AATCC 169-2003 Weather Resistance of Textiles: Xenon Lamp Exposure

AATCC 169-2003 Weather Resistance of Textiles: Xenon Lamp Exposure. 4. Safety Precautions NOTE: These safety precautions are for information purposes only. The precautions are ancillary to the testing proce- dures and are not intended to be all inclu- sive. It is the user s responsibility to use safe and proper techniques in handling materials in this test method. Manufacturers MUST be consulted for specific details such as safety data sheets and other manufacturer’ s recommendations. All OSHA standards and rules must also be consulted and followed. 4.1 Do not operate the test equipment until the manufacturer’s operating in- structions have been read and under- stood. It is the responsibility of whoever operates the test equipment to conform to the manufacturer’s directions for safe operation. 4.2 The test equipment contains high intensity lamps. The door of the test ma- chine must be kept closed whenever it is running. 4.3 Before servicing xenon lamps, allow time for cool down after test machine is shut down. 4.4 When servicing the test machine, shut off both the off swith and, if applcable, unplug the machine from the wall eletrical socket. Insure that the main power indicator light on the machine front panel goes out. 5. Uses and Limitations 5.1 Results obtained by this test method should not be considered equivalent to those results obtained by weathering in an outdoor environment unless a mathematical correlation for a given ma- terial has been established and agreed upon by the contractual parties. Outdoor environments vary with respect to season, geography and topography and, as a consequence, the effects of outdoor expo- sure will vary accordingly. Not all materials are affected equally by the same environment. The instruments for deter- mining weather resistance described in this test method are considered satisfac- tory, since they have been used extensively in the trade for aceptance testing of textile materials. The decision as to which machine type to use should be agreed upon by the purchaser and sup- plier based on their historical data and experience. There may be distinct difference in spectral distribution, water spray application, air and humidity sensor loca- tion, and test chamber size between weathering test machines supplied by different manufacturers that can result in differences in reported test results (see 16.1-16.8). Consequently, data obtained from machines supplied by different manufacturers and different size test chambers and xenon lamps cannot be used interchangeably unless a mathemati- cal...