ASTM_D_5208_-_14.pdf

Designation:D520814Standard Practice forFluorescent Ultraviolet(UV)Exposure of PhotodegradablePlastics1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D5208;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 the specific procedures applicablefor fluorescent Ultraviolet(UV)exposure of photodegradableplastics conducted in accordance with Practices G151 andG154.This practice also covers the preparation of test speci-mens and the evaluation of test results.1.2 Practice D4329 covers fluorescent UV exposures ofplastics intended for long term use in outdoor applications.1.3 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded asstandard.The values given in parentheses are for informationonly.1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety problems,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 standard.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D3826 Practice for Determining Degradation End Point inDegradable Polyethylene and Polypropylene Using a Ten-sile TestD4329 Practice for Fluorescent Ultraviolet(UV)Lamp Ap-paratus Exposure of PlasticsD5870 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 SourcesG154 Practice for Operating Fluorescent Ultraviolet(UV)Lamp Apparatus for Exposure of Nonmetallic MaterialsG169 Guide for Application of Basic Statistical Methods toWeathering Tests3.Terminology3.1 The definitions given in Terminology G113 are appli-cable to this practice.4.Significance and Use4.1 Materials made from photodegradable plastics are in-tended to show relatively rapid deterioration of chemical,physical,and mechanical properties when exposed to light,heat,and water after fulfilling their intended purpose.Thispractice is intended to induce property changes associated withconditions that might be experienced when the material isdiscarded as litter,including the effects of sunlight,moisture,and heat.The exposure used in this practice is not intended tosimulate the deterioration caused by localized weather phe-nomena such as atmospheric pollution,biological attack,andsalt water exposure.4.2 CautionsVariation 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 G141.4.3 Exposure of a similar material of known performance(acontrol)at the same time as the test specimens provides astandard for comparative purposes.Use of a control to rank thestability of test materials greatly improves agreement between1This practice is under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee D20 on Plastics andis the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D20.96 on Environmentally DegradablePlastics and Biobased Products.Current edition approved April 1,2014.Published April 2014.Originallyapproved in 1991.Last previous edition approved in 2009 as D5208-09.DOI:10.1520/D5208-14.2For 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.*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 different laboratories.3,4It is recommended that at least threereplicates of each material evaluated be exposed to allow forstatistical evaluation of results.4.4 Test results will depend upon the care that is taken tooperate the equipment in accordance with Practice G154.Significant factors include regulation of line voltage,tempera-ture o