Meaning and use
5.1 Tests conducted in accordance with this practice are designed to cause changes in properties associated with exposure to light and heat used in typical office environments. These exposures are not intended to simulate deterioration caused by local phenomena such as handling, fouling, etc.
Note 5: Please refer to Practice G151 for the complete warning guidelines applicable to all laboratory aging equipment. For additional information on sources of variability and strategies to address variability through the design and data analysis of laboratory accelerated exposure tests, see Guideline G141.
5.2 Results may vary between the different methods described in this practice. For example, differences in the spectral distribution of the lamps used and changes in the irradiance of a single type of lamp can lead to significant differences in test results. Therefore, reference to this practice should not be made unless accompanied by a report prepared under section 12 describing the need to refer to the methodology used.
5.3 The reproducibility of test results between laboratories has been shown to be good when evaluating the stability of a material according to its performance class compared to other materials or controls. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to expose similar materials with known properties (controls) at the same time as the test material. At least three repetitions of each material are recommended to enable statistical evaluation of the results.
ASTM D4674-2019 Standard Practice for Accelerated Testing of Color Stability of Plastics Exposed to Indoor Office Environments
Radius
1.1 This practice covers the rationale and operating procedures for using fluorescent lighting to determine the color stability of plastics when exposed to materials in a typical office environment using fluorescent overhead lighting and Windows to filter daylight, where temperature and humidity conditions meet the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) recommendations for worker comfort.
1.2 This practice describes four methods in which specimens are exposed to fluorescence under controlled environmental conditions. Two of these methods use exposure devices that provide fluorescent lamp mixing, and two of them use devices that comply with Practice G154.
Note 1: Method I uses cold white fluorescent lamps and window glass to filter fluorescent UVB lamps as described in previous versions of this standard.
1.3 Sample preparation and result evaluation are covered in ASTM methods or specifications for specific materials. General guidance is given in Practice G151. More specific information is described in Practice D5870 about methods for determining post-exposure characteristic changes and reporting these results.
1.4 Values expressed in SI units shall be considered standard.
ASTM D4674-2019 Standard Practice for Accelerated Testing of Color Stability of Plastics Exposed to Indoor Office Environments
1.5 All sizes are nominal unless otherwise stated.
1.6 This standard is not intended to address all safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of users of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health and environmental practices and to determine the applicability of regulatory restrictions prior to use. See Section 7 for specific precautions.
Note 2: There is no known ISO equivalent to this standard.
1.7 This international standard is based on internationally recognized standardization principles established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guidelines and Recommendations issued by the Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade of the World Trade Organization.