Environmental Stress Cracking of Automotive Interior Materials Exposed to Common Personal Care Products

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and poly (vinyl chloride)-acrylic (PVC-acrylic) blends are commonly used in automotive interiors, which may include materials used for vehicle dashboards, push buttons, trim, etc. However, these polymers can be suspectable to environmental stress cracking (ESC) when simultaneously exposed to certain chemicals, such as those found in personal care products, and stress for extended periods of time. ESC can cause changes in material properties that can be accelerated by temperature and level of applied stress. Our study focuses on the cracking behavior of ABS and PVC-acrylic under mechanical stress when exposed to various personal care products commonly used by passengers in a vehicle. These will include a representative sunscreen, lotion, hand sanitizer, and petroleum jelly. Fractographic analysis of representative fracture surfaces will be presented and compared between ABS and PVC-acrylic.