Reliability testing is an activity aimed at evaluating a product's ability to maintain functional reliability throughout its specified lifespan under all anticipated environments, including usage, transportation, or storage. Common reliability tests primarily include aging tests, salt spray tests, high and low-temperature tests, and liquid resistance tests, with aging tests being the most frequently conducted.
Today, we are focusing on aging tests. In simpler terms, this involves placing a product in an aging chamber for a certain period and observing the changes that occur before and after aging. The most common types of aging tests are ultraviolet (UV) aging, xenon lamp aging, ozone aging, and hot air aging.
Products that typically require aging tests are mainly polymer materials such as rubber, plastic, and adhesives, as well as coatings and metals.
UV Aging vs. Xenon Lamp Aging
Both UV aging and xenon lamp aging are conducted in aging chambers that simulate sunlight. However, there are distinct differences between them:
UV Aging simulates sunlight or artificial light sources, primarily reflecting a product's resistance to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. It is mainly targeted at non-metallic materials. UV aging chambers typically utilize 8 UV fluorescent lamps with a rated power of 40W as the light source.
Xenon Lamp Aging employs xenon arc lamps that replicate the full solar spectrum, reproducing the damaging light waves present in various environments. Compared to UV aging, while both simulate sunlight, xenon lamp aging emphasizes "full sunlight" as it generates UV, visible, and infrared light. In essence, xenon lamp aging chambers are designed to simulate sunlight, whereas UV aging chambers primarily replicate the damaging effects of sunlight.
Ozone Aging vs. Hot Air Aging
Ozone Aging, as the name suggests, assesses a product's resistance to ozone.
Hot Air Aging evaluates a product's anti-aging performance in a hot air environment.
Generally, aging tests are primarily conducted on non-metallic materials. For example, rubber and plastic products usually undergo xenon lamp aging and hot air aging. Coatings typically require xenon lamp aging, and those used in coastal environments might necessitate UV aging. Adhesive products generally undergo hot air aging.
Aging Test Duration
The duration of an aging test is generally specified according to the requirements outlined in product standards. However, it is crucial to understand that undergoing a certain duration of aging does not directly equate to the product's lifespan in that environment. There is no definitive conversion formula for this. If the product standards do not stipulate a duration, the testing parties need to mutually agree upon the test duration.
在线客服