Computer modeling of photodegradation

Abstract

A computer program to simulate the photodegradation of materials exposed to terrestrial weathering environments is being developed. Input parameters would include the solar spectrum, the daily levels and variations of temperature and relative humidity, and materials such as EVA. A brief description of the program, its operating principles, and how it works was initially described. After that, the presentation focuses on the recent work of simulating aging in a normal, terrestrial day-night cycle. This is significant, as almost all accelerated aging schemes maintain a constant light illumination without a dark cycle, and this may be a critical factor not included in acceleration aging schemes. For outdoor aging, the computer model is indicating that the night dark cycle has a dramatic influence on the chemistry of photothermal degradation, and hints that a dark cycle may be needed in an accelerated aging scheme.