Renault Nissan RNES-B-00070 Test Method for Fogging of Interior Trim Materials and Passenger Compartment Parts in Automobiles

The standard “Renault Nissan RNES-B-00070 Test method for fogging of interior trim materials and passenger compartment parts in automobiles”, developed jointly by the French automobile company Renault and the automobile company Nissan, describes a test method for the following types of materials:

• All interior trim materials (textiles, leather, plastic-coated fabrics and similar)
• Passenger compartment parts (sound insulation, seat foam, instrument panel parts, moldings such as the rear luggage rack or door panel, etc.)

For the purposes of this standard,

• Condensation refers to the condensation of volatile products emitted by passenger compartment materials on the windows.
• Fog index, “F” is a value expressing reflection loss as a percentage. This corresponds to the 60 degree reflectance of a glass plate measured before and after the test.
• Gravimetry “G” refers to the measurement of the mass of condensable G fragments collected on an aluminum foil after testing.

Test methods described in this standard include:

• Reflectometric method: The purpose of this method is to determine the effect of volatile products emitted by the materials used in the vehicle passenger cabin on glass surfaces. This testing method is performed by adding material samples to a temperature-controlled bath to measure the appearance and damage of volatile products susceptible to precipitation on a cooled glass plate. The deposits are measured with a reflectometer and called visual. The test duration is 3 hours at the temperature determined according to the characteristics of the part.
• gravimetric method: The purpose of this method is to detect the mass of volatile products emitted from the materials used on the glazed surface in the passenger compartment of a vehicle. This test is performed by adding material samples to a temperature-controlled bath to measure the amount of volatile products susceptible to precipitation on an aluminum foil covered with a chilled glass plate. Meditative accumulations are weighed down with aluminum foil. The test duration is 16 hours at the temperature determined according to the characteristics of the part.

The first test to be applied is the reflectometric method to characterize customer impact. If there is any doubt about the test result (the nature of the deposit), a counter-evaluation is made by applying the reflectometric method and/or the gravimetric method to measure the deposit.

Devices and reagents used when performing the test include:

• Conditioning bath: This bath consists of a thermostatic receiver that can hold 6 beakers. The thermostat regulates the bath temperature so that the test is carried out up to 130 degrees. There are safety devices to prevent overheating. Heating by the flow and volume of the heat exchange fluid should be such that the temperature of the bath as a whole does not differ from the test temperature by 0,5 degrees.
• The cooling system consists of a hollow cooling plate made of anti-corrosion metal (e.g. aluminium) and includes two cooling water connections located so that the cooling water flows through the plate.
• The beaker is equipment with a flat bottom and made of glass with a minimum weight of 120 g, resistant to high temperatures (over 450 degrees).
• The reflectometer is used to measure 60 degree reflectance. The reflectometer needs to be calibrated once a year.
• The disc diameter of the aluminum foils is 103 mm and the thickness is 0,03 mm.
• The dryer has a diameter of approximately 300 mm with the moisture absorber.
• The test frame is a metal square frame with a matte black base. This frame, whose thickness is slightly greater than that of the plate, prevents the reflectometer from coming into contact with debris on the plate during testing.
• The air-conditioned room has a temperature of 23 degrees plus/minus 2 degrees and a relative humidity of 50 percent plus/minus 5 percent.
• The vented oven has a temperature of 120 degrees plus/minus 2 degrees.
• The scale is used to weigh standard product, has an accuracy of up to 0,0001 g.
• The hollow punch is used to cut test pieces with a diameter of 80 mm.
• The thermostatic bath heat exchange fluid is thermostable and preferably water-soluble for easier cleaning.
• Aluminum foils should be completely smooth and should not have any wrinkles.
• Only liquid alkaline detergent (diluted 20 percent) is used as a laboratory glass washing product. Cleaning of the beakers and rings can be done in the dishwasher at 80 degrees with industrial powder or 0 ml of alkaline detergent diluted at 10 percent.
• Di-isodecylphthalate (DIDP) is the only chemical compound approved in conjunction with this test method.

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