MATERIALS | ACCELERATED TESTING
one cycle of UVGI is equivalent to a dose of 1 J/cm2 then, if performed daily for a year, the UVC ma- chine would be set to an irradiance of 6 mW/cm2
. It
would, therefore, achieve a one-year equivalent UVC radiant dosage over a 17-hour cycle. “It seems clear that the already rapidly expand- ing use of UVGI will continue to grow across an ever-widening range of industries and applications. Materials which were never designed for nor expected to be exposed to UVC are increasingly seeing repeated exposures and often without the required testing or even knowledge of manufactur- ers. Published studies have shown some significant degradation of materials under UVC which would likely reduce performance or, in the worst cases, potentially render the components unfit for service,“ Vince says. “The use of UVC irradiation for UVGI and subsequent testing is not currently well standard- ised and the utilisation of a dedicated UVC expo- sure test machine should be considered a powerful tool in assessing whether materials are still fit for purpose based upon new conditions of service or, if not, designing ones which are,” he adds.
Setting standards The need for UVC testing standardisation is recognised by ASTM International, which recently announced the publication of ASTM G224, Standard Practice for Operating UVC Lamp Apparatus for Exposure of Materials. It is described as the first international standard to outline the basic principles for operating test instruments to evaluate the durability of materials exposed to UVC light. Q-Lab Corporation, a provider of material durability testing products as well as weathering, light stability, and corrosion testers, led the development of the standard, which provides users with a comprehensive reference for conducting UVC exposure laboratory testing. The team responsible for the standard’s develop- ment was led by Sean Fowler, Senior Technical Director at Q-Lab, who said: “One of the big problems the new standard addresses is that exposures using customised, one-off test devices generally lack good UVC measurement and control. Without an international standard, it is difficult for a laboratory quality system to identify the kinds of gross UVC measurement errors that have been observed in some studies. Because G224 includes test cycles with specific irradiance levels, UVC calibration traceability chains and interlaboratory comparisons have a better chance to identify sources of measurement error and correct them.” Last September, UK-based Element Materials
48 COMPOUNDING WORLD | September 2023
Technology, which operates a global network of over 260 laboratories, completed the acquisition of US-based National Technical Systems (NTS). Based in Anaheim, California, NTS provides qualification testing, inspection, and certification services and serves a wide range of end markets including space, defence, aerospace and connected technologies. The range of testing services NTS offers extends
from EMC/EMI and materials to climatic testing. The inspection division is accredited by many international organisations and operates under the Unitek name, while its certification division, NQA, is a global ISO registrar with active certifications in more than 75 countries. Jo Wetz, Element CEO, said: “NTS is a strategic acquisition for Element, bringing greater scale and complementary sector knowledge in North America and globally. Together, we will be able to further extend our portfolio of services across some of our most important end markets, bringing improved support for our customers all around the world.” Element has also expanded its presence in Asia with the recent acquisition of CTK, one of the leading connected technologies testing companies in South Korea. CTK’s testing equipment includes three 10m chambers, two 3m chambers, a debug lab, and the largest lab in South Korea for ingress protection (IP) testing. The company recently opened a new 4,400m² testing centre, Unhak 2, to meet rising demand for electrical safety, reliability, and wireless testing in targeted end markets. Earlier this year, another UK company, Intertek, announced a significant investment in its produc- tion and integrity assurance centre of excellence in Manchester, which specialises in advanced corrosion consultancy and testing. The upgrade includes a suite of Instron Electropuls E10000 electrically actuated load frames, which are versatile machines that increase testing capabilities by introducing torsional force application and enabling uniaxial (tension or compression) or bend testing of lighter weight, lower strength materials. Installed in a dedicated laboratory, the new rigs can accommodate humidity control chambers with temperature ranges of -196°C to 350°C.
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
www.skz.de �
www.atlas-mts.com �
https://applied-optix.com �
www.radicalmaterials.com �
www.astm.org �
https://blog.q-lab.com �
www.element.com �
www.intertek.com
www.compoundingworld.com
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