In the GM9329P standard developed by the General Motors company, a test method is defined in order to evaluate the resistance of plastic materials used in vehicles against moisture aging at high temperatures.
Aging at very high relative humidity levels, especially at elevated temperatures, causes unnatural and irrelevant physical changes that do not occur under ambient conditions of use, such as softening, delamination, swelling or condensation.
It is important to understand the effect of moisture content absorbed in polymers, as high or low moisture levels accelerate aging damage in many materials. The purpose of an accelerated aging protocol is to predict and validate the real-time aging behavior of a product and packaging system. Both the usage conditions of product storage and the difficulties that these conditions bring to the product and its packaging are constantly being researched. Certain aspects of product storage conditions, such as exposure to light, temperature, humidity, hydrolysis or oxidation, cause polymers degradation mechanisms. It is important for manufacturers to understand the degradation mechanisms of the selected materials.
They rely on the latest industry standards for how these aging studies are conducted, especially as manufacturers seek to distribute products globally to all climate zones.
Moisture is a real use condition, but is not always considered in accelerated aging protocols or commonly used standards for shelf life. Over time, moisture affects polymers in various ways. In particular, it results in a relatively common polymer chemical degradation reaction known as hydrolysis, which causes irreversible loss of mechanical properties over time. During high temperature accelerated aging, ambient humidity levels cause the polymers to dry beyond the levels that occur under ambient storage conditions. This test condition prevents hydrolysis degradation from occurring during the real-time aging of the product (during shelf life or lifetime) resulting in failure to capture spoilage. Moreover, low humidity levels at high temperatures significantly alter the mechanical properties leading to artificially accelerated failure mechanisms that do not occur during real-time aging.
Among the numerous test, measurement, analysis and evaluation studies it provides for businesses in various sectors, our organization also provides testing services to determine the resistance of plastic materials used in vehicles against high temperature moisture aging, within the scope of the GM9329P standard, with its trained and expert staff and advanced technological equipment.
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