Weather-resistant plastics and fabrics in automotive engineering - Correlation between natural and artificial weathering .1.

Plastics and textiles used in automotive engineering are partly exposed to extreme weathering influences. These produce an ageing of the materials and components, which can become Visible e.g. in the form of cracks, color changes or deformations. The first part of this report deals with climatic variables that are important for the ageing of polymer materials and the stresses on vehicle components due to climate. In the second part test methods used to prove the weathering resistance will be presented, first the natural weathering,then some short-time testing methods of artificial weathering. Further the cor relation between natural and artificial weathering will be explained using selected examples.