UV Aging – ASTM G154

What Is UV Ageing — ASTM G154?

The UV weathering test subjects the specimen to light, condensation and temperature cycles under fluorescent UV lamps. ASTM G154 defines the lamp type, cycle structure and apparatus; the purpose is to simulate outdoor degradation in a shortened time.

Purpose of UV Ageing — ASTM G154

The purpose is to observe, in an accelerated manner, the degradation that the short-wavelength component of sunlight and moisture cause in the material. Colour fading, gloss loss, chalking, cracking and a decline in mechanical properties become apparent in this test.

Which Products Is UV Ageing — ASTM G154 Applied To?

Exterior facade paints and coatings
Garden furniture and outdoor plastics
Automotive exterior trim parts
Cable jackets and gasket materials
Awnings, tarpaulins and technical textiles

In Which Sectors Is UV Ageing — ASTM G154 Used?

ConstructionPlasticsAutomotiveTextilesChemistry

Standards Related to UV Ageing — ASTM G154

ASTM G154fluorescent UV accelerated aging test

UV Ageing — ASTM G154 Conditions

Lamp type: Such as UVA-340 or UVB-313; according to the material and the purpose of comparison
Cycle: The sequencing of light and condensation periods — the applied cycle is selected within the standard
Irradiance: Device-controlled; defined in the selected cycle
Total duration: From the product standard or the specification; ASTM G154 does not prescribe a duration

Equipment for UV Ageing — ASTM G154

Fluorescent UV weathering chamber
UVA / UVB lamps and irradiance control system
Condensation unit
Colour meter (spectrophotometer) and gloss meter
Tensile/impact test machines for comparison

Sample Requirements for UV Ageing — ASTM G154

Specimen panels must be sized to fit the chamber's specimen holder
An unexposed reference specimen must be set aside for comparison
More than one specimen is recommended for each level
The specimen's initial colour and gloss values must be measured

Duration of UV Ageing — ASTM G154

Duration depends entirely on the requested exposure hours; programmes ranging from hundreds to several thousand hours are applied. The programme duration is set at the outset by the specification.

UV Ageing — ASTM G154 Procedure

1The specimens' initial colour, gloss and, if required, mechanical values are measured.
2The specimens are placed in the chamber holders.
3The selected lamp type and cycle are programmed.
4Specimens are removed at specified intervals and interim measurements are taken.
5Specimen positions are rotated regularly.
6Final measurements and a visual assessment are performed at the end of the programme.
7A comparison is made with the reference specimen.

UV Ageing — ASTM G154 Acceptance Criteria

The acceptance criterion comes from the product standard or the specification; it is generally defined as the maximum permitted colour difference, gloss loss or property decline after a specified exposure period.

Evaluation of Results

Accelerated weathering does not directly give a natural-environment lifetime; results are intended for comparison between materials tested under the same conditions. Correlation with natural exposure can only be established if a parallel outdoor trial exists.

UV Ageing — ASTM G154 Report

Sample description, serial number and configuration
Applied standard and year of printing
Selected intensity level and basis for the level
Experimental setup and measurement points
Functional checks performed during the experiment
Observations, measurement results and photographs
A statement that the result applies only to the specimen submitted for testing

Accreditation

EUROLAB holds internationally recognised accreditation obtained from accreditation bodies party to the IAF and ILAC multilateral recognition arrangements, under ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratory testing, ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection and surveillance, and ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 17065 for system and product certification. This chain ensures the reports and certificates issued are accepted worldwide.

Whether this test can be offered within accredited scope depends on your product and the standard applied; since accreditation is method-based, the scope is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Scope and authorisations

Related Regulations

Construction-product standards under EU 305/2011 CPR
Automotive OEM exterior-trim specifications

Standard-Based Tests — What Does This Group of Pages Cover?

The section below describes the field that the UV Ageing test belongs to; the conditions and acceptance criteria of this particular test are given in the sections above. The scope specific to your product is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Standard-based tests are test pages whose address comes from a standard number. What the user is looking for is often not the name of the test but the code written in their specification: not "salt spray test" but "ASTM B117", not "drop test" but "IEC 60068-2-31", not "vibration" but "MIL-STD-810 Method 514".

This preference reflects the reality in the field. An engineer sees a code in the specification received from a customer and searches for that code; they do not need to know the name of the test. The code is the identity of the test and distinguishes the different adoptions of the same test by different bodies.

This group addresses the different adoptions of the SAME TEST separately. The same physical phenomenon may be published under different numbers by ISO, ASTM, EN, IEC, DIN and JIS. Even where the numbers are the same (as with ISO 6892-1 and EN ISO 6892-1), specimen preparation, conditions, calculation details and reporting may differ; adoptions may carry national annexes. The code written in the specification therefore governs, and "similar" is not accepted.

Searching at code level meets a different need from searching at scope level. A user searching for "corrosion testing" wants to learn about the field; a user searching for "ASTM B117" has a specification in hand and wants to know the feasibility, duration and price of that test. Two different intents require two different page structures.

The page for a code describes the scope of that code, the test field it belongs to, the product groups in which it is required and how it differs from neighbouring codes. Test conditions, durations and acceptance criteria are NOT CARRIED: these are defined in the copyrighted text of the standard and in the product specification. This boundary is a deliberate choice; a wrong duration or acceptance criterion means directly incorrect work.

Different parts of the same code and different adoptions of the same number are linked between pages. A user searching for IEC 60335 also sees 60335-2-40; a user searching for ISO 6892-1 also sees the EN ISO 6892-1 and DIN EN ISO 6892-1 adoptions. These links are derived from the number of the code rather than written by hand.

The edition year is NOT CARRIED in the library. It is held as "ASTM D638" rather than "ASTM D638-22", because the edition in force changes over time and the address of the page should not age with the edition. If a year is stated in your specification, that edition governs; if not, the most current edition is applied.

Method groups in this field

Searching by code
Direct search for the code written in the specification; it is found in the library with its code, scope title and issuing body.
Searching by scope title
A test whose code is not known is searched by its subject; a search for "salt spray" brings up the related codes.
Series and part relationships
The other parts of the same series are shown, derived from the number of the code.
Adoption relationships
Different bodies' adoptions of the same number are matched; the claim is kept limited to "the same number".
Superseded codes
Withdrawn codes are not held in the library but, when searched for, the user is directed to the counterpart in force.

Commonly confused in this field

Different adoptions of the same number are not identical texts; they may carry national annexes.
The code written in the specification governs; a technically similar code cannot be substituted.
If an edition year is stated, that edition is applied; the most current edition is not automatically accepted.
A code page carries no test conditions or acceptance criteria; these are in the copyrighted text of the standard and in the product specification.
A part code (for example -2-40) may not be sufficient on its own; the general part of the series is applied as well.

Which decisions these results support

Matching the code written in the specification to the correct laboratory scope
Distinguishing between equivalent adoptions
Clarifying the scope and edition at the quotation stage
Finding the current counterpart of withdrawn codes

Related Tests

Frequently Asked Questions About UV Ageing — ASTM G154

How many hours of UV testing correspond to one year outdoors?

No such conversion factor exists. The standard explicitly rejects this; results are for comparison between materials.

Fluorescent UV or xenon arc?

Fluorescent UV highlights short-wavelength degradation and is economical. Xenon arc better simulates the full solar spectrum and is often preferred for colour-fading studies.