Durability testing of nonmetallic materials has been a commonpractice in many industries, such as paint and coatings,plastics,textiles and building materials. The role of this testingis expanding from a basic research tool to that of a qualitycontrol technique and predictor of service life. This change hasnecessitated the development of new procedures for exposing andevaluating materials and analyzing data.

STP 1294 addresses these developments with 14 peer-reviewedpapers. In three sections:

• Characterizing Natural and Accelerated Exposure Environmentsand Samples

• Correlating Natural and Accelerated Durability Testing

• and Predicting Service Life.