Comparison of standard UV test methods for the ageing of cables

Keld Veno Poulsen

James Robinson
Borealis Polymers NV, Belgium

NKT, Denmark

Asa Linder

Herpich Burkhard
Prysmian, Germany

Borealis AB, Sweden

Pr-Anders Hgstrm
Ericsson, Sweden

Marc Kobilsek
Draka, Netherlands

Alfred Gemmel
Nexans, Germany

cracking. In most cases, there is a synergistic effect of the

different weathering factors in degradation of materials.

Abstract
During service most materials and products are exposed to
environmental factors that can cause degradation. Weathering is
the term used to describe the adverse response of a material or
product to climatic conditions, often causing unwanted reactions,
deterioration of properties and premature product failure. The
three main factors contributing to weathering are solar radiation
(light energy), temperature and water (moisture). In the case of
polymeric materials the effect of solar radiation, especially the
ultra-violet (UV) part of the spectrum containing the highest
energies, is the main concern when discussing material durability.

Degradation of polymeric materials by exposure to solar radiation

or light is referred to as photo-oxidation. It is a free-radical
process, progressing even at low temperatures by the combined
action of light and oxygen. Thermal oxidation is always
superimposed on photo-oxidation.
Normally for coloured materials, combinations of UV absorbers
and light stabilizers are used to achieve a measure of protection1.
The first group of substances includes UV screeners and UV
absorbers; the second mainly constitutes hindered amine light
stabilizers (HALS)2. UV absorbers are typically compounds
containing aromatic rings, e.g. benzophenones, that absorbs light
energy and dissipate as heat, while UV screeners are fillers (TiO2
or CaCO3) or certain pigments that reflect light away from the
material surface. If no inorganic compounds are used in the
material, a combination of hindered amine light stabilizers and
UV absorbers are generally necessary to achieve an adequate
protection. Light stabilizers prevent photo-oxidation. These
systems can principally function in two ways; reduce or prevent
absorption of light (mainly UV) in the material by chromophores,
or decompose the hydroperoxides resulting from oxidation and act
as radical scavengers. Such stabilizer combinations need to be
optimized to balance benefits and disadvantages to meet all
requirements in the final application. The main disadvantage of
these systems is that the stabilization effect decreases during the
life-time of the product, as the light stabilizers are continuously
consumed.

A round robin evaluation comparing the resistance to accelerated

UV ageing of common cable sheathing materials including
LLDPE, TPU and EPR is reported. The project was initiated by
CENELEC TC46X-TC86A/JWG2. Six laboratories participated
in tests to cover the principal standard test methods and exposure
conditions used by the European cable industry. Our paper
reviews the results of this project and further addresses the
advantages and disadvantages of various methods in the context
of real outdoor exposure.
Sheath; Ultra-Violet;
Fluorescent; Mercury lamp; MICE;

Keywords:

UV;

Ageing;

Xenon;

1. Introduction
The sheath is an essential part of a cable, functioning as the
outermost protection of the core to ensure reliability during the
entire service life. The choice of cable sheathing material depends
on the cable design but also the installation environment. UV
degradation encountered in an office (indoor) environment will be
vastly different from the combined UV and weather exposure of
an outdoor installation. The evaluation of the resistance to
weathering of materials can be done by direct weathering
outdoors, but for most purposes it is more practical in economical
and time consumption terms to assess material performance by
exposure to artificial light sources that accelerate the degradation.
The most suitable method of laboratory weathering for any
specific application and end-use environment will depend on
several factors, including the selection of light source but also
irradiance levels, additional exposure conditions as well as
degradation assessment criteria.

The use of carbon black as an UV light stabilizer is the standard in

polyolefin sheathing for communication and power cables. The
loading level in sheathing compounds for communication cables
is 2.5% by weight of carbon black with a maximum average
particle size for prime particles of 20 nm assessed by absorption
coefficient (USA) or slide dispersion tests (Europe). Those
requirements have been shown to provide cables with sufficient
stabilization and protection for at least 27 years exposure to
outdoor environments3. For these materials it is inappropriate to
use accelerated artificial ageing due to the extended time to
failure. The major advantage of carbon black is that the light
stabilization effect does not decrease with time.

The temperature of materials exposed to light influences the

degradation as both photochemical reactions and secondary
degradation reactions are accelerated at higher temperatures.
Absorption and desorption of moisture in the material can also
introduce tensile and compression stresses, e.g. leading to stress

International Wire & Cable Symposium

2. Artificial weathering
Evaluation of the resistance to weathering of materials can be
done by direct weathering outdoors, i.e. exposure to natural
sunlight and other environmental factors. For most purposes it is
more practical (economical, less time-consuming) to assess

329

Proceedings of the 60th IWCS Conference

material performance by exposure to artificial light sources that

accelerate degradation. The most common light sources are long
arc xenon lamps (with different filter systems) and UV/fluorescent
lamps; less common light sources are mercury vapour and carbon
arc lamps. The characteristic wavelengths of these light sources

and instruments using them are summarized in Table 1; some

comments on correlation to solar radiation spectrum and practical
details are also included, as well as reference to common
standards for plastic materials and cables. Definitions are
summarized Table 2.

Table 1. Principal light sources used by W&C industry for accelerated weathering.
Type

Wavelength

Instrument

Filters

Moisture option

Standards

Comments1)

Fluorescent
UV lamp

UVB-313: 275380 nm
UVA-340: 295400 nm
UVA-351: 310400 nm

QUV (Q-Panel),
UV2000 (Atlas)

No
Standard spectra
from lamps used

Condensation; water
spray possible

ISO 4892-3;
HD 605

Only UV. Significant

acceleration, but
especially UVB has low
correlation with natural
sunlight. UVA-340 gives
good simulation of
daylight in 300-340 nm
range while UVA-351
simulates sunlight behind
glass.

Xenon arc

270-800 nm
(close match for
sunlight)

Weather-Ometer,
Xenotest (Atlas)2)
Q-Sun (Q-Panel)

Yes
Combinations of
quartz and
borosilicate, for
cut-off <290
(daylight) or <300
nm (window)

Water spray; relative

humidity controlled

ISO 4892-2;
HD 605;
NF C 20-540;
UL 1581;
DIN 533873)

UV/VIS. Most common

method; good correlation
with natural sunlight.
Irradiance typically 0.21.7 W/(m2*nm) at 340
nm.
Equipment expensive to
purchase and maintain

Mercury
vapour

200-400 nm; main

peaks at 254, 313
and 366 nm

SEPAP 12/24
(MPC/Omya)

Yes
Wavelengths <290
nm are cut off

No

NF C 32-062-2

Mainly UV light. 4 x 400

W mercury arc lamps.
Some concerns regarding
stability of lamps.

300-800 nm;
Intense bands at
358 and 386 nm

Weather-Ometer
(Atlas)

Yes

Water spray; RH

UL 1581;
ISO 4892-4

UV/VIS, but too high UV

compared to sunlight.
Not frequently used.

Carbon arc4)

SEPAP 12/24H
(MPC/Omya)

Yes

1)
Irradiance is controlled either on narrow-band (e.g. 340, 420 nm), broad-band (e.g. 300-400 nm) or wide-band (e.g. 300-800 nm); in ISO 4892 typical
irradiance levels (300-400 nm) of 45 W/m2 for fluorescent UV instruments and 50-60 W/m2 for xenon arc instruments are cited.
2)
Xenon arc instrument without moisture option are available, e.g. Suntest (Atlas). Such instruments do not conform to standards like ISO 4892-2.
3)
Discontinued in favour of ISO 4892.
4)
Not part of current test programme

radiation is given in Table 3 and may be compared with

accelerated ageing spectra56.

Table 2. Definition of terms related to solar and artificial

Term

Definition

Unit

Irradiance

Radiant flux incident on a

surface per unit area

W/m2

Spectral Irradiance

Irradiance as a function of wavelength

W/(m2
nm)

Radiant Exposure,
E

Time integral of irradiance

J/m2

Spectral Radiant
Exposure

Radiant exposure as a function of

wavelength

J/(m2n
m)

The most suitable choice of light source for laboratory weathering

depends on many factors, e.g. intended application and end-use
environment. The criteria for assessment of degradation are also
important. Generally, the closer to actual solar radiation in
wavelengths and intensities an artificial method is, the lower is the
acceleration effect. Thus a xenon arc light source having the
closest correlation to natural sunlight has a less accelerating effect
than pure UV/fluorescent lamps. The IEC7 criteria would make
long-arc xenon lamps the only viable light source option since
spectral irradiance in the entire wavelength interval 280-3000 nm
is specified, with total irradiance 1120 W/m2. Increasing the
irradiance to obtain an accelerated effect causes changes to the
temperature, humidity etc. It is found that the individual reactions
which occur under normal exposure condition are not increased to
the same extent or abnormal reactions are produced. To
summarize, closer correspondence to realistic exposure conditions
will require longer testing times.

Spectral distribution from solar radiation

The global solar spectral irradiance at the surface of the earth is
influenced by the solar constant E0 (irradiance at the mean earthsun distance outside the earths atmosphere) and the attenuation
and scattering in the atmosphere. The CIE4 give a value of 1120
W/m2 at the surface of the earth with the sun at zenith; value
based on E0 = 1.35 W/m2. The spectral distribution of this

International Wire & Cable Symposium

330

Proceedings of the 60th IWCS Conference

Table 4. Materials.

Table 3. Detailed spectral distribution of global

radiation.
Spectral
Range

Wavelength
nm

Irradiance
W/m2

Irradiance
%

UV-B

280-320

0.4

UV-A

320-360
360-400

27
36

2.4
3.2

Visible

IR

Total

Material

Colour

Stabiliser
Thermal

UV

LLDPE Nat + UV

Natural

Yes

Yes

LLDPE Red + UV

Red

Yes

Yes

LLDPE Red

Red

Yes

No

TPV (EPDM PP)

Natural

Yes

No

TPV (EPDM PP)

Black

Yes

No

TPC-ET

Natural

Yes

No

TPC-ET

Black

Yes

No

400-440
440-480
480-520

56
73
71

5.0
6.5
6.4

520-560
560-640

65
121

5.8
10.8

640-680
680-720
720-780

55
52
67

4.9
4.6
6.0

TPU ARET

Natural

Yes

No

TPU ARET

Black

Yes

No

780-1000
1000-1200
1200-1800
1800-3000

176
108
138
70

15.7
9.7
12.3
6.3

CM

Red

Yes

No

EPR

Blue

Yes

No

CM

Black (2%)

Yes

No

280-3000

1120

100

Table 5. Test programme.

Fluorescent UV lamps have similar characteristics as those used
for residential and industrial lighting purposes and have nearly all
of their radiation in the UV portion of the spectrum (below 400
nm). UV lamps are certainly suitable for assessing properties of
materials for indoor applications. For outdoor applications the
short wavelengths of UV radiation will accelerate reactions in the
polymer matrix of the material, resulting in changes in molecular
weight, oxidation, mechanical failure etc. The radiation is
deficient in the red and infra-red portions of the spectrum.

Phase

Lamp

Irradianc
e W/m

Water

Irradianc
e W/m

Water

43 & 60

None

22 & 43

None &
Spray

UVA

34 & 41

Condens
ation

41

Condens
ation

UVB

27 & 28

Condens
ation

28

Condens
ation

90

None

90

None

Xenon
Fluoresc
ent

It is noted8 that mercury vapour lamps are generally unacceptable

as a simulated solar source due to their strong spectral lines. The
radiation is also deficient in the red and infra-red portions of the
spectrum.

Mercury
Lamp

The evolution of mechanical properties, such as tensile strength

and elongation, is commonly used for assessing weathering of
cable materials (e.g. in UL 1581 and HD 605). Colour changes of
the material are, however, only partly related to changes in the
polymer matrix. Colour change can also be the result of changes
in the pigments used. As pigments absorb light both from the UV
and visible part of the spectrum, it is often necessary to simulate
the full solar radiation spectrum to evaluate performance.

Table 6. Cycle description.

Reference
Xe-I

3. Experimental
The round robin involved twelve commonly used cable sheathing
materials (Table 4). The accelerate UV ageing programme
involved three types of equipment operated in different modes.
The initial programme was limited to the three LLDPE samples.
Additional tests on the LLDPE samples plus the other materials
were tested in a second phase of experiments.
IEC 60068-2-5 specifies three procedures with 24h cycles using
different ratios of irradiation to dark periods (8/16, 20/4 and 24/0,
respectively); the choice of procedure depending on whether main
interest is in thermal, degradation or only photochemical effects.
For comparison, methods and requirements specified in some
typical standards relevant for cable materials are shown. In the

International Wire & Cable Symposium

331

Description
2h cycle includes 102 min UV at 60C + 18 min no
UV at 55C

Xe-II

7d (168h) cycle includes 122 h UV at 60C + 46 h no

UV w moisture at 55C

Xe-III

2h cycle includes 102 min UV at 60C + 18 min no

UV w moisture at 50C

UV-I

12h cycle includes 8h UV at 60C + 4h no UV

(condensation)

UV-II

12h cycle includes 10h UV at 60C + 2h no UV

(condensation)

UV-III

24h cycle includes 20h UV at 60C + 4h no UV at

55C (condensation))

Hg-I

No cycle. Mercury lamps emit discrete radiation at

290, 313, 365, 405, 436, 547 and 579 nm.

Proceedings of the 60th IWCS Conference

case of communication cables, ISO 4892 is an often referred to

standard for exposure of plastic materials to light.
-

black containing TPU & TPV pass the criteria with all other
samples failing.

ISO 4892-2 Plastics: Methods of exposure to laboratory

light sources; Part 2: Xenon-arc sources. Specifies a 2h
cycle, with 102 min light + 18 min dark/water spray.
Irradiance level of 550 W/m2 in the 290-800 nm interval is
selected as reference. UV radiation distributions for artificial
weathering (method A) and simulated exposure to sunlight
behind window glass (method B) are recommended.
Determination of changes in properties after exposure
determined as specified in ISO 4582.

HD 605 Electrical cables: UV exposure according to ISO

4892-2/3 (xenon arc or fluorescent UV) and requirement on
change in elongation < 30% after 500 h.

UL1581 specifies xenon arc with similar exposure criteria as

ISO 4892-2. Changes in tensile strength and elongation
should be <15% after 300 h, and <20% after 720 h.

Table 10. Pass/Fail criteria.

The current programme followed EN50289-4-17 which is based

on ISO 4892. After ageing the tensile properties of the specimens
were determined. Changes in colour were not considered.

Material

Xenon

QUVA

QUVB

Hg
Lamp

EN50289-417

>720h

>720h

>720h

>1000h

LLDPE (no
UV stab)

720-1500h
(132275MJ/m)

<720h
(73MJ/m)

504-1008h
(3366MJ/m)

<350h

LLDPE (no
UV stab)1

<504h(29M
J/m)

na

na

na

EPR Blue

<720h(95M
J/m)

na

<24h(2MJ/
m)

<1000h

TPV
Natural, TPC
Natural
&
Black, TPU
Natural.

<720h(95M
J/m)

<846h(106
MJ/m)

<24h(2MJ/
m)

<350h

1)

With water spray.

4. Results
The effect of the various UV tests on the mechanical properties of
LLDPE is shown (Table 7). It is clear that the reduction in
elongation is the most interesting criteria and that all four methods
succeed in degrading the material containing no UV stabiliser.
However at 720h Xenon test duration the LLDPE containing no UV
stabiliser retains its mechanical properties. At 720h in the UVA & B
the properties are degraded. The Xenon and UVB give very similar
results. At 350h in the HG lamp the sample containing no UV
stabiliser is degraded. The evaluation of the LLDPE continued in
Phase 2 with reduced irradiance and the effect of water spray. It is
clear that the water spray has a significant impact.

One of the targets of the work is to see if there is any correlation

between the methods. The approach taken is to attempt to define
by inspection, limits which would give the same pass/fail result
for each method. As a rough approximation referenced to the
Xenon, for LLDPE the QUVA test is more severe, the QUVB has
similar severity to the Xenon and under the Hg lamp the duration
was reduced by <50%. For EPR the Xenon and Hg lamp need the
same order of magnitude and for the QUVB just 2% of the Xenon
duration. The consistency of results across the three test methods
is remarkable. For TPU/C the Hg Lamp needs 50% of the Xenon
duration, the QUVA is similar to the Xenon and the QUVB again
just 2% of the Xenon duration.

Results for the 6 TPU & TPC samples are shown (Table 8). In
spite of the vastly different exposure times and irradiance levels,
the deterioration in the tensile strength for the five methods is
rather similar. Results for the deterioration in elongation are less
consistent. Results for the 3 EPR/CM samples are shown (Table
9). In spite of the vastly different exposure times and irradiance
levels, the deterioration in the elongation for the three materials is
rather similar. The Xenon results are less consistent with the 43
W/m irradiance giving more degradation than the 60W/m.

ISO/IEC_JTC1_SC25 has defined performance level for a number

of mechanical, ingress, climatic and electromagnetic (MICE)
parameters including UV ageing. These parameters are to be
applied to cables. Three classes are identified (1-3), where class 3
represents the most demanding requirement. In MICE tables9
summarizing details of environmental class, the following values
relating to weathering/UV resistance of materials are defined:

5. Discussion

Table 6. Excerpt from MICE table.

Applying a sanity check to the overall results one can see a

number of anticipated characteristics. Samples deteriorate with
increasing exposure time and the sample without UV stabiliser
give inferior performance. Incorporating a rain exposure into the
Xenon tests gives a greater severity. For all three tests the duration
rather than the irradiance appears more significant. It is noted that
the Hg lamp is characterised by strong spectral lines several
orders of magnitude higher than that applied in the other tests and
as a result direct comparison of radiant exposure with the other
tests is difficult.

M1

M3
2

700W/m

1120 W/m

1120 W/m

UV exposure

500 hours

3 000 hours

6 000 hours

The value for irradiance of 1120 W/m corresponds to full

spectrum (Table 3). The value 700W/m is not specifically
mentioned in reference IEC 60068-2-5 but presumably
corresponds to the UV and visible spectrum. In a report10
concerning the development of a blank detail specifications in
support of ISO/IEC 24702, the source of solar radiation levels is
described as follows:

Pass/Fail criteria are given in EN50289-4-17 and the current

results are assessed on this basis. It is seen that the LLDPE sample
having no UV stabiliser passes the Xenon and QUVB criteria but
fails for QUVA and the Hg lamp. With water spray applied the
LLDPE fails the criteria. For EPR all samples fail the criteria. The

International Wire & Cable Symposium

M2
2

Solar radiation
(wavelength ffs)

332

Proceedings of the 60th IWCS Conference

The three climatic environments of the MICE concept use two

limits (700W/m2 or 1120 W/m2). These values are taken from IEC
60068-2-5 which defines a power spectrum across a wavelength
range. Solar radiation may influence both mechanical and
cosmetic (colour change) properties. We look forward to
receiving your input for pass/fail criteria.

2)

Some measurement units and conversion factors are shown

(Table 11)11. The unit Langley is sometimes used to measure
radiant exposure when subjecting materials to natural weathering,
and corresponds to 1 gram-calorie per square centimetre of
irradiated surface. As the term implies all wavelengths of the solar
spectrum, it cannot be directly related to artificial light sources.

3)
4)

Table 11. Measurement units and conversion.

1 kilo-Langley (1 kLy)

5)

41.84 MJ/m2

6)

Xenon Lamp :
E = 0.35 W/m2 nm ( = 340 nm) ;E = 30 W/m2 ( = 300 - 385 nm)
1 h WOM (30 W/m2 x 3600 s)

0.108 MJ/m2

1 year WOM

946 MJ/m2

1 year Basel (global = 295 - 3000

nm)

4200 MJ/m2 = 100 kLy

1 year Florida (global = 295 3000 nm)

6000 MJ/m2 = 144 kLy

1 year Basel
(UV irradiation = 295 - 385 nm)

165 MJ/m2

1 year Florida
(UV irradiation = 295 - 385 nm)

285 MJ/m2

7)
8)

9)

The fluorescent UVA lamp corresponds to the shorter

wavelength (i.e. more damaging) part of the spectrum. The
absence of longer wavelengths may make this equipment
inappropriate for the assessment of colour fading. Due to
shorter wavelengths the UVB lamp has poor correlation to
natural sunlight. Fluorescent equipment is less costly than
the xenon test apparatus.
The Hg lamp has poor correlation to natural sunlight. The
equipment is cost effective.
In general, two wet methods (Xenon and UVA) gave
approximately the same deterioration in mechanical
properties when tested according to the EN50289-4-17
specified test duration. The Hg lamp requirement of 1000h
appears excessive compared to Xenon criteria.
For some materials (but not all!) the UVB lamp gave
equivalent results after much shorter exposure times.
The MICE standards specify a limited UV performance
requirement. Most commercial products on the market will
satisfy MICE 3 requirements (6 years in central Europe).
The utility for an intermediate MICE 2 performance level
needs to be confirmed. The MICE 2 & 3 requirements
should encompass total weathering, e.g. including water
spray.
MICE 1 corresponds to the U/V degradation encountered in
an office (indoor) environment. Further work is needed to
better understand this requirement.
Cables sheathed with polymers containing at least 2.5%
carbon black with a high dispersion level (as specified in
EN 50290-2-24, Annex B or Telcordia, GR-20 (AbsC > 400
-/mm)) should be deemed to satisfy MICE 1, 2 & 3.
Industry needs to confirm the level of UV performance to be
offered in coloured cable products.

Example 1:
Assuming that the UV part of the spectrum is the most important
part of light for degradation of a polymeric material, the relation
between natural weathering in Florida and laboratory weathering
in a Weather-Ometer (WOM) can be estimated. The UV radiant
exposure per year in Florida is 285 MJ/m2. The same level is
obtained after approximately 3.7 months in WOM (2640 h or 110
days). The radiant exposure in Florida is comparable to the level
in south of Spain. As seen in previous section, most cable
standards specify significantly shorter exposure times than 3
months (EN50289-4-17: - 720h (30days) equivalent 3months
Florida).

7. Acknowledgments
The programme of work contained in this paper was conceived and
initiated by Chantal Favrie and Alessandro Ginocchio. Their
contribution is gratefully acknowledged.

8. References
[1] Gugumus F,
[2]
[3]

Example 2:
The criteria for MICE, level 2 are 1120 W/m2 of irradiance (2803000nm) for a period of 3000 hours. The resulting radiant
exposure is 12100 MJ/m2, corresponding to approximately 3 years
exposure in Basel - or 2 years in Florida. It is, however, also very
important to specify not only the total irradiance but also the
spectral distribution and tolerance levels. As shown in Table 3, the
UV part of the spectrum only constitutes 6% of the total
irradiance in natural sunlight. If only the total irradiance 1120
W/m2 were specified, this could mean that the spectrum is devoid
of UV. The degradation reactions of an exposed material could
then be completely different or even absent.

[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10]
[11]

6. Conclusions
1)

The xenon arc lamp corresponds most closely to natural

light but gives the least acceleration. The instruments are
costly to purchase and maintain.

International Wire & Cable Symposium

333

Polymer Degradation and Stability,

Volume 40, Issue 2, 1993,
Gugumus F; In Plastics Additives Handbook, 5th ed.;
Zweifel, H., Ed.; Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich; 2001.
Robinson JE et al, Strategies for the Incorporation of
Carbon Black into Cable Sheaths to Ensure Adequate
Weathering. Proceedings IWCS, Charlotte (NC),
2009.
CIE Publication No. 20, 1972.
http://pvcdrom.pveducation.org/SUNLIGHT/SPECIR
R.HTM
Atlas manual.
IEC 60068-2-5 Part 2: Tests - Test Sa: Simulated solar
radiation at ground level.
IEC 60068-2-9 Environmental testing, Part 2: Tests Guidance for solar radiation testing.
JTC1_SC25_WG3_IPTG_MICE-Tabelle_Normen.
ISO/IEC_JTC1_SC25_WG3_N732 (14.01.05).
Data supplied by Ciba Specialty Chemicals Inc.

Proceedings of the 60th IWCS Conference

Table 7. UV ageing LLDPE.

UV source

Xenon

Xenon

1st round

UV exposure details

UV A

2nd round

UV B

1st round

Hg

1st round

1st round

Wavelength for intensity control, nm

340

340

340

340

340

340

340

340

340

340

340

313

313

313

Spectral irradiance, W/m2nm

0,35

0,5

0,5

0,5

0,17

0,35

0,17

0,68

0,82

0,82

0,82

0,68

0,71

0,68

Irradiance (UV) W/m

290-600

43

60

60

60

22

43

22

34

41

41

41

27,2

28,4

27,2

90

90

Cycle description

Xe-I

Xe-I

Xe-I

Xe-I

Xe-II

Xe-III

Xe-II

UV-II

UV-III

UV-III

UV-III

UV-I

UV-II

UV-I

Hg-I

Hg-I

Number of cycles

360

360

750

1250

360

60

30

100

150

42

60

84

Moisture

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Total ageing time, h

720

720

1500

2500

504

720

1008

720

720

2400

3600

504

720

1008

350

350

Total UV exposure time, h

612

612

1275

2125

366

612

732

600

600

2000

3000

336

600

672

350

350

771

1102

2295

3825

224

771

448

1469

1771

5904

8856

823

1534

1645

95

132

275

459

29

95

58

73

89

295

443

33

61

66
113

113

2,1

Radiant exposure,
wavelength

kJ/m2nm

control

Radiant exposure, MJ/m2 (UV)

Radiant exposure, MJ/m2 (290-600 nm, discrete
lines)
Tensile testing details
Sample thickness, mm

2,1

2,1

2,1

2,2

2,1

2,2

Test speed, mm/min

250

50

50

50

250

250

25

25

25

250

250

250

25

Results
Tensile strength variation, %
LLDPE Nat stabilised

-2

-3

-10

-6

-39

-14

-13

-29

-32

-10

-21

-27

-5

-5

LLDPE Red

-5

-14

-71

-78

-43

-8

-50

-38

-54

-54

-10

-5

-39

-30

-45

LLDPE Red + stabilised

-1

11

-8

-1

-23

-1

-2

-12

-18

-9

-3

-11

-10

EAB variation, %
LLDPE Nat stabilised

12

-14

-33

-8

-18

-20

-2

-20

LLDPE Red

-12

-89

-92

-37

-89

-90

-92

-84

-93

-94

-3

-89

-35

-48

-39

LLDPE Red + stabilised

11

11

14

-12

-23

-2

-9

-11

International Wire & Cable Symposium

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Proceedings of the 60th IWCS Conference

Table 8. UV ageing of TPU.

UV source

Xenon

UV A

UV B

Hg

UV exposure details
Wavelength for intensity control, nm

300-400

300-400

300-400

340

313

0,35

0,35

0,35

0,82

0,71

Spectral irradiance, W/m2nm

290-600

290-600

Irradiance, W/m2

43

43

43

41

28,4

90

90

Cycle description

Xe-I

Xe-I

Xe-III

UV-III

UV-II

Hg-I

Hg-I

Number of cycles

360

360

360

36

Total ageing time, h

720

720

720

864

24

350

1000

Total UV exposure time, h

612

612

612

720

20

350

1000

Radiant exposure, kJ/m nm @ control

wavelength

771,12

771

771

2125

51

Radiant exposure, kJ/m2 (300-400 nm)

94737,6

94738

94738

106272

2045

881280

881280

881280
113400

324000

Radiant exposure, kJ/m (300-800 nm)

Radiant exposure, kJ/m2 (290-600 nm,
discrete)
Tensile testing details
Test speed, mm/min

250

250

250

250

250

250

250

TPV (EPDM PP) Natural

-90

-79

-100

-85

-73

-81

-100

TPV (EPDM PP) Black

-23

-20

-20

-24

-27

-31

-34

TPC-ET Natural, Shore

-100

-100

-100

-100

-100

-100

-100

TPC-ET Black, Shore

-94

-91

-84

-81

-41

-71

-89

TPU ARET Natural

-84

-81

-87

-85

-49

-62

-81

TPU ARET Black

-15

-17

-13

-17

-14

-20

-28

TPV (EPDM PP) Natural, Shore

-99

-98

-100

-48

-83

-99

-100

TPV (EPDM PP) Black, Shore

-13

-18

-16

-18

-17

-17

-30

TPC-ET Natural, Shore

-100

-100

-100

-100

-100

-100

-100

TPC-ET Black, Shore

-99

-98

-69

-45

-21

-44

-83

TPU ARET Natural

-34

-31

-44

-96

-5

-9

-53

-2

-1

-4

-9

Results
Tensile strength variation, %

EAB variation, %

TPU ARET Black

International Wire & Cable Symposium

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Proceedings of the 60th IWCS Conference

Table 9. UV ageing of CM/EPR.

UV source

Xenon

UV B

Hg

290-600

UV exposure details
Wavelength for intensity control, nm

300-400

300-400

300-400

300-400

300-400

313
0,71

Spectral irradiance, W/m2nm

0,51

0,51

0,51

0,35

0,35

Irradiance, W/m2

60

60

60

43

43

28,4

90

Cycle description

Xe-I

Xe-I

Xe-I

Xe-I

Xe-I

UV-II

Hg-I

Number of cycles

120

240

360

360

360

Total ageing time, h

240

480

720

720

720

24

1000

204

408

612

612

612

20

1000

Radiant exposure, kJ/m nm @ control wavelength

375

749

1124

771

771

51

Radiant exposure, MJ/m2 (300-400 nm)

44

88

132

95

95

324

428

856

1284

881

881

29

1440

Total UV exposure time, h

2

Radiant exposure, MJ/m (300-800 nm)

Radiant exposure, MJ/m2 (290-600 nm, discrete)

324

Tensile testing details

Test speed, mm/min

250

250

250

250

Results
Tensile strength variation, %
CM Red

-38

-30

-24

-32

EPR Blue

-63

-64

-62

-69

-62

-73

-56

CM Black

-3

-22

-16

-12

CM Red

-15

-19

-29

-35

-44

-26

-33

EPR Blue

-35

-35

-51

-79

-76

-81

-77

CM Black

-5

-10

-21

-20

-35

-28

-26

EAB variation, %

participated in the UV resistance round robin initiated by

CENELEC TC46X-TC86A/JWG2.

JamesRobinson
James Robinson has been involved for
more than 25 years in the development,
manufacture and technical service of
polyolefin products for wire and cable
applications. His current post is Senior
Technical Service Engineer within the
Borealis Wire and Cable business.

Email: marc.kobilsek@draka.com

AsaLinder
Asa Linder joined Borealis in 2003. She
has a Ph D degree in Materials Science
from
Chalmers
University
of
Technology. Her current position is
Product Engineer / Technology Leader
within the Borealis Wire and Cable
business.

Email: james.robinson@borealisgroup.com

MarcKobilsek
Marc Kobilsek has been involved for
20 years in the development and
standardization of low voltage cables.
His current post is Senior Product
Development
Engineer
at
Kabelbedrijven Draka Nederland B.V.,
within the Prysmian Group. He has

International Wire & Cable Symposium

Email: asa.linder@borealisgroup.com

336

Proceedings of the 60th IWCS Conference

BurkhardHerpich

Christof Dinkelmeyer

Burkhard Herpich has been involved for

20 years in the rubber field in the
development and testing of special low
and medium voltage cables. His current
position is Head of Materials and
Technology Group for Special Cables at
Prysmian Kabel & Systeme GmbH. in
Germany, within the Prysmian Group.

Christof Dinkelmeyer has been

involved for more than 20 years in
the development of thermoplastic
materials and in standardization for
low voltage cables. His current post
is Senior Engineer at Nexans in the
Material Research Center in
Germany.

He has participated in the UV resistance round robin initiated by

CENELEC TC46X-TC86A/JWG2.

Email: Christof.Dinkelmeyer@nexans.com

Email: burkhard.herpich@prysmian.com

PrAndersHgstrm

KeldVenoPoulsen

Pr Anders Hgstrm received his

diploma
in
Organic
Analytic
Chemistry in 1991 at the Sundsvall
Mid University.

Keld Veno Poulsen has been active

within the wire and cable industry for
more than 27 years the last 20 as
Laoratory Manager at nkt cabbles a/s,
Denmark

In 1998 he obtained a Lic.Eng. at the

Royal Institute of Technology in
Stockholm. He joined the material
development department

He is active in standardization work

covering low voltage cables in IEC
and CENELEC

At Ericsson Network Technologies in 1998. He is now a specialist

in flame retardant technologies.

Email: keld.veno-poulsen@nktcables.dk

Email: par-anders.hogstrom@ericsson.com

International Wire & Cable Symposium

337

Proceedings of the 60th IWCS Conference