Ultra-accelerated natural sunlight exposure testing facilities

An apparatus for providing ultra-accelerated natural sunlight exposure testing for sample materials under controlled weathering conditions comprising:

• means for concentrating solar flux uniformly as concentrated uniform refracted light, and means for directing said concentrated uniform refracted light onto sample materials contained in a chamber having means to provide single or multiple concurrent levels of temperature and/or relative humidity at high levels of up to 100× of natural sunlight, wherein said means for concentrating solar flux uniformly and means for directing concentrated uniform refracted light comprising:
• a) a front surface VIS/NIR reflective coating means to reflect VIS/NIR and transmit UV/VIS;
• b) a Fresnel lens means to receive transmitted UV/VIS and transmit a desired spectral range of uniform concentrated spectrally split natural sunlight;
• and
• c) chamber means capable of receiving said desired range of uniform concentrated spectrally split natural sunlight in enclosed single or multiple concurrent levels of temperature and/or relative humidity providing means to allow sample materials to be subjected to accelerated irradiance exposure factors for a significant period of time of about 3 to 10 days to provide a corresponding time of about at least a years worth of representative weathering of sample materials.

An apparatus for providing ultra-accelerated natural sunlight exposure testing for sample materials under controlled weathering conditions comprising:

• means for concentrating solar flux uniformily as concentrated uniform refracted light, and means for directing said concentrated uniform refracted light onto sample materials contained in a chamber having means to provide single or multiple concurrent levels of temperature and/or relative humidity, wherein said means for concentrating solar flux uniformly and means for directing concentrated uniform refracted light comprising:
• a) a Fresnel lens having a heat mirror coating on either its top or bottom or both sides to reflect VIS/NIR and transmit UV/VIS;
• and
• b) chamber means capable of receiving transmitted UV/VIS in enclosed single or multiple concurrent levels of temperature and/or relative humidity providing means to allow sample materials to be subjected to accelerated-irradiance exposure factors for a significant period of time of about 3 to 10 days to provide a corresponding time of about at least a year's worth of representative weathering of sample materials.

An apparatus for providing ultra-accelerated natural sunlight exposure testing for sample materials under controlled weathering conditions comprising:

• means for concentrating solar flux uniformly as concentrated uniform refracted light, and means for directing said concentrated uniform refracted light onto sample materials contained in a chamber having means to provide single or multiple concurrent levels of temperature and/or relative humidity at high levels of up to 100× of natural sunlight, wherein said means for concentrating solar flux uniformly and means for directing concentrated uniform refracted light onto sample materials comprising:
• a) a Fresnel lens that receives incident uniform, non-concentrated natural sunlight and transmits a desired spectral range, a heat mirror means between said Fresnel lens and sample materials that reflects VIS/NIR but transmits UV/VIS;
• and
• b) chamber means capable of receiving directed UV/VIS from said heat mirror means that encloses single or multiple concurrent levels of temperature and/or relative humidity providing means to allow sample materials to be subjected to accelerated-irradiance exposure factors for a significant period of time of about 3 to 10 days to provide a corresponding time of about at least a years worth of representative weathering of sample materials.

An apparatus for providing ultra-accelerated natural sunlight exposure testing for sample materials under controlled weathering conditions comprising:

• means for concentrating solar flux uniformly as concentrated uniform refracted light, and means for directing said concentrated uniform refracted light onto sample materials contained in a chamber having means to provide single or multiple concurrent levels of temperature and/or relative humidity, wherein said means for concentrating solar flux uniformly and means for directing concentrated uniform refracted light onto a sample materials comprising:
• a) a first Fresnel/prism array that receives incident uniform, non-concentrated natural sunlight and spatially separates same into distinct wavelengths;
• b) a second Fresnel/prism array having a masking pattern on its top surface to block unwanted wavelengths λ>λcutoff of high VIS and NIR and transmit and recombine UV/VIS into a chamber means;
• and
• c) chamber means capable of receiving said recombined ultra-accelerated natural sunlight in enclosed single or multiple concurrent levels of temperature and/or relative humidity providing means to allow sample materials to be subjected to accelerated-irradiance exposure factors for a significant period of time of about 3 to 10 days to provide a corresponding time of about at least a years worth of representative weathering of sample materials.

An apparatus for providing ultra-accelerated natural sunlight exposure testing for sample materials under controlled weathering conditions comprising:

• means for concentrating solar flux uniformly as concentrated uniform refracted light, and means for directing said concentrated uniform refracted light onto sample materials contained in a chamber having means to provide single or multiple concurrent levels of temperature and/or relative humidity, wherein said means for concentrating solar flux uniformly and means for directing concentrated uniform refracted light onto a sample materials comprising:
• a) a first prism array to affect spatially/distinct wavelengths from incident uniform, non-concentrated sunlight and provide adjustable stop blocks of light at wavelengths λ>λUV/VIS or λ>λcutt-off;
• b) a second prism array to reconstruct or homogenize wavelengths from said first prism array to provide a uniform distribution of spectrally selected light;
• and
• c) chamber means capable of receiving said distribution of spectrally selected light in enclosed single or multiple concurrent levels of temperature and/or relative humidity providing means to allow sample materials to be subjected to accelerated-irradiance exposure factors for a significant period of time of about 3 to 10 days to provide a corresponding time of about at least a years worth of representative weathering of sample materials.

An apparatus for providing ultra-accelerated natural sunlight exposure testing for sample materials under controlled weathering conditions comprising:

• means for concentrating solar flux uniformly as concentrated uniform refracted light, and means for directing said concentrated uniform refracted light onto sample materials contained in a chamber having means to provide single or multiple concurrent levels of temperature and/or relative humidity, wherein said means for concentrating solar flux uniformly and means for directing concentrated uniform refracted light onto a sample materials comprises:
• a) a holographic means that receive uniform, non-concentrated natural sunlight and spectrally splits said sunlight into VIS/NIR and directs said UV/VIS into a chamber means;
• and
• b) chamber means capable of receiving UV/VIS in enclosed single or multiple concurrent levels of temperature and/or relative humidity providing means to allow sample materials to be subjected to accelerated-irradiance exposure factors for a significant period of time of about 3 to 10 days to provide a corresponding time of about at least a years worth of representative weathering of sample materials.

An apparatus for providing ultra-accelerated natural sunlight exposure testing for sample materials under controlled weathering conditions comprising:

• means for concentrating solar flux uniformly as concentrated uniform refracted light, and means for directing said concentrated uniform refracted light onto sample materials contained in a chamber having means to provide single or multiple concurrent levels of temperature and/or relative humidity, wherein said means for concentrating solar flux uniformly and means for directing concentrated uniform refracted light onto sample materials comprises:
• a) a holographic device that receives and concentrates incident uniformity, non-concentrated natural sunlight and spectrally splits said sunlight into VIS/NIR and UV/VIS;
• and
• b) a secondary concentrator that receives said UV/VIS and directs said UV/VIS into a chamber means;
• and
• c) chamber means capable of receiving said UV/VIS in enclosed single or multiple concurrent levels of temperature and/or relative humidity providing means to allow sample materials to be subjected to accelerated-irradiance exposure factors for a significant period of time of about 3 to 10 days to provide a corresponding time of about at least a years worth of representative weathering of sample materials.

An apparatus for providing ultra-accelerated natural sunlight exposure testing for sample materials under controlled weathering conditions comprising:

• means for concentrating solar flux uniformly as concentrated uniform refracted light, and means for directing said concentrated uniform refracted light onto sample materials contained in a chamber having means to provide single or multiple concurrent levels of temperature and/or relative humidity, wherein said means for concentrating solar flux uniformly and means for directing concentrated uniform refracted light onto sample materials comprises:
• a) a holographic device that receive incident uniform, non-concentrated natural sunlight and spectrally splits said sunlight into a VIS/NIR fraction and a UV/VIS fraction;
• b) a heat mirror that reflects the VIS/NIR fraction and transmits the UV/VIS fraction onto a chamber means;
• and
• c) chamber means capable of receiving said UV/VIS fraction from the heat mirrors into enclosed single or multiple concurrent levels of temperature and/or relative humidity providing means to allow sample materials to be subjected to accelerated-irradiance exposure factors for a significant period of time of about 3 to 10 days to provide a corresponding time of about at least a years worth of representative weathering of sample materials.

An apparatus for providing ultra-accelerated natural sunlight exposure testing for sample materials under controlled weathering conditions comprising:

• means for concentrating solar flux uniformly as concentrated uniform refracted light, and means for directing said concentrated uniform refracted light onto sample materials contained in a chamber having means to provide single or multiple concurrent levels of temperature and/or relative humidity, wherein said means for concentrating solar flux uniformly and means for directing concentrated uniform refracted light onto sample materials comprises:
• a) a 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional array device of micro lenses that receive uniform, non-concentrated natural sunlight and refractively concentrates and/or spectrally splits said sunlight into VIS/NIR and UV/VIS fractions;
• and
• b) a surface means to transmit said VIS/NIR and reflect said UV/VIS;
• and
• c) chamber means capable of receiving refracted UV/VIS into enclosed single or multiple concurrent levels of temperature and/or relative humidity providing means to allow sample materials to be subjected to accelerated-irradiance exposure factors for a significant period of time of about 3 to 10 days to provide a corresponding time of about at least a years worth of representative weathering of sample materials.

An apparatus for providing ultra-accelerated natural sunlight exposure testing for sample materials under controlled weathering conditions comprising:

• means for concentrating solar flux uniformly as concentrated uniform refracted light and means for directing said concentrated uniform refracted light onto sample materials contained in a chamber having means to provide single or multiple concurrent levels of temperature and/or relative humidity, wherein said means for concentrating solar flux uniformly and means for directing concentrated uniform refracted light onto a sample materials comprises:
• a) a multi-faceted array of lenses device means that receive incident uniform, non-concentrated natural sunlight;
• b) a heat mirror means that reflects a VIS/NIR fraction of said sunlight and transmits a UV/VIS fraction of said sunlight;
• and
• c) chamber means capable of receiving said transmitted UV/VIS fraction in enclosed single or multiple concurrent levels of temperature and/or relative humidity providing means to allow sample materials to be subjected to accelerated-irradiance exposure factors for a significant period of time of about 3 to 10 days to provide a corresponding time of about at least a years worth of representative weathering of sample materials.