Development of a temperature controlled weathering test box to evaluate the life cycle behaviour of interior automotive components

摘要

It is the desire of every motorist to drive an exquisite vehicle, so it is very crucial for players in the automotive industry to keep on improving the quality of vehicles. While the interior components of a vehicle are the most critical components to the overall durability and comfort of a vehicle, it is important to guarantee the quality of these components. Vehicle interior components are usually made of plastic, leather, fabric and painted components which can all be prone to quick ageing. Fading, cracking and distortion are rife in vehicle interior components, and these effects are caused by natural factors such as radiation, moisture and extreme temperature. This phenomenon is known as “weathering”. Tireless work has been done over the decades to carry out weathering tests on automotive components in order to address critical areas during the design process of the components. This paper explores one method of carrying out weathering tests on automotive dashboards in which a metallic testing box is used to simulate the conditions inside a vehicle. The main concern is that the temperature inside the test box can go above the necessary testing range which causes test samples to be destroyed before sufficient data is collected. A temperature control system was developed and installed to monitor the temperature inside the box. Weathering tests are being carried out in extremely harsh environments; therefore both the weathering test box and the temperature control system have to be robust. A solar-powered programmable logic controller (PLC), which has the ability to withstand harsh conditions, was used to monitor and control the system.