Automotive Ageing Test — ISO 188 / SAE J2020 / ISO 4892

What Is Aging?

The ageing test applies, in an accelerated manner, the effects of heat, light, humidity and oxygen that a material or component will encounter over long-term use. The purpose is to predict the material's lifetime performance by observing, within weeks, degradation that would otherwise take years.

Purpose of Aging

The purpose is to assess whether the material retains acceptable performance over the vehicle's lifetime, by measuring the change in mechanical, visual and functional properties after ageing.

Which Products Is Aging Applied To?

Plastic and rubber interior/exterior parts
Cable insulation and protective materials
Gaskets and sealing elements
Painted and coated surfaces
Adhesive bonds

In Which Sectors Is Aging Used?

AutomotivePlastics & RubberTextilesChemistry

Standards Related to Aging

ISO 188
ISO 4892-2
ISO 4892-3
SAE J2020
SAE J1960
ISO 16750-4Environmental conditions in vehicle electrical/electronic equipment test
PV 1200
PV 3929

Aging Conditions

Thermal ageing: Temperature and duration are determined per the specification, chosen according to the material's service temperature
Light ageing: Xenon arc or UV fluorescent; irradiance, wavelength and cycle profile per the standard
Cyclic ageing: A combination of temperature, humidity and light; OEM cycles such as PV 1200

Equipment for Aging

Hot-air circulating ageing oven
Xenon-arc weathering apparatus
UV fluorescent weathering apparatus
Climatic chamber (temperature–humidity cycling)
Mechanical test machines (for post-ageing measurement)
Colour and gloss measurement instruments

Sample Requirements for Aging

Reference (unaged) specimens must be set aside before ageing
Specimens to be aged must be from the same batch
If a mechanical property is to be measured, standard specimen geometry must be prepared
The number of specimens increases according to the ageing stages and the number of measurements

Duration of Aging

Thermal ageing takes days to weeks; light and cyclic ageing vary from weeks to months, depending on the total exposure duration in the specification.

Aging Procedure

1The initial properties of the reference specimens are measured.
2Specimens to be aged are placed in the chamber.
3The condition and duration defined in the specification are applied.
4If specimens are to be taken at interim stages, they are removed at the planned times.
5Specimens are conditioned after ageing.
6Mechanical, visual and functional properties are remeasured.
7The percentage change is calculated by comparison with the reference.

Aging Acceptance Criteria

The acceptance criterion is that the post-ageing property change does not exceed the percentage permitted in the specification (e.g. no more than a specified percentage drop in tensile strength). Limit values come from the OEM specification.

Evaluation of Results

Evaluation is performed on the percentage change relative to the reference, not on absolute values. Setting aside unaged reference specimens from the same batch is therefore essential for the validity of the result.

Aging Report

Applied standard and ageing conditions
Specimen identification and batch information
Measurement results for reference and aged specimens
Percentage-change calculations
Visual-change observations and photographs

Accreditation

EUROLAB holds internationally recognised accreditation obtained from accreditation bodies party to the IAF and ILAC multilateral recognition arrangements, under ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratory testing, ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection and surveillance, and ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 17065 for system and product certification. This chain ensures the reports and certificates issued are accepted worldwide.

Whether this test can be offered within accredited scope depends on your product and the standard applied; since accreditation is method-based, the scope is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Scope and authorisations

Related Regulations

OEM material specifications

Otomotiv Testleri — What Does This Testing Field Cover?

The section below describes the field that the Aging test belongs to; the conditions and acceptance criteria of this particular test are given in the sections above. The scope specific to your product is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Automotive testing shows that a component keeps working under conditions representing the loads it will meet over the life of the vehicle. A vehicle is not a single product but an ENVIRONMENT: vibration, temperature cycling, salt water, stone impact, electrical transients and electromagnetic noise are all present at the same time and for years.

What distinguishes this family is that VEHICLE MANUFACTURER SPECIFICATIONS sit on top of the standards. ISO and SAE publications establish the common ground; but Volkswagen, BMW, Ford, Stellantis, Toyota and Renault define different severity levels, additional tests and different acceptance criteria in their own specifications. For a component, the phrase "complies with automotive standards" is not sufficient on its own; which manufacturer's specification, and which revision of it, must be answered.

The family carries three separate processes together and they are often confused. Homologation covers the type approvals a vehicle needs to enter traffic and runs under state authority. Supplier approval means passing the vehicle manufacturer's own quality and testing requirements and is a commercial relationship. The third is design verification: the engineering team demonstrating that its own design meets its targets.

At component level the test plan is built around the LOCATION OF USE. A module in the engine bay and a module in the boot do not go through the same temperature and vibration profile; a component inside a door and one in the roof console do not see the same water and dust exposure. The ISO 16750 series is the common framework for this location-based approach.

The shift to electric vehicles has reshaped the field. High-voltage safety, insulation coordination, battery safety, charging interface conformity and the electromagnetic behaviour of high-voltage components have been added to the classical automotive test set. In a quiet vehicle, acoustic and vibration expectations have changed too; sounds once masked by the combustion engine are now audible.

The quality system side cannot be separated from testing in this field. A manufacturer under IATF 16949 presents test results in the PPAP file; measurement system analysis, process capability study and the control plan stand around the test report. A single good result is not enough — the process must be shown to be able to repeat it.

Method groups in this field

Environmental and climatic
Temperature cycling, thermal shock, damp heat, salt spray, dust and water ingress (IP), solar radiation. Severity levels vary with the mounting location.
Mechanical
Sine and random vibration, shock, mechanical loads, fastener torque and durability cycles.
Electrical
Supply voltage variations, transients (ISO 7637), reverse polarity, overvoltage, short circuit and sleep current measurements.
EMC
Component emissions (CISPR 25), radiated and conducted immunity (ISO 11452 series), electrostatic discharge (ISO 10605).
Materials and emissions
Odour, fogging and VOC emissions from interior materials; flammability; UV ageing; coating durability and stone impact.
Functional safety and cyber security
Functional safety evidence under ISO 26262 and cyber security engineering under ISO/SAE 21434; these are tied to regulation through UNECE R155 and R156.

Commonly confused in this field

An automotive report without a specification reference is not accepted in the supply chain; which OEM specification and revision was applied must be stated.
Type approval and supplier approval are different processes. A component with E-Mark approval is not thereby considered to have passed the OEM's own acceptance tests.
A result obtained on a prototype does not carry over to series production; PPAP is done with series production parts.
On the EMC side, measuring emissions alone is incomplete; immunity is a separate body of work and is more critical in a vehicle.
On electric vehicle components, high-voltage safety is a distinct competence; classical 12 V test infrastructure is not sufficient.

Which decisions these results support

Supplier component approval and the PPAP file
UNECE type approval and E-Mark marking
Design verification and durability evidence
Root cause analysis of field complaints and warranty returns
Assessing the impact of a design or supplier change

Related Tests

Frequently Asked Questions About Aging

Does accelerated ageing give the real service life?

Not directly. The acceleration factor depends on the material and the degradation mechanism; there is no standard conversion factor. Results are used for comparative evaluation and specification compliance.

Why is a reference specimen needed?

Since evaluation is based on percentage change, the starting value must be known. A reference not set aside from the same batch conflates batch-to-batch variation with the ageing effect and invalidates the result.