4.1 The property retention index (PRI) determined by this practice is intended primarily to provide relative durability performance information on materials for design engineers. It is up to the user to ensure that appropriate sampling procedures are used for the selection of specimens to be exposed so that the PRI data obtained is actually representative of the material being evaluated.
4.2 The PRI obtained depends on the material being tested, property being evaluated, and exposure condition used. A PRI obtained for one property will probably not be the same as the PRI for a different property of the same material, even if the same exposure test is used.
4.3 Plastics exposed to a combination of environmental and thermal treatments may undergo a change in functional performance. Any laboratory-accelerated aging procedure, especially those that use only a single stress, may not realistically indicate the changes a plastic may undergo in actual use conditions. This practice provides a means for expressing the changes in properties as a function of time exposed in a wide variety of tests. The PRI data obtained is best used for comparing the performance of materials subjected to the same exposure test simultaneously.
4.3.1 Both laboratory-accelerated and outdoor exposure testing can be highly variable, and the PRI data will be influenced by this variability. For example, PRI data from outdoor exposures can vary depending on the exposure location and the time of year when the exposure is conducted. Variability in laboratory-accelerated exposure tests can result in large differences in PRI data from two laboratories running supposedly identical tests. PRI data obtained from exposure to laboratory-accelerated tests cannot be used to predict the PRI for exposure to natural weathering or actual use conditions unless there is a sufficient amount of data from both types of exposure to allow valid statistical comparisons.
4.4 A number of different exposure techniques can be used to provide information on the effects of environmental stresses such as light, heat, and water on plastics (see Practices D1435, D1499, D2565, D4329, D4364, and D4459; Test Method D4674; and ISO 877 and ISO 4892). When it is desirable to evaluate the effects of heat alone, exposures should be conducted in accordance with Practice D3045. When it is desirable to evaluate the effects of chemical exposures, the exposures should be conducted in accordance with Test Method D543.
4.5 There are a number of factors influencing the physical properties and the retention of these properties after exposure. In addition to a complete description of the exposure test conditions used, the following information shall be included in any report referencing this practice: (1) complete description of the material tested, including the type, source, manufacturer's code number, form, and previous history; (