In daily life, numerous products are inevitably exposed to light, such as automotive paints, interiors, coatings, plastics, textiles, and more. Prolonged sunlight exposure, combined with other environmental factors, can lead to material degradation, including reduced strength, dullness, discoloration, and cracking. How can we verify the extent of such aging? The primary method employed today involves simulating real-world lighting conditions and utilizing artificial accelerated light aging techniques to rapidly evaluate material performance—one prominent example being the carbon arc lamp aging test.
What is a Carbon Arc Lamp Aging Test?
A carbon arc lamp is an electric light source that generates discharge arcs when two carbon electrode rods in contact are electrically charged and then separated. There are two types of carbon arc lamps: closed carbon arc lamps and solar carbon arc lamps. The former was initially used for lightfastness testing of textiles, while the latter was developed for coating light resistance assessments.
- Closed Carbon Arc Lamp: Its light-emitting body consists of a pair of carbon rods that produce an arc when energized.
- Solar Carbon Arc Lamp Weathering Tester: This device accelerates testing using light wavelengths approximating California sunlight, making it suitable for industries such as coatings, automotive, construction, telecommunications equipment, textiles, dye chemistry, aerospace, and rubber to expedite durability evaluations.
Testing Scope:
- Automotive interior/exterior components, rubber, fabrics, labels, coatings, electronic products, etc.
Applicable Standards:
- GB/T 16422.4-2014
- ISO 4892-4-2013
- JIS D 0205:1987
- JIS B 7753:2007
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