applications

D4674 Practice for Accelerated Testing for Color Stability of Plastics Exposed to Indoor Office Environments

D6360 Practice for Enclosed Carbon-Arc Exposures of Plastics

F1499 Specification for Coextruded Composite Drain, Waste, and Vent Pipe (DWV)

G113 Terminology Relating to Natural and Artificial Weathering Tests of Nonmetallic Materials

Keywords

accelerated test; aging; exposure; weathering; Thermoplastics; Thermosetting plastics; Weathering (plastics); Accelerated aging/testing--plastics; Accelerated weathering; Exposure tests--plastics; Physical properties/dimensions/characteristics; PRI; Property retention index (PRI);

ICS Code

ICS Number Code 83.080.20 (Thermoplastic materials)

DOI: 10.1520/D5870-95R03

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