Group standard TL 52231

Issue 2016-12
Class. No.: 55121

Descriptors: PC+ABS, ABS+PC, ABS, PC, polymer, polymer blend, instrument cluster trim panel, dashboard,
storage compartment, trim panel

ABS and PC Polymer Blends

Materials Requirements

3 types: no suffix, A, B

Previous issues
TL 52231: 1981-08, 1987-08, 2002-12, 2004-10, 2010-06

Changes
The following changes have been made to TL 52231: 2010-06:
– "Subject to mandatory documentation" indication ("D") deleted
– Requirements added for components that are to be chrome-plated
– Section 3.1: Note on use for material types containing recycled material added
– Table 1, consec. no. 6: Requirement in TL 52231-A changed from ≥ 120 °C to ≥ 118 °C
– Section 5.3: Standard added and last sentence amended
– Section 5.4: Last sentence amended
– "Human compatibility" section deleted
– Section 5.8: The German term for "rear shelf" was replaced by a synonym.
– Applicable documents updated

1 Scope
This Technical Supply Specification (TL) defines the material requirements for finished parts made
of acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene (ABS) and polycarbonate (PC) polymer blends, e.g., for instru‐
ment cluster trim panels, dashboards, and storage compartments.

Always use the latest version of this standard.

This electronically generated standard is authentic and valid without signature. Page 1 of 7
The English translation is believed to be accurate. In case of discrepancies, the German version is alone authoritative and controlling.

Technical responsibility The Standards department

GQL-P/3 Annette Behte Tel.: +49 5361 9 78324
GQL-P/3 Eckart Herrmann Tel.: +49 5361 9 42116 EBP/5 Stefanie Reiss ESD
GQL Dr. Jiping Liu Tel.: +49 5361 9 41184 Thomas Behrens

All rights reserved. No part of this document may be provided to third parties or reproduced without the prior consent of one of the Volkswagen Group’s Standards departments.
© Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft VWNORM-2016-08a
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TL 52231: 2016-12

2 Designation
Designation example for the type that is dimensionally stable under heat at temperatures up to
110 °C:
PC+ABS polymer blend as per TL 52231-A

3 Requirements

3.1 Basic requirements

Approval of first supply and changes as per Volkswagen standard VW 01155.
Emission behavior as per VW 50180 (if required in the drawing).
Resistance to open-air weathering as per VW 50185.
Colorimetric evaluation as per VW 50190 (if required in the drawing).
Avoidance of hazardous substances as per VW 91101.
6 finished parts are required for complete testing.
The characteristic values in the TL apply to new goods. It is impermissible to use reclaimed materi‐
al, regrind, or industrial goods containing old materials, that are available on the market.
Blending up to 10% ground stock from production waste obtained during the first processing run
(single-sort; sprues, die cutting waste) when producing the exact same component is permissible.
This must be validated and documented.
If the component supplier and the purchaser's Materials Engineering department have agreed
upon the use of recycled material, the release test for the component must also incorporate special
documentation of the recycled materials' material flow. On the corresponding components, the
"REC" identifier must be added to the material code as per DIN EN ISO 1043-1. If the percentage
of recycled material used is available, it must be explicitly indicated (e.g., "REC50").

3.2 Characteristics
The surface and interior of the finished parts must be free of flaws and processing imperfections
such as flow lines, striations, voids, cracks, etc. Sink marks at the base of ribs and reinforcements
are only permissible if they do not adversely affect the function, appearance, or installation of the
parts.
The finished parts must allow for trouble-free installation.

3.3 Manufacture
Injection molding

3.4 Types
– TL 52231 ABS+PC polymer blend, standard type, dimensionally stable under heat at
temperatures up to +100 °C
– TL 52231-A PC+ABS polymer blend with enhanced dimensional stability under heat at
temperatures up to +110 °C
– TL 52231-B PC+ABS polymer blend with enhanced dimensional stability under heat at
temperatures up to +120 °C
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TL 52231: 2016-12

3.5 Marking as per the VDA 260 standard published by the German Association of the
Automotive Industry (VDA)
– TL 52231 > ABS+PC <
– TL 52231-A > PC+ABS <
– TL 52231-B > PC+ABS <

3.6 Conditioning
Prior to testing, the specimens required for the individual tests must be conditioned for at least 48 h
in the standard atmosphere as per VW 50554 – 23/50-2.

3.7 Evaluation of the measurement results

The required numerical values apply to each individual measurement.

3.8 Material
See section 5.1.
All types: Polymer blend consisting of ABS graft polymer and PC.

3.9 Color
As per drawing and/or release.

3.10 Requirements for components that are to be chrome-plated

For the material used, the manufacturer of the raw material must specify that the material is suita‐
ble for electroplating ("electroplating-compatible"). Uncoated blanks are used for the material tests.
These blanks must meet the requirements defined in TL 528, section "Blank appearance and
stress," section "Surface finish of uncoated molded part," and section "Finished part."

4 Properties
See table 1.
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TL 52231: 2016-12

Table 1
No. Property Unit Requirement
TL 52231 TL 52231-A TL 52231-B
1 Density g/cm 3
1.10 ±0.01 1.12 ±0.01 1.14 ±0.01
as per DIN EN ISO 1183-1,
buoyancy method
2 Flexural strength MPa ≥ 60 ≥ 65 ≥ 75
as per DIN EN ISO 178 and
section 5.2
3 Notched impact strength kJ/m2 ≥ 30 ≥ 40 ≥ 20
as per DIN EN ISO 179-1/1eA and
section 5.3
4 Notched impact strength kJ/m2 ≥ 14 ≥ 20 ≥ 10
as per DIN EN ISO 179-1 and
section 5.3
5 Impact strength kJ/m2 No fracture
as per DIN EN ISO 179-1/1eU and
section 5.4
6 Dimensional stability under heat as °C ≥ 110 ≥ 118 ≥ 125
per Vicat
as per DIN EN ISO 306, B50 method
7 High-temperature behavior as per
DIN 53497 and section 5.5
Aging temperature °C 90 +2 110 -2 120 ±2
Finished parts must not have any embrit‐
tlement or other changes in shape, color,
or surface that are visible and/or impair
the parts' function.
8 Low-temperature behavior The finished parts must remain fully
See section 5.6 functional at low temperatures and re‐
main free of any damage. They must re‐
main free of cracks and other damage
even after being subsequently heated up
to a temperature of +23 °C.
9 Ball drop test as per Test Specification - No fracture, -
PV 3905 and section 5.7 no cracking.
10 High-temperature light exposure as The surface exposed to light must not
per PV 1303 and section 5.8 have any changes when compared to
(requirement applies only to visible the as-received condition, e.g., color
parts in the vehicle interior or if re‐ changes, chalking, and/or cracking.
quired in the drawing). Gray-scale level ≥ 4
Number of exposure periods as per as per DIN EN 20105-A02.
drawing.
11 Flammability As per TL 1010 (if required in drawing
and/or release).
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TL 52231: 2016-12

5 Notes on testing

5.1 Material
The identity test is performed with infrared spectroscopy.

5.2 Flexural strength

The flexural stress at maximum load is determined as per DIN EN ISO 178, but with: specimen
length: (50 ±1) mm; width: (6 ±0.2) mm; thickness matching the product's thickness (up to a max.
of 4 mm); distance between supports: 40 mm; support surface radius: 1.0 mm to 1.2 mm; test
speed: (14 ±1) mm/min.
Specimens taken from molded parts with one-sided graining must be placed on the test machine
supports in such a way that the grained side faces the loading edge.

5.3 Notched impact strength

Test equipment: 4J pendulum impact tester.
If, for reasons related to the equipment and/or the specimen shape and size, a test as per table 1,
consec. no. 3 cannot be performed, the following procedure can be used as a substitute:
Impact strength test (broadside impact) as per DIN EN ISO 179-1, but with: specimen length:
(50 ±1) mm; width: (6 ±0.2) mm; thickness matching the product's thickness (up to a max. of
4 mm); distance between supports: 40 mm; test equipment: 4J pendulum impact tester as per
DIN EN ISO 13802.
A 0.8-mm-wide U-shaped notch is made on the broad side of the specimens. The notch depth is
1/3 of the specimen thickness. The edges outlining the notch root must have a curvature radius
< 0.1 mm.
In the case of finished parts with one-sided graining, the specimens must be notched on the
grained side and subsequently placed on the pendulum impact tester’s specimen supports in such
a manner that the center of the notch is exactly within the impact plane. It is important to ensure
that the notch is on the side facing away from the hammer edge. However, this must be discussed
and agreed upon in advance with the Materials Engineering department responsible for issuing the
corresponding release.

5.4 Impact strength

If for reasons concerning equipment and/or specimen shape and size a test as per table 1, con‐
sec. no. 5 cannot be performed, the following procedure can be used as a substitute:
Impact strength test (broadside impact) as per DIN EN ISO 179-1, but with: specimen length:
(50 ±1) mm; width: (6 ±0.2) mm; thickness matching the product's thickness (up to a max. of
4 mm); distance between supports: 40 mm; test equipment: 4J pendulum impact tester.
Specimens taken from finished parts with one-sided graining must be placed on the pendulum im‐
pact tester's supports in such a way that the grained side faces the hammer edge.
However, this must be discussed and agreed upon in advance with the Materials Engineering de‐
partment responsible for issuing the corresponding release.
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TL 52231: 2016-12

5.5 High-temperature behavior

Heat aging test as per DIN 53497, method B, to be performed on at least two complete finished
parts, i.e., including any built-in parts. Aging period: (22 +2) h.

5.6 Low-temperature behavior

A minimum of two complete finished parts are aged in air at (-30 ±1) °C; aging period: (22 +2) h.

5.7 Ball drop test

Ball drop test as per PV 3905 on at least one flat component section.
Ball drop height of (450 ±10) mm; ball impact point on upper side of dashboard, for instance, or as
specified in the drawing.

5.8 High-temperature light exposure

If the number of exposure periods is not defined in the drawing, the following applies:
– 3 exposure periods for components in areas subject to indirect solar radiation,
– 5 exposure periods for components in areas subject to direct solar radiation (e.g., door waist
rail),
– 10 exposure periods for components in areas subject to maximum solar radiation (e.g., rear
shelf).

6 Applicable documents
The following documents cited in this standard are necessary to its application.
Some of the cited documents are translations from the German original. The translations of Ger‐
man terms in such documents may differ from those used in this standard, resulting in terminologi‐
cal inconsistency.
Standards whose titles are given in German may be available only in German. Editions in other
languages may be available from the institution issuing the standard.

PV 1303 Non-Metallic Materials; Xenon Arc Light Aging of Vehicle Interior Com‐
ponents
PV 3905 Organic Materials; Ball Drop Test
TL 1010 Materials for Vehicle Interiors; Burning Behavior; Material Requirements
TL 528 Chrome-Plated Plastic Parts; Material Requirements
VW 01155 Vehicle Parts; Approval of First Supply and Changes
VW 50180 Components in the Vehicle Interior; Emission Behavior
VW 50185 Vehicle Parts; Resistance to Open-Air Weathering
VW 50190 Interior Trim Components; Metrological Evaluation of Color and Gloss
Level; Visual Evaluation of Chrome Surfaces
VW 50554 Standard Atmospheres and Room Temperatures; Requirements on
Standard Atmospheres
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TL 52231: 2016-12

VW 91101 Environmental Standard for Vehicles; Vehicle Parts, Materials, Operat‐

ing Fluids; Avoidance of Hazardous Substances
DIN 53497 Testing of Plastics; Hot Storage Test on Mouldings Made of Thermo‐
plastic Moulding Materials without External Mechanical Stressing
DIN EN 20105-A02 Textiles - Tests for colour fastness - Part A02: Grey scale for assessing
change in colour
DIN EN ISO 1043-1 Plastics - Symbols and abbreviated terms - Part 1: Basic polymers and
their special characteristics
DIN EN ISO 1183-1 Plastics - Methods for determining the density of non-cellular plastics -
Part 1: Immersion method, liquid pyknometer method and titration meth‐
od
DIN EN ISO 13802 Plastics - Verification of pendulum impact-testing machines - Charpy,
Izod and tensile impact-testing
DIN EN ISO 178 Plastics - Determination of flexural properties
DIN EN ISO 179-1 Plastics - Determination of Charpy impact properties - Part 1: Non-instru‐
mented impact test
DIN EN ISO 306 Plastics - Thermoplastic materials - Determination of Vicat softening
temperature (VST)
VDA 260 Components of motor vehicles - Marking of material