COMPREHENSIVE INVESTIGATION OF POLY (METHYL METHACRYLATE) (PMMA) POLYMER FOR WEATHERING WITH THE COMBINATION OF DIFFERENT BLENDS OF UV STABILIZERS AND ANTIOXIDANT

摘要

Plastics (polymers) are nowadays clearly a material of choice in all the application sectors including in Automobile sector. Automotive manufacturer have relied on new technology for vehicular accessories which are all made-up of different polymers. Although these components offer an impressive range of attractive properties, the effect of climatic conditions on the durability and performance of these materials is not fully understood. Generally when these components are subjected to weathering effects, they are prone to underperform. Therefore to improve their properties over time, different kinds of blends of UV stabilizers, Hindered amine light stabilizer (HALS) and Antioxidant are used. However there is a need to study which UV stabilizers is to be used for the automobile applications polymers and what are its percentages? In this context, carried out a comprehensive investigation on degradation due to weathering of PMMA polymer with the combination of different percentages of UV stabilizers and antioxidant. The lighting components made up of PMMA are safety critical components in automotive as per central Motor vehicle Rule. This paper briefly examines the effects of the weathering on the performance and properties of PMMA polymer which is most commonly used materials in automobile sector for the application of lighting components. The use of accelerated weathering technique to assist in assessing the durability of these product materials is also briefly discussed. The results of after weathering and mechanical tests were discussed and optimized the percentage of blends as per the application.