UV Light Accelerated Aging Test Chamber hereinafter referred as BUV adopts fluorescent UV lamp as the light source. Its inner temperature and humidity can be properly controlled to obtain the periodic condensation on the sample for fully evaluating the damaged factor caused by sunlight, moisture and temperature (materials aging phenomenon includes fading, disluster, intensity reduction, cracking, flaking, chalking, and oxidation).
Fluorescent UV light can emulate the effect of sunshine, while condensation and water spray system can emulate the effects of rain and dew. During the test, radiation energy and temperature are controllable. A typical test cycle generally carries out under strong irradiation of UV light or in the dark and wet condensation period with 100% relative humidity. These tests generally applied in the fields of paint and coatings, automotive industry, plastic, wood, glue, etc
All BUV machines use fluorescent UV lamps produced by American as testing light source, comparing with other type lamps (including Xenon Lamps). UV lamps are more stable. Its spectrum power distribution won’t change as the lamps weathering, even to 6,000 hours. Thus more repeatable testing results can be achieved easily, and decrease changing lamps times and reduce the running cost.
Furthermore, these lamps from American are produced on the base of more than 40 years’ experience and fluorescent technology. It is designed specially and tested with most serious quality control.
The superiority of UV Light Accelerated Aging Test Chamber is that it can be controlled and adjusted automatically during testing process. As it is well known, the energy in testing process is the main factor in polymer materials aging. In order to ensure reproducibility and comparability of testing results, the UV energy is a very important technical indicator. We adopt the principles which similar with Sun-eye automatically monitor the testing process throughout the energy value, when the lamp energy is less than the expected value, the system can automatically monitor the difference and automatically replenish energy immediately.
As any other lamps, UV lamps energy of BUV also decreases as time increase. The control system would compensate it automatically through strengthening the voltage of lamps. But as the using time become longer and longer, the energy of lamps decrease continuously. For some high set point of irradiance, BUV couldn’t keep this irradiance any longer, and now the system of BUV would reminder failure “the error of irradiance is too large” and shut off the machine. Now, the operator should calibrate the BUV by standard calibration radiometer. If machine still can’t get the set point after calibrating, the user should replace the two pcs lamps corresponding to the relative sensor and calibrate again.
BUV is calibrated by BGD Calibration Radiometer which is produced by our company. User can use one radiometer to calibrate some BUV, radiometer can test fluorescent UV lamps. It is not only used to calibrate the UVA lamps, but also to do UVB lamps.
Water spray
For some applications, the water spray can simulate end-use environmental conditions better. Water spray can effectively simulate heat shock or mechanical erosion caused by dramatic temperature changes or rain. In some practical application conditions, such as a sudden brash in a sunshine day, can bring heat shock because the temperature of the material changes drastically. This heat shock severely tests the properties of many materials. BUV water spray can simulate this heat shock and / or stress corrosion.
BUV spray system design with 12 nozzles, each side has 6 pieces in the test chamber. Spray system can run a few minutes and then shut down. This transitory water spray can cool the samples quickly, creating heat shock conditions.
Condensation
In many outdoor environments, materials are placed in wet condition for over 12 hours each day. Studies have shown that the main factor of this wet condition outdoor is caused by dew, not rain. BUV simulates the outdoor moisture erosion through the unique condensation capabilities. In the condensation cycle during the test, water on the bottom of the chamber is heated to obtain superheated steam filling the test chamber. Hot steam makes the chamber maintain 100% relative humidity, and maintain a relatively high temperature. Sample was fixed on the wall of test chamber. Thus the sample surface is exposed to the ambient air of test chamber. The other side of the sample is exposed to the natural environment which has a cooling effect, bringing internal and external surfaces of the sample with temperature difference, and the temperature difference leads to the test surfaces always have drips caused by condensation process.
In each cycle, the temperature can be controlled at a set value. At the same time, the black panel thermometer can monitor the temperature. Temperature increase can accelerate the aging process, and the temperature control for reproducibility of the test is also very important.
BST (Black panel thermometer) consists of a PT100 sensor and a metal panel painted by black coating, and be exposed to the same condition as test panels. It’s used to monitor exposing test panels surface temperature during test. BST can be set any value according to different requirements and also be controlled automatically during the whole test. It also can be calibrated periodically.
According to different standards or test methods, operator can edit different test programs. For each program, it can be set as 10 segments, and each segment can set different work conditions (four types: Irradiation, water spray, condensation and finish) as well as relevant test parameters.
BUV can permit operator to edit six test programs at most and save it permanently. Generally speaking, if the operator has set and saved one program in the BUV, for next test, if he still use this same program, just choose this program and run BUV directly, no need to set again.
BUV all controllings and showings are finished by a high definition colorful touch screen. Menu operation interface is very convenient for operator to use and maintain BUV. During the working, all parameters are show on the touch screen.
There is a USB interface at the BUV back, through this interface, operator can export all running parameters at any period by a U disk. It’s convenient for operator to search and do statistics for BUV, and achieve the real unattended running.
With this interface, operator only need to set reasonable IP address, then can monitor BUV working status at any place. Even operator is not in his laboratory, he still can run and maintain BUV. Moreover, this function is also convenient for Biuged to help our customers to solve all problems and do some necessary after service. Settle completely user’s troubles back at home.