Automotive Xenon Arc Test Methods: A Correlation Study

Don Vesey, Supervisor and Rick Luxgrandt, Chrysler LLC, Lynn Pattison, BASF Corporation, Ronald Roberts and Jeffery Quill, Q-Lab Corporation, USA

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has recently approved two new performance-based weathering test methods to replace the older hardware-based methods. The new methods describe the exposure conditions and control tolerances rather than describing a specific hardware configuration. The publication of these new test methods was the result of years of development by the Automotive Materials Association and the SAE.

This paper reports on a cooperative research program conducted by Chrysler, BASF Corporation and Q-Lab Corporation. The goal of the research was to test the performance of the new performance-based test methods and to qualify newer xenon arc test equipment for use in automotive testing. Specifically, the research compared the results of test exposures conducted in the old-style rotating drum style testers mandated in J1960 and J1885 to exposures performed in the newer testers, covered by J2412 and J2527

SAE J2413 is a guide for comparing the performance of test equipment. Among other things, it recommends comparisons of standard reference materials. Once these initial correlations were established, the study moved on to encompass an array of automotive materials in current use

Thirty-four different materials were exposed; including painted metal, coated plastics, uncoated plastics, and various waxed finishes. Specimens were exposed in both flat array and rotating drum testers. Instrumental color and gloss measurements were performed at regular intervals. The research confirms the efficacy of the performance-based approach to testing. However, it also points the way for further possible refinements in the test methods themselves.