0.2 Methods and equipment for obtaining reproducible aggressive environments of the above types are well known and have been described by International Standards relevant to other materials and IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) standards relevant to electrical and electronic components. The same equipment and procedures described in these standards can also be employed for plastics, with appropriate care and adjustments.
0.3 The present International Standard is intended to provide general guidance only, on the choice of suitable equipment and procedures for obtaining the exposure conditions described above and for the preparation of test specimens. It also only gives general guidance on the properties to be evaluated. Specific details are given in the various ISO and IEC publications.
For the expression of results, the present International Standard follows, as far as possible, the same criteria adopted in the existing test methods for the exposure to chemicals (see ISO 175) and to natural weathering or artificial light (see ISO 4582).
0.4 These tests are intended to yield data about the effects of the described exposures on the materials; however, a direct correlation between the experimental results and the behaviour in service is not to be inferred.
1 Scope
1.1 This International Standard specifies the conditions of exposure of plastics to
— damp heat,
— water spray,
— salt mist,
and the methods for the evaluation of the change in some significant characteristics after given exposure stages.
1.2 This International Standard is, in general, suitable for all plastics in the form of standard test specimens, and finished articles or parts thereof.
1.3 This International Standard considers separately methods for the determination of