ASTM_D_6360_-_15.pdf

Designation:D636015Standard Practice forEnclosed Carbon-Arc Exposures of Plastics1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D6360;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope*1.1 This practice covers specific procedures and test condi-tions that are applicable for exposure of plastics in enclosedcarbon-arc devices conducted in accordance with PracticesG151 and G153.This practice also covers the preparation oftest specimens,the test conditions suited for plastics,and theevaluation of test results.1.2 This practice does not cover filtered open-flame carbon-arc exposures of plastics,which are covered in Practice D1499.Practice D5031 describes enclosed carbon-arc exposures ofpaints and related coatings.1.3 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded asstandard.1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.NOTE1There is no known ISO equivalent to this practice.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D1499 Practice for Filtered Open-Flame Carbon-Arc Expo-sures of PlasticsD3980 Practice for Interlaboratory Testing of Paint andRelated Materials(Withdrawn 1998)3D5031 Practice for Enclosed Carbon-Arc Exposure Tests ofPaint and Related CoatingsD5870 Practice for Calculating Property Retention Index ofPlasticsE691 Practice for Conducting an Interlaboratory Study toDetermine the Precision of a Test MethodG113 Terminology Relating to Natural and Artificial Weath-ering Tests of Nonmetallic MaterialsG141 Guide for Addressing Variability in Exposure Testingof Nonmetallic MaterialsG147 Practice for Conditioning and Handling of Nonmetal-lic Materials for Natural and Artificial Weathering TestsG151 Practice for Exposing Nonmetallic Materials inAccel-erated Test Devices that Use Laboratory Light SourcesG153 Practice for Operating Enclosed Carbon Arc LightApparatus for Exposure of Nonmetallic MaterialsG169 Guide for Application of Basic Statistical Methods toWeathering Tests3.Terminology3.1 The definitions in Terminology G113 are applicable tothis practice.4.Significance and Use4.1 The ability of a plastic material to resist deterioration ofits electrical,mechanical,and optical properties caused byexposure to light,heat,and water can be very significant formany applications.This practice is intended to induce propertychanges associated with end-use conditions,including theeffects of sunlight,moisture,and heat.The exposure used inthis practice is not intended to simulate the deterioration causedby localized weather phenomena such as atmosphericpollution,biological attack,and saltwater exposure.4.2 CautionVariation in results can be expected whenoperating conditions are varied within the accepted limits ofthis practice;therefore,no reference to the use of this practiceshall be made unless accompanied by a report prepared inaccordance with Section 9 that describes the specific operatingconditions used.Refer to Practice G151 for detailed informa-tion on the caveats applicable to use of results obtained inaccordance with this practice.NOTE2Additional information on sources of variability and onstrategies for addressing variability in the design,execution,and dataanalysis of laboratory-accelerated exposure tests is found in Guide G141.4.2.1 The spectral power distribution of light from anenclosed carbon arc is significantly different from that pro-duced in light and water exposure devices using other carbon-arc configurations or other light sources.The type and rate of1This practice is under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee D20 on Plastics andis the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D20.50 on Durability of Plastics.Current edition approved Sept.1,2015.Published September 2015.Originallyapproved in 1999.Last previous edition approved in 2007 as D6360-07.DOI:10.1520/D6360-15.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.3The last approved version of this historical standard is referenced onwww.astm.org.*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standardCopyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 degradation and the performance rankings produced by expo-sures to enclosed carbon arcs can be much different from thoseproduced by exposures to other types of laboratory lightsources.4.2.2 Interlaboratory comparisons are valid only when alllaboratories use the same type of carb