Natural weathering

The increased demand for getting decision-making data as fast as possible makes more and more companies turn to accelerated weathering. But no accelerated weathering program can be complete without the confirmation from and correlation to natural weathering. Natural weathering provides the data you need to ensure that your product is covered against costly liability issues.

It is not practical to determine the weathering characteristics of materials in all of the world's climates. Therefore, benchmark climates selected for exposure testing are based on their known severity for the weathering of materials and the anticipated market of the product. The major marketing area of the material should be taken into consideration when selecting suitable climates and sites for weathering tests. Each class of materials is sensitive to a specific group of environmental parameters. Humidity, rain, and salt spray can cause corrosion of metals. For plastics and coatings, ultraviolet radiation, temperature, and moisture can initiate material degradation.