ISO 4892-3

The ISO 4892-3 standard is the third part of ISO 4892; a guideline that describes how specimens should be exposed to laboratory light sources.

The test method as described in ISO 4892-3 utilizes fluorescent tubes and is commonly referred to as the QUV test. The QUV test quickly demonstrates the resistance of plastics to weather conditions such as sunlight and condensation. Therefore, this testing method according to 4892 is also called artificial accelerated weathering.

QUV-A or QUV-B?

In the QUV test according to ISO 4892-3, samples are placed in a test chamber, where they are then exposed to UV fluorescent tubes. In most cases, UVA lamps are chosen, and less frequently, UVB lamps.

Dry, with water spray or condensation

To simulate reality, ISO 4892-2 provides the option to wet the samples periodically. This can be done using a spray method or by allowing condensation to form on the test samples in a controlled manner. The quality of the water used must meet strict requirements. For more details, see ISO 4892-1.

Test cycles

ISO 4892-3 describes various test cycles that can be applied. Cycles can consist of multiple phases. These phases can vary in terms of duration, temperature, irradiation, and humidification.

Irradiance

Cycle no.	Exposure	Lamp type	Irradiance (340 nm) W/m2*nm	Black Panel Temperature (°C)
1	8h dry	UVA-340 (Type A1)	0.76	60 ± 3
	4h condensation	Lamps off		50 ± 3
2	8h dry	UVA-340 (Type A1)		Not regulated
	0.25h water spray	Lamps off		Not regulated
	3.75h condensation	Lamps off		50 ± 3
3	5h dry	UVA-340 (Type A1)	0.83	50 ± 3
	1h water spray	Lamps off		Not regulated
4	102 min dry	UVA-340 (Type A1)	0.83	70 ± 3
	18 min water spray	Lamps off		Not regulated
Method B: Artificial accelerated weathering with UVB 351 lamps
5	24h dry (no condensation)	UVA-351 (Type 1B)	0.76	50 ± 3
Method C: Artificial accelerated weathering with UVB 313 lamps
6	8h dry	UVB 313 (Type 2)	0.48	70 ± 3
	4h condensation	Lamps off		50 ± 3

Test duration

ISO 4892-3 does not specify how long the test should last or the correlation between the number of hours of xenon testing and real-world exposure.

Exposure with window filters (window glass) is also included. Other parts of the ISO 4892 standard are:

ISO 4892-1: General description of the guideline
ISO 4892-2: Xenon arc lamps
ISO 4892-4: Open flame carbon-arc lamps

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