Errors Caused by Using

Joules to Time Laboratory and

Outdoor Exposure Tests
TECHNICAL BULLETIN LU-8030

Reference: Grossman, D.M., Errors Caused by Using Joules to Time Laboratory and Outdoor Expo-
sure Tests, Accelerated and Outdoor Durability Testing of Organic Materials, ASTM STP 1202, Warren D.
Ketola, and Douglas Grossman, Eds., American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, 1993.

Abstract: A common practice in laboratory or outdoor weathering tests, is to time the exposure in UV
Joules instead of hours or days. The assumption is that Joules of radiant UV exposure give a relatively
reliable index of the degradation forces impinging on the test specimens. However, timing in Joules can
be extremely misleading. Joules do not reflect variations in degradation caused by differences in expo-
sure to moisture, temperature, or wavelength spectrum of the light source. Characterization and control
of these other parameters is often more important than Joules of radiant dosage. Controlled tests were
conducted, varying either temperature, moisture, or wavelength spectrum while holding other conditions
constant. In these tests, replicate specimens exposed to identical radiant dosage in Joules showed vari-
ations of over 500% in gloss loss and yellowing. This effect was observed in several different polymers.
The conclusion is that for UV exposure tests, measuring radiant dosage may be a worthwhile control, but
it is by no means sufficient as a description of the test conditions.

Keywords: Ultraviolet, radiant dosage, Joules, weathering, durability, photodegradation.

Terminology:
Irradiance: The rate at which light energy falls on a surface, expressed in W/m2.
Spectral Irradiance: The distribution of irradiance with respect to wavelength.
Spectral Power Distribution (SPD): see Spectral Irradiance.
Radiant Dosage: The accumulated light energy which has fallen on a surface over a period of time. This
is the integrated product of irradiance and time, expressed in J/m2.
Joule: An amount of energy equal to 1W x 1s. For purposes of simplicity in this paper, weve adopted the
common usage of the term Joule to also refer to Radiant Dosage.
Total UV (or TUV) The radiant dosage of light of a wavelength shorter than 385 nm, expressed in J/m2.
Joules at 340 nm: For purposes of this paper, the radiant dosage of UV light of a wavelength of 340 nm,
expressed in J/m2
Langley: An obsolete measure of total dosage from sunlight, including visible light, UV, and infrared. 1
Langley = 41,840 J/m2.

Background: Joules Create the Illusion of Precision

The variability of the weather is proverbial. Historically, scientists interested in testing the durability of
materials exposed outdoors have faced the problem of large variability in their test results. Replicate
samples exposed outdoors for the same amount of calendar time typically exhibited large differences
in the amount of degradation. The reasoning followed that, since the weather is so variable over time,
the calendar is not an accurate indicator of the amount of stress a test sample has received. Based on
the concept that sunlight was the major cause of weathering degradation, early efforts to compensate
for seasonal, geographical and annual variances in test results focused on measuring sunlight and then
timing the exposure tests based on accumulated radiant exposure dosage. It was thought that these
measurements would give a more accurate measure than the calendar. Unfortunately, sunlight is often
not the only factor controlling degradation.
Early efforts at timing tests by radiant dosage measured total radiant energy, including visible and in-
frared wavelengths (expressed in Langleys). Instead of reporting the number of months an exposure
ran, investigators reported the number of Langleys the specimens received. The energy from sunlight is
mainly visible light and IR. UV makes up only about 5% of sunlight. However, the photodegradation of
exterior grade materials is mainly caused by UV.
 Earlier work has shown that replicate specimens Joules Errors Due to Wavelength
receiving the same dosage of total Joules or Lang-
The wavelength spectrum of sunlight changes
leys showed variation in degradation of as much as
constantly. Both the amount of UV, and the shape
6 to 1. Consequently, the Langley method has been
of the sunlight SPD curve vary depending on time
largely discredited [1] [2]. Unfortunately, the prob-
of day, time of year, cloud cover, air pollution, and
lem of variability in outdoor test results remains.
geographical latitude. For instance, Fig 1 shows
Current fashion now dictates the use of UV radiant the wavelength shift due to just the seasonal
exposure as the appropriate means of timing tests. change in sun angle [1]. Note that the winter SPD
Using Total UV Joules (TUV) seems more reason- is totally lacking the shortest and most damaging
able than using Langleys. In fact, TUV has some wavelengths, below about 310 nm.
usefulness for correlating outdoor exposures of
textiles and other relatively non-durable materials.

Irradiance (W/m2/nm)
There is a seductive simplicity to this concept. 1.2
If an exposure test could be characterized by one 1
magic number (Joules), then the results could be Noon Summer Sunlight
0.8
easily compared to exposures performed at differ-
ent times or places. Furthermore, outdoor expo- 0.6
sures could be compared to accelerated laboratory 0.4
tests. And different types of laboratory light sources
0.2
could be compared to each other. Because control- Noon Winter Sunlight
ling the UV irradiance in laboratory testers is cer- 0
tainly a step forward for improved reproducibility, 280 300 320 340 360 380 400

its easy to take one more step and use UV radiant Wavelength (nm)
dosage as the sole index of test severity.
Figure 1 - Seasonal wavelength shift in UV spectrum
Unfortunately, the data shows that timing tests of sunlight, from solar noon on summer solstice to
solar noon winter solstice.
in UV Joules does not adequately describe the
degradation forces in an exposure test. Replicate
specimens receiving the same accumulated radi-
ant dosage often show vastly different degradation. There are also wide differences in the SPD of vari-
This is because timing in Joules does not take into ous laboratory exposure devices. Fluorescent UV
account the substantial variations in weathering testers can use any of 3 types of lamps; xenon arc
stress caused by the following other factors: testers can use various filter combinations; and
carbon arc testers use 2 very different types of light
1. Differences in Spectral Irradiance.
sources. Furthermore the shape of the SPD curve
2. Differences in Exposure Temperature. in xenon lamps changes as the lamps age [3].
3. Differences in Moisture Exposure. If Joules were to be valid for timing exposure tests,
they would compensate for these variations in SPD
It will be demonstrated that these factors can cause that occur both outdoors and in the laboratory.
replicate test specimens to show differences in deg- However, the data shows that even minor differ-
radation of more than 5 to 1 (500%) when exposed ences in SPD can cause major problems in using
to an identical number of Joules. This is true wheth- Joules to time exposures.
er the Joule measurements are Total UV, or UV at
a specific wavelength, such as 340 nm. Depending Many studies show that, in general, a Joule of short
on the material tested, any of these three factors wavelength UV is more damaging than a Joule of
can actually be more important than the UV radiant longer wavelength UV. For example, as seen in
dosage. Figure 2, polyolefins exposed to 1 MJ/m2 of UV at
various wavelengths showed 5 to 10 times greater
Significant errors can result when researchers are carbonyl formation at a wavelength of 280 nm than
seduced into comparing test results based on ac- at 340 nm [4]. Such studies suggest that timing
cumulated radiant dosage. Although at first blush, exposure tests in Joules could lead to huge errors
Joules may seem to be the pinnacle of scientific unless the spectral power distributions of the light
sophistication, a deeper understanding of exposure sources compared were absolutely identical.
tests reveals that timing in Joules is a dangerous
oversimplification. Joules are simply not a reliable
index of the degradation forces impinging on the
test specimens.
1. Grossman, D.M., Know Your Enemy, The Weather and How to Reproduce it in the Laboratory, Journal of Vinyl Technology, March 1981,
Vol 3, No.1, pp 38-47.
2. Grossman, D., Correlation Questions and Answers, Q-Panel Co. Tech Bulletin LU-0833
3. Brennan, P., and Fedor, G., Controlled Irradiance in Laboratory Weathering: Limitations in the State of the Art, Industrial Fabrics Association Interna-
2 tional seminar, Nov. 1988, reprints available from Q-Panel Co.
4. Trubiroha, P., The Spectral Sensitivity of Polymers in the Spectral Range of Solar Radiation, Advances in the Stabilization and Controlled Degradation
of Polymers, pp 236-241, Technomic Publishing, Lancaster, PA, 1989.
 0.15 To eliminate effects of moisture, the exposures
were run with continuous UV and no condensation.
To eliminate the effect of temperature, the exposure
temperature was kept at 50C.

Note that the SPD curves of the UVA-340 and

0.10
UVA-351 lamps are only shifted by 10 nm an
apparently small amount, and much less than the
difference between summer and winter sunlight
shown in Figure 1. However, the following tests
D**

PP
shows differences of up to 2:1 in the degradation
0.05 per Joule of radiant dosage.

Figure 4 shows that the longer wavelength lamp,

PE the UVA-351, required about 80% higher dosage
of Total UV than the UVA-340 to cause a given
amount of yellowing (delta b*), on clear polystyrene
0 plaques. If the researcher were relying on radiant
280 300 320 340 360 380 dosage in Joules to time these tests, this would
l represent a rather significant error.
Figure 2 - Spectral Sensitivity of Polyolefins.
Carbonyl formation (change in optical density) vs.
wavelength of irradiation, with dosage of 1 MJ/m2 at
50.00 UVA-340 Lamp
each wavelength. MATERIAL: POLYSTYRENE
CYCLE: UV ONLY
40.00 TEMPERATURE: 50C

To make a direct illustration of errors caused by 30.00

UVA-351 Lamp
b*

wavelength differences, replicate samples of sev-

20.00
eral materials were exposed according to ASTM G
53, Standard Practice for Light and Water Exposure 10.00
Apparatus (Fluorescent UV Type). Each exposure
0.00
used fluorescent UV lamps with one of the two dif-
0 40 80 120 160 200 240 280
ferent wavelength spectra shown in Fig 3. The G 53
devices were Model QUV/se from Q-Lab Corpora- Radiant Dosage TUV (MegaJoules/m2)
tion. These devices were equipped with feedback
controls that allowed precise control of irradiance
Figure 4 - Effect of Wavelength on Yellowing of
and UV dosage, as described in another paper in Polystyrene Sheet. Lamps with different SPDs cause
this symposium [5]. For these tests the irradiance different rates of yellowing per Joule.
was controlled at 1.35 W/m2/nm at 340 nm. Fluor
escent UV devices provide an ideal vehicle for Figure 5 shows a similar effect for gloss loss of an
examining effects of SPD, because unlike other epoxy paint. In this case, compared to the UVA-340
types of lamps, the shape of the SPD curve does lamp, the UVA-351 requires about twice the Total
not change during the life of the fluorescent UV UV to produce a given gloss loss.
lamp [3].

100 UVA-351 Lamp

2 1.35 W/m2/nm UVA-351 Lamp MATERIAL: EPOXY PAINT
Irradiance (W/m2/nm)

80
60 Gloss

at 340nm CHAMBER: G 53 QUV/se

CYCLE: UV ONLY
1.6 60
UVA-340 TEMPERATURE: 50C
UVA-340 Lamp 40 Lamps
1.2
20

0.8 0
0 40 80 120 160

0.4 Radiant Dosage TUV (MegaJoules/m2)

0 Figure 5 - Effect of Wavelength on Gloss Loss of

280 300 320 340 360 380 400 Epoxy Paint: TUV Joules. Lamps with different wave-
Wavelength (nm) length spectra cause different rates of gloss loss per
Joule.
Figure 3 - Spectral Power Distributions of Fluores-
cent UV Lamps

5. Fedor, G., and Brennan, P.,Irradiance Control in ASTM G 53 Fluorescent UV Condensation Chambers, Accelerated and Outdoor Durability Testing of
3
Organic Materials, ASTM STP 1202, Warren D. Ketola, and Douglas Grossman, Eds., American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, 1993.
 It is sometimes asserted that more accurate timing The normal variation in the UV spectrum of natural
of tests can be achieved by using Joules at 340 sunlight is much greater than the variation between
nm instead of Total UV Joules. Figure6 shows the the two types of UV lamps used above. The SPD
same data as Figure 5, but expressed in terms of of solar UV varies dramatically, depending on time
UV Joules at 340 nm instead of Total UV Joules. of day, season, cloud cover, and pollution (see
This does not improve the precision of the timing. Figure 1). Its reasonable to expect that degrada-
The UVA-351 still requires almost twice as many tion per Joule will vary with these changes in SPD.
Joules as the UVA-340 to produce a given gloss Yet when outdoor exposures are timed in Joules,
loss. This is consistent with the data in Figure 5. its routine to indiscriminately lump together sum-
mer Joules and winter Joules, or 10:00AM Joules
and noon Joules, despite the known differences in
100 UVA-351 Lamp MATERIAL: EPOXY PAINT
wavelength spectrum.
CHAMBER: G 53 QUV/se
80 CYCLE: UV ONLY

Joules Errors Due to Temperature

60 Gloss

TEMPERATURE: 50C

60
UVA-340 Outdoor exposure temperature is constantly
40 Lamp changing due to the weather. Also the sample
mounting method has a large effect on tempera-
20
ture. Samples mounted vertically are cooler than
0 samples mounted horizontally because they
0 1 2
receive less sunlight. And samples with insulated
Radiant Exposure (MegaJoules/m2@ 340nm) backing can be over 10C hotter than unbacked
samples. Likewise in laboratory tests, the opera-
Figure 6 - Effect of Wavelength on Gloss Loss of tor can choose a wide range of temperatures.
Epoxy Paint: Joules at 340 nm. Measuring Joules at Furthermore, different methods of temperature
340 nm is no more precise than measuring Total UV measurement result in different actual specimen
Joules.
temperatures in laboratory devices. For instance in
xenon testers a Black Panel temperature of 80C
Figure 7 shows that although wavelength spectrum
can give the same specimen temperature as a
can have a huge effect, sometimes it has little ef-
Black Standard temperature of 100C [6]. And a
fect. In this case the UVA-340 and UVA-351 lamps
fluorescent UV tester with a Panel Temperature of
show about the same gloss loss per Joule, despite
80C would be expected to have a different speci-
the differences in their SPDs.
men temperature than either xenon method. It is
well known that otherwise identical exposures at
80 different temperatures can exhibit radically differ-
70 UVA-351 Lamp
ent degradation.
60 UVA-340 Lamp Fischer has demonstrated this for outdoor expo-
60 Gloss

50 sures by filling an entire outdoor rack with replicate

40 specimens of a blue PVC film [7]. The films initial
30
60 gloss was 90. Figure 8 shows that after 18
MATERIAL: URETHANE PAINT
CHAMBER: QUV/se
months of Florida exposure, the specimens in dif-
20 CYCLE: UV ONLY
TEMPERATURE: 50C
ferent parts of the rack showed gloss ranging from
10 36 to 67, with specimens in the center of the rack
0 showing the most degradation. Further investiga-
0 40 80 120 160 200 240 280 tion showed that the differences in degradation
Radiant Dosage TUV (MegaJoules/m2) were caused by different average specimen tem-
peratures due to the cooling effect of wind on the
Figure 7 - Effect of Wavelength on Gloss Loss of edges of the rack.
Urethane Paint. Lamps with different wavelength
spectra do not always cause different rates of gloss All of these identical specimens received exactly
loss per Joule. the same radiant dosage at every wavelength, but
with very different effects. A Joule in the center of
The data above show that a small change in
the rack was twice as damaging as a Joule at the
wavelength spectrum can cause degradation per
edge. This suggests that timing outdoor exposures
Joule of exposure to vary by 2 to 1. In other words,
in Joules instead of calendar time gives only the
for exposure tests that do not have identical SPD
illusion of precision.
curves, timing the tests in Joules can lead to errors
of over 200%. This is true regardless of whether the
Joules represent Total UV or Joules at a specific
wavelength such as 340 nm.

4 6. Stuck, J., Determining the Lightfastness of Materials for Automobile Interior Trim in Europe, International Symposium on Automotive Test Procedures,
Industrial Fabrics Association International, St. Paul, MN, 1989.
7. Fischer, R, Murray, W., and Ketola, W., Thermal Variability in Outdoor Exposure Tests, Progress in Organic Coatings, Vol. 19, 1991, pp 151-163.
 64
60 67
(Inches)

50 40 50 24.00
MATERIAL: POLYCARBONATE
CHAMBER: G 53 QUV/se
20.00 IRRADIANCE: 1.35 W/m2/nm 70C

b*
LAMP: UVA-340
36 CYCLE: UV only
16.00

Yellowing
Rack Width

32 47 38 50 62 12.00
42 41

8.00 50C
40 52
46 4.00

0.00
56 50 54 61 0 1 2 3 4 5
48
0
24 48 72 96 120 144 Radiant Exposure (MJoules/m2 at 340nm)
Rack Length (Inches)
Figure 9 - Effect of temperature on yellowing of
Figure 8 - Variation on a Single Outdoor Rack. 60 polycarbonate. Yellowing per Joule at 70C is 150%
gloss readings at various locations on the rack after of at 50C
18 months of Florida exposure 5 South, replicates of
blue PVC film.

In another paper, Fischer noted that in a xenon arc 40.00

b*
70C
tester, doubling the irradiance actually caused re-
30.00
Yellowing
duced yellowing of polystyrene reference plaques,
MATERIAL: ABS
because it was accompanied by a 16C reduction 20.00 50C
CHAMBER: G 53 QUV/se
in specimen temperature [8]. Table 1 shows that at IRRADIANCE: 1.35 W/m2/nm
LAMP: UVA-340
10.00
42C it took over twice as many Joules to cause the CYCLE: UV only

same yellowing as at 58C. 0.00

0 2 4 6
Effect of Temperature in Air-Cooled Xenon Arc:
Radiant Exposure (MJoules/m2 at 340nm)

XENON RADIANT TUV Figure 10 - Effect of temperature on yellowing of

TUV WHITE DOSAGE YELLOWING ABS. Yellowing per Joule at 70C is 200% of at 50C
TEST IRRADIANCE PANEL AFTER 168h AFTER 168h
NO. (W/m2) TEMP. (MJoules/m2) (DB)
It is important to remember that not all materials
1 42.5 58C 25.7 3.95 show increased degradation rates with increased
2 85.0 42C 51.4 3.23 temperature. Therefore, it is not possible to derive
a general equation that relates temperature and
acceleration. Figure 11 shows a urethane paint that
Polystyrene degradation per Joule at 58C is twice
has approximately the same degradation per Joule
as much as at 42C.
at 50C and 70C.
To systematically demonstrate the effect of
temperature on a variety of materials, we exposed 80
replicate specimens in the G 53 fluorescent UV 70
devices at 50C and at 70C. 60 50C
60 Gloss

50
To eliminate any moisture effect, the exposures 40 MATERIAL: URETHANE
70C
CHAMBER: G 53 QUV/se
were continuous UV, with no moisture. 30 IRRADIANCE: 1.35 W/m2/nm
LAMP: UVA-340
20 CYCLE: UV only
To eliminate the effects of wavelength, all 10
exposures used UVA340 lamps with irradiance set 0
at 1.35 W/m2/nm at 340 nm. Thus the exposures 0 2 4 6
all received identical radiant exposure at all Radiant Exposure (MJoules/m2 at 340nm)
wavelengths.
Figure 11 - Effect of temperature on gloss loss of
Figure 9 shows that for a polycarbonate sheet to Urethane paint. In this case, increased temperature
yellow a given amount required about 50% more does not significantly increase the degradation per
Joules at 50C than at 70C. Joule.

Figure 10 shows that for an ABS sheet, the

yellowing per Joule was about twice as much at
70C as at 50C.

8. Fischer, R., and Ketola, W., Surface Temperatures of Materials in Exterior Exposures and Artificial Accelerated Tests, Accelerated and Outdoor Durability 5
Testing of Organic Materials, ASTM STP 1202, Warren D. Ketola, and Douglas Grossman, Eds., American Society for Testing and Materials,
Philadelphia, 1993.
 The above data show that in both outdoor and Figure 13 shows similar data for a urethane paint.
laboratory exposures, specimens exposed to equal The degradation per Joule is at least 500% greater
Joules but different temperatures can show varia- with the cycle that contains condensation than with
tions in degradation of 2:1. Again, Joules are not a the cycle without moisture. Once again degradation
good measure of the weathering stresses received does not correspond to Joules of exposure.
by the specimen.
100
The exposures all received identical radiant expo- 4 h UV / 4 h Dry
MATERIAL: EPOXY
CHAMBER: G 53 QUV/se
sure at all wavelengths. So although Joules at 340 80 IRRADIANCE: 1.35 W/m2

60 Gloss
LAMP: UVA-340
nm are reported above, TUV Joules, UV-B Joules, 60 TEMPERATURE: 50C

or Joules at any wavelength would give the same

40
degradation curves and show the same variation in
degradation per Joule. 20
4h UV / 4h Cond
0
In fact, plotting degradation against hours would 0 0.5 1 1.5 2
also give the same shape degradation curves. Be- Radiant Exposure (MJoules/m2 at 340nm)
cause irradiance in this test is controlled at a fixed
level of 1.35 W/m2/nm, timing the test in Joules Figure 12 - Effect of moisture on gloss loss of epoxy
gives no additional information that is not implicit paint. Exposure without moisture requires about
in timing in hours. You can calculate the conversion 200% as many Joules to produce gloss loss equal to
between hours and J/m2 at 340 nm by using the fol- exposure with moisture.
lowing simple arithmetic: 1.35J/m2 x 3600 seconds
= 4860J/m2 per hour. Or conversely 1 MJ/m2 = 206
70 4 h UV / 4 h Dry
hours. However, because the object of the test was

60 Gloss
60
to show whether Joules are a good measure of the 50
degradation forces on the specimen, the above 40 MATERIAL: URETHANE
30 4 h UV / 4 h Cond IRRADIANCE: 1.35 W/m2/nm
graphs show degradation vs. Joules, not time. LAMP: UVA-340
20 TEMPERATURE: 50C
10
Joules Errors Due to Moisture 0
0 1 2 3 4 5
Moisture is known to play an important part in
polymer degradation, both outdoors and in the Radiant Dosage (MJoules/m2 at 340nm)
laboratory. In outdoor exposures, moisture var-
ies according to season, mounting method, and Figure 13 - Effect of moisture on gloss loss of
location. For instance, Florida exposure produces urethane paint. Exposures of equal Joules do not
produce equal degradation.
much greater moisture attack than Arizona. In
laboratory tests, the operator can choose widely
Synergy of UV and Moisture: Figure 14 adds
varying moisture cycles. Also, different test cham-
to this data a cycle of 4 h Cond and 4 h Dark Dry.
bers have different kinds of moisture simulations.
However, because this new cycle has no UV, its
Fluorescent UV testers produce moisture via hot
impossible to graph gloss vs. radiant dosage. In-
condensation; xenon arc and carbon arc testers
stead we graph gloss vs. hours of exposure, which
use cold spray.
in this case does not significantly alter the shape of
To illustrate how moisture affects degradation the degradation curves. Note that no gloss loss oc-
per Joule, replicates of various materials were curs on either the cycle that lacks UV or the cycle
exposed to G 53 fluorescent UV testers under the that lacks moisture. It is only the synergistic effect
following different test cycles: of moisture and UV in combination that causes
degradation. Since the effect of UV is contingent on
Cycle A 4 h UV, 4 h Condensation the co-effect of moisture, its obviously not mean-
Cycle B 4 h UV, 4 h Dark Dry (no moisture) ingful to time the exposure with radiant dosage in
Joules.
Cycle C 4 h Condensation, 4 h dark dry (no UV)
80 4h Cond / 4h Dry
To eliminate the effects of wavelength, all expo-
sures used UVA340 lamps with irradiance set at
60 Gloss

60
4h UV / 4h DryMATERIAL: URETHANE
1.35 W/m2/nm at 340 nm. To eliminate the effect of CHAMBER: G 53 QUV/se
40 IRRADIANCE: 1.35 W/m2
temperature, all exposures were kept at 50C. LAMP: UVA-340
TEMPERATURE: 50C
20
Figure 12 shows the effect of moisture on gloss 4h UV / 4 h Cond

loss of an epoxy paint. In this case the cycle with- 0

out moisture takes about twice as many Joules 0 200 400 600 800
to produce gloss loss equivalent to the cycle with Time (hours)
moisture.
Figure 14 - Synergistic effect of moisture & UV on
6 gloss loss of urethane.
 Not only does moisture affect the rate of change, it Unexplained Joules Errors
also can affect the type of degradation. Figure 15
Even when wavelength, temperature, and mois-
shows yellowing of a nylon sheet versus Joules of
ture cycle are apparently controlled, it is still
exposure. The cycle without moisture causes yel-
possible to have very large variations in the rate
lowing. The cycle with moisture causes the oppo-
of degradation per Joule. A recent round robin
site color shift. Visual inspection of the specimens
study included data on several xenon arc devices
indicates that the cycle with moisture causes ap-
per ASTM G26, all operated in identical fashion
pearance of a white chalk, while the cycle without
[9]. The xenon arcs were operated according to
moisture does not. In a case like this its meaning-
SAE J1960 with quartz inner filters and borosili-
less to time degradation in Joules, since identical
cate outer filters at an irradiance level of 0.55 W/
specimens with identical exposures in Joules
m2 at 340 nm. The cycle was 40 minutes of light
exhibit two radically different modes of degradation
only, 20 minutes light and front spray, 60 minutes
due to the presence of moisture.
light only, and 60 minutes dark with back spray.
Temperatures were 70C during light and 38C
10.00 MATERIAL: NYLON
IRRADIANCE: 1.35 W/m2
during spray. Figure 17 shows that there were
b*

LAMP: UVA-340
TEMPERATURE: 50C
major variations in gloss loss per Joule among 5
6.00
4 h UV / 4 h Dry labs exposing replicate vinyl films to this cycle. For
Color Change

2.00 instance, Lab IV required about 300% as many

Joules as Lab VIII to cause a given gloss loss. Its
-2.00 1 2 3 4 5
not known whether the variation in degradation
-6.00 per Joule is caused by temperature differences,
4 h UV / 4 h Cond moisture difference, or by changes in the SPD of
-10.00
the xenon lamps. However, its clear that in this
Radiant Dosage (MJoules/m2 at 340nm) case Joules do not provide an accurate measure
of the degradation forces received by the speci-
Figure 15 - Different types of degradation due to ef- mens.
fect of moisture on replicate nylon specimens with
equivalent radiant dosage in Joules. 100
LAB I
Its also important to remember that moisture is LAB II
80
not always an important degrading force. Figure 16 LAB IV
shows that for the polystyrene sheet, moisture does LAB VII
60 Gloss

not effect the rate of yellowing. In this case Joules at 80

LAB VIII
340 nm does provide a good measure of the degra-
dation forces. On the other hand, ordinary test hours 80
would work just as well for timing this test.
80
40.00 4h UV / 4h Dry G 26
b*

MATERIAL: POLYSTYRENE
CHAMBER: G 53 QUV/se 0
LAMP: UVA-340
30.00 IRRADIANCE: 1.35 W/M2 @340 0 250 500 700 1000 1250 1500 1750 2000
Yellowing

TEMPERATURE: 50C 4h UV / 4h Con

20.00 Exposure Period (KJ/m2 at 340nm)
Figure 17 - Variations in Xenon Arc Exposures. Repli-
10.00
cate vinyl samples exposed under identical condi-
tions show variation in gloss loss per Joule.
0.00
0 1 2
Radiant Exposure at 340 nm (MJoules/m2)

Figure 16 - Effect of Moisture Cycle on Yellowing of

Polystyrene Sheet. In this case, moisture does not
effect rate of degradation per Joule.

The above data demonstrate that for replicate

materials exposed to identical levels of radiant
dosage, variations in moisture caused differences
in both rate of degradation and type of degradation.
For this reason it is not advisable to use radiant
dosage in Joules as a method of timing exposure
tests where there might be a difference in moisture
exposure.

7
9. Fischer, R., Results of Round Robin Studies of Light-and-Water Exposure Standard Practices, Accelerated and Outdoor Durability Testing of Organic
Materials, ASTM STP 1202, Warren D. Ketola, and Douglas Grossman, Eds., American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, 1993.
Conclusions
It is erroneous to believe that timing weathering tests in Joules of radiant dosage leads to a precise measure
of the degradation forces impinging on the test sample. Exposures of equal Joules do not necessarily produce
equivalent degradation. On the contrary, timing in Joules can lead to errors of over 500%. This is true whether
the Joules measured are Total UV, or UV at a given wavelength such as 340 nm. The main reasons for these
errors are:
Joules do not account for the effect of wavelength.
Joules do not account for the effect of temperature.
Joules do not account for the effect of moisture.

Temperature, moisture, and wavelength spectrum all vary widely, both outdoors and in laboratory tests. In con-
trolled tests, the number of Joules required to cause failure of replicate specimens varied by up to 500%, de-
pending on variations in temperature, moisture, and wavelength. This effect was shown in a number of different
materials, including epoxy, urethane, polystyrene, PVC, polycarbonate, ABS, and nylon. Furthermore, the magni-
tude of the effects varied depending on the material tested, so its not possible to derive an equation that relates
temperature or moisture to degradation per Joule.

In addition, in some materials the presence or absence of moisture resulted in radically different types of deg-
radation in replicate exposures with identical radiant exposure. In such cases, timing the test in Joules is totally
meaningless.

Joules are either misleading or redundant. If two exposure tests do not have identical temperature, moisture, and
wavelength spectrum, then timing the tests in Joules is very misleading. If the tests do have identical tempera-
ture, moisture, and wavelength, then Joules are redundant they give you no more information than timing the
tests in hours. Although controlling UV irradiance is a worthwhile step in laboratory tests, measuring UV radiant
dosage is by no means a sufficient description of the exposure conditions. Joules are not the degrading force in
weathering tests they are only one of several. Since degradation per Joule is so elastic, timing exposure tests
with Joules is like measuring distance with a rubber ruler.

Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank Gregory Fedor and Sandra Kalmbach for essential work in collecting and or-
ganizing data.

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