ABSTRACT
Today, purchasers of vehicles are expecting their investments to provide high levels of performance for longer periods of time. One of the few features of the vehicle that directly affects how the occupant feels about his or her vehicle is the seat system. One of the major components of this composite system is the molded polyurethane foam that supports the vehicle occupant. Validation testing is employed to ensure that the foam will provide optimum performance for the life of the vehicle. There are many test procedures to qualify the durability performance of polyurethane foam in the laboratory. A greater challenge is to relate laboratory data to in-vehicle performance in a timely fashion. The goal is to produce an accelerated aging test procedure that will aid the seating engineer in their effort to meet the customer’s long-term durability and performance expectations.
This paper will explore two aspects of durability testing for polyurethane foam qualification. First, the mechanical breakdown of the foam is affected by temperature-induced accelerated aging. Then, the results of the accelerated aging temperature study are used to generate compression testing data with laboratory produced foam samples to compare with compression test results conducted with vehicle foam that had been in service for ten to twelve years.
