Designation: C 718 93

Standard Test Method for

Ultraviolet (UV)-Cold Box Exposure of One-Part,

Elastomeric, Solvent-Release Type Sealants1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation C 718; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

6. Apparatus and Materials

6.1 Ultraviolet Sun Lamps, two, on adjustable holders.3
New sun lamps shall be lighted 24 h before using in test.
Maximum life of lamps is 500 h.
6.2 Reflective Aluminum Cabinet or Shield, having one open
side. The shield shall be approximately 18 in. (460 mm) high
by 24 in. (600 mm) wide by 36 in. (900 mm) long, opened at
the top and lined on the inside with aluminum foil.
6.3 Aluminum Channels, for each compound to be tested,
three 6 in. (152 mm) long by 34 in. (19 mm) wide by 38 in. (9
mm) deep, inside dimensions.
6.4 Freezer Chest or Cold Box, at a controlled temperature
of 10 6 5F (23 6 3C).
6.5 Steel Spatula, with thin knife edge.
6.6 Masking Tape.
6.7 Methyl-Ethyl-Ketone, Ethylene Dichloride, or similar
solvent.

1. Scope
1.1 This test method provides an accelerated procedure for
predicting the effects of ultraviolet (UV) exposure and cold box
cycling on one-part, elastomeric, solvent-release sealing compounds, when used in channel glazing and sealing applications.
1.2 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded
as the standard. The values stated in parentheses are for
information only.
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the
safety problems, if any, associated with its use. It is the
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
2. Referenced Documents
2.1 ASTM Standards:
C 717 Terminology of Building Seals and Sealants2
3. Terminology
3.1 DefinitionsRefer to Terminology C 717 for definitions
of the following terms used in this test method: compound;
elastomeric; sealant; solvent-release sealant.

7. Sampling
7.1 Take the test specimens from a previously unopened
container as received from the sealant manufacturer.
8. Test Specimens
8.1 Prepare three test specimens for each compound to be
tested as follows:
8.1.1 Clean the aluminum channels with solvent, allow
them to dry, then seal the open ends of the channels with
masking tape.
8.1.2 Fill the channels with sealant, avoiding bubbles and
air pockets, and strike off level with the spatula.

4. Summary of Test Method

4.1 The test compound is carefully placed in aluminum
channels and all edges of the compound are struck clean. After
room temperature conditioning, specimens are subjected to ten
cycles of alternating exposure to UV at elevated temperature
and conditioning at low temperature after which they are
examined for deleterious effects.
5. Significance and Use
5.1 The accelerated aging test is not intended to predict the
exact number of years of service life, nor the exact type of
failures likely to be encountered when the compound under test
is in actual use. However, the effects of this cycling procedure
will assist in judging the probable quality and overall performance of the compound.

9. Conditioning
9.1 Condition the specimens for 48 h at 73.4 6 3.6F (23 6
2C) and 50 6 5 % relative humidity before testing.
10. Procedure
10.1 Mount the sun lamps side-by-side in the center of the
reflective shield. Adjust the height of the sun lamps so that the
temperature at the surface of the test channel will be 140 6 5F
(60 6 3C). Normally, the sun lamps should be approximately

1
This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee C-24 on
Building Seals and Sealants and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee C24.18
on Solvent Release Sealants.
Current edition approved May 15, 1993. Published July 1993. Originally
published as C 718 72. Last previous edition C 718 88.
2
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 04.07.

3
General Electric sun lamps, Model RS-1, have been found satisfactory for this
purpose.

Copyright ASTM, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.

C 718

FIG. 1 Edge Cracking

FIG. 2 Center Cracking

12 to 18 in. (300 to 460 mm) from the samples to accomplish

this.
10.2 Place the test channels directly under the sun lamps for
a period of 8 h. At the end of this time, remove them and
immediately place them in a freezer held at 10 6 5F (23 6
3C) for 16 h.
10.3 Repeat the exposure cycle specified in 10.2 ten times.
Allow the samples to remain in the freezer at 10 6 5F (23
6 3C) over each weekend or nonworking period.
10.4 At the conclusion of 10 cycles, condition the specimens at 73.4 6 3.6F (23 6 2C) and 50 6 5 % relative
humidity for 2 h.

10.5 Inspect the samples for cracking, adhesive failure, and

color change.
NOTE 1Additional cycles may be tested as specified.

11. Report
11.1 Using the photographic reference standards, Figs. 1-3
as guidelines, examine each channel and determine and report
an average rating for edge cracking, center cracking, and
adhesive failure. Ratings range from 0, no damage after
exposure, to 5, severe damage after exposure.
11.2 Note and report any color or shade change of the
sealant after exposure.
2

C 718

FIG. 3 Adhesion
TABLE 1 Precision and Bias Data for Edge Cracking

Material

Average

Estimated
Standard
Deviation
Within
Laboratory

G1
G2
G3

0.000
0.600
0.161

0.000
0.000
0.374

TABLE 2 Precision and Bias Data for Center Cracking

Material

Average

Estimated
Standard
Deviation
Within
Laboratory

G1
G2
G3

0.001
0.001
0.321

0.000
0.000
0.400

Estimated
Standard
Deviation
Between
Laboratories

Repeatability
Interval

Reproducibility

0.000
0.000
0.800

0.000
0.000
1.132

0.000
0.000
2.264

Estimated
Standard
Deviation
Between
Laboratories

Repeatability
Interval

Reproducibility

0.000
0.547
0.490

0.000
0.000
1.060

0.000
1.550
1.386

12.1.1 Edge CrackingAt 95 % confidence level a variation in rating from the photographic reference of as much as
1.06 can be expected within a laboratory and 1.55 between
laboratories. This is based on three materials being tested by
five laboratories.
12.1.2 Center CrackingAt 95 % confidence level a variation in rating from the photographic reference of as much as
1.13 can be expected within a laboratory and 2.26 between
laboratories. This is based on three materials being tested by
five laboratories.
12.1.3 Adhesive FailureNo statement can be made on the
Repeatability and Reproducibility of the procedure in this test
method for measuring adhesive failure because all five testing
laboratories had the same results, zero, for all samples tested.

12. Precision and Bias 4

12.1 The precision and bias calculations for this test method
are based on the results of five laboratories testing three
materials using five specimens per test. The results for edge
cracking and center cracking are given in Tables 1 and 2,
respectively.

13. Keywords
13.1 elastomeric; sealant; solvent-release; ultraviolet

4
Supporting data are available from ASTM Headquarters. Request RR: C241022.

C 718
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