WEATHER-RESISTANT PLASTICS AND FABRICS IN AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING - CORRELATION BETWEEN NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL WEATHERING .2.

Plastics and textiles used in automotive engineering are partly expose d to extreme weathering influences. These produce an ageing of the mat erials and components, which can become visible e. g. in the form of c racks, color changes or deformations. The first part of this report de aled with climatic variables that are important for the ageing of poly mer materials and the stresses on vehicle components due to climate. I n the second part test methods used to prove the weathering resistance will be presented, first tile natural weathering, then some short-tim e testing methods of artificial weathering. Further the cor relation b etween natural and artificial weathering will be explained using selec ted examples.