Comprehensive Investigation of Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) Polymer for Weathering with the Combination of Different Blends of UV Stabilizers, HALS and Antioxidant

The use of polymers in automobiles is increasing constantly and this trend is expected to continue. This clearly indicates that polymer are choice of materials in all the application sectors including in Automobile sector. The main properties in selecting the plastics materials as compared to other materials applied in automobiles are the aesthetic of automotive vehicles, their functionality and cost effective solution, as well as fuel efficiency. These materials are offer remarkable range of appealing properties, the effect of climatic conditions on the degradation and performance of these materials is not fully understood. It is necessary to know the variation of the mechanical properties of any polymer component in automobile after exposed to different atmospheric conditions before particular application. Generally when these components are subjected to weathering effects, they are prone to underperform. Therefore to improve their properties over time, different kinds 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, it is proposed to carry out a comprehensive investigation on degradation due to weathering of ABS polymer with the combination of different percentages of UV stabilizers, HALS and antioxidant. This paper briefly explains the effects of the weathering on the behavioral change of ABS polymer mechanical properties which is most commonly used by in automobile manufacturer. It also briefs the methodology of accelerated weathering methods to help in evaluating the permanence of polymers components is also briefly discussed. The results after weathering and mechanical tests were discussed and optimized the percentage of blends as per the application.