Artificial simulated and natural weathering of PVC for outdoor applications: The influence of radiation and water in the evolution of PVC properties

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to present the results obtained, during the year 2003, from a study developed in LNEC. The object of this study was to assess the synergetic effect of two deteriorating climatic agents (radiation and water) on the evolution of the properties of extruded plates made of hard PVC stabilised with titanium dioxide, for outdoor applications. For the purpose, several samples were subject to natural and artificial weathering, their deterioration condition having been characterised by means of techniques of analysis of colorimetry and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Initially, only the presentation of a poster titled “Artificial and Natural Weathering of Polyvinyl chloride for Outdoor Applications: the Influence of the Radiation and Water on the Evolution of the PVC Properties” was scheduled. Nevertheless, upon request from the secretariat of the Congress, the author also presented an oral paper on the same subject, but including experimental results obtained during the year 2004, which were not mentioned in the poster. Similarly, these results, which were obtained by means of surface analysis techniques by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and by X photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), were not included in the paper submitted to the Congress. Therefore, this publication includes the text of the paper referring to the poster, which was initially predicted, as well as the slides of the oral communication presented. It also contains a few results obtained in 2004. The development of the formulations, as well as the ageing and the subsequent characterisation by colorimetry, by infrared spectroscopy and by scanning electron microscopy were performed in LNEC. The characterisation by X photoelectron spectroscopy was conducted at the Molecular Chemistry-Physics Centre of the Instituto Superior Técnico (Higher Technical Institute).