Group standard PV 3900

Issue 2019-04
Class. No.: 55341

Descriptors: environmental influence, odor, odor characteristics, odor evaluation, odor test, olfactory impression,
temperature influence, vehicle interior

Vehicle Interior Components

Odor Test

Preface
This test method is one option for determining the olfactory impression that a material used in the
vehicle interior leaves.
The results obtained with this method are not suitable for:
– Reaching a conclusion regarding the volume of organic chemical substances emitted by this
type of material
– Making further assessments in terms of any health effects causedby the odor
– Being used in any form as a basis for assessing the olfactory impression that can occur in the
vehicle interior of a whole vehicle

Previous issues
PV 3900: 1971-01, 1993-01, 2000-08

Changes
The following changes have been made to PV 3900: 2000-08:
– Standard converted to new layout and structure modified
– Section 4.1 "Test equipment" updated
– Section 4.2 "Test room/tester" added
– Section 4.3 "Specimen pre-treatment/packaging" added
– Section 4.4 "Specimens" revised
– Section 4.5 "Procedure" revised ("variant 1" aging condition deleted)
– Section 5 "Evaluation" revised

Always use the latest version of this standard.

This electronically generated standard is authentic and valid without signature. A comma is used as the decimal sign. Page 1 of 7
The English translation is believed to be accurate. In case of discrepancies, the German version controls.

Technical responsibility The Standards department

GQL-P/5 Dr. Jörg Göldenitz Tel.: +49 5361 9 963807
GQL-P/5 Dr. Marc Kreye Tel.: +49 5361 9 962694 K-ILI/5 Stefanie Peyer K-ILI
GQL-P Denis Eschwey Tel.: +49 5361 9 47597 Tel.: +49 5361 9 41184 Uwe Wiesner
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-2018-11
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– Section 6 "Test report" added

– Appendix A added
– Other editorial changes

1 Scope
This Test Specification (PV) describes a test for evaluating odor characteristics under temperature
and environmental influences. The test is carried out on vehicle interior materials and on parts that
come into contact with the airflow conveyed into the vehicle interior.

2 Definitions
Odor characteristics The tendency of materials to emit volatile components with a perceptible
odor after temperature aging, environmental aging, and a defined duration.

3 Designation
Designation of the method for evaluating the odor characteristics of materials when subjected to
temperature and environmental influences:

3.1 Example designation for a test result

Odor test PV 3900 – A2 - Grade 3,0

3.2 Example designation for a target value specification in a Technical Supply

Specification (TL), drawing, etc.
Odor test PV 3900 – B2 - Grade < 2,5

3.3 Designation structure

See figure 1.

Figure 1 – Designation structure

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4 Test

4.1 Test equipment

– Drying oven as per DIN 12880
– 1-l glass containers with an odorless seal and lid as the test containers must be used. The
standard glass jar volume is 1 l. Deviations from this volume must be documented, must be an
exception, and must be agreed upon in advance with the purchasers requesting the test.
NOTE: Mason jars, which are available at stores selling household goods and kitchenware,
are suitable for this test. If using these jars, it must be ensured that the corresponding lids are
odorless.
– The test containers must be washed before every single test run (e.g., with a laboratory glass-
ware washer). The containers must be clean and odorless.

4.2 Test room/tester

The room in which the odor tests are carried out must not have any intense or objectionable odors
itself.
Testers must not have any conspicuous odors, such as those resulting from cigarette smoke,
strong perfume, garlic/food smells, etc.

4.3 Specimen pre-treatment/packaging

The components/specimens that will be evaluated in terms of odor must be heat-sealed in an odor-
less, gas-tight film 2 h to 8 h after they have been produced.
(7 ±1) days before the test, the specimen must be removed from the package and stored at room
temperature. If the specimen being tested is rolled goods, it must be unrolled and the outer layer
discarded.
The specimen must be aged in a temperature-controlled room (18 °C to 25 °C) and protected from
direct solar radiation. Potential cross-contamination between specimens must be considered and
prevented.
The specimen preparation for process materials in terms of aging and pre-treatment (e.g., curing
conditions for adhesive) before the test must be agreed upon with the purchasers.
Any deviations from this procedure must be recorded in the test record.

4.4 Specimens
The specimen quantity to be used is defined for four variants and is described in table 1. The pro-
portion that the material being used in the vehicle interior represents in terms of volume is used as
a basis for assigning specimens to variant A, B, or C.
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Table 1 – Specimen quantities that must be used

Variant Use case Specimen quantity
1-l test container 3-l test container
A Clips, plugs, grommets, and other small parts (10 ±1) ga) (30 ±3) ga)
B Armrests, ashtrays, grab handles, gearshift lev- Material thicknesses up to 1 cm:
er boots, sun visors, and other medium-sized (25 ±2) cm2 (75 ±6) cm2
components
Thicker specimens, raw materials:
(25 ±2) cm3 (75 ±6) cm3

Geometrically complex specimensb):

25 g 75 g
C Trim cover materials (except leather), insulation Material thicknesses up to 1 cm:
materials, films, foams, carpets, and other ma- (50 ±5) cm2 (150 ±15) cm2
terials used across large areas
Thicker specimens, raw materials:
(50 ±5) cm3 (150 ±15) cm3

Geometrically complex specimensb):

50 g 150 g
D Genuine leather and genuine leather laminated
(50 ±5) cm2 (150 ±15) cm2
on the back

a) If the total quantity of the specimen (of the component) in the vehicle is less than 10 g, then this must be used as the maximum
quantity for the test.
b) If it is not possible to determine/prepare the volume or area

4.5 Procedure
There are 4 aging conditions (see table 2) available for selection. The variant that must be used
must be taken from the specification, drawing, etc.

Table 2 – Aging condition variants

Varianta) Temperature (°C) Aging period Aging with water Test instructions
(see section 4.5.1)
2 40 ±2 (24 ±1) h Yes 1., 2., 3., 4., 6., 7.
3 80 ±2 2 h ±10 min No 1., 3., 5., 6., 7., 8.
4 50 ±2 2 h ±10 min Yes 1., 2., 3., 4., 6., 7.
5 50 ±2 2 h ±10 min No 1., 3., 4., 6., 7.

a) Variant 1 deleted

4.5.1 Test instructions

1. In the case of variants 2 and 4, pour 50 ml of deionized water into the 1-l test container and
150 ml of deionized water into the 3-l test container. In the case of variants 3 and 5, do not add
any water to the test container.
2. Place the specimen(s) in the test container in such a way that direct contact with the water is
avoided. The fixture used to prevent contact – e.g., a wire mesh, metal frame – must be odor-
less and must not prevent air humidity inside the jar from forming uniformly (see figure A.1).
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As an alternative, water can be poured into a 100-ml or 300-ml beaker and placed in the test
container with the specimen (see figure A.2).
3. Seal the container tightly and age it in the pre-heated drying oven.
4. In the case of variants 2, 4, and 5, carry out the evaluation immediately after removing the test
container from the drying oven.
5. In the case of variant 3, cool down the test container to a test room temperature of (60 ±5) °C
after removing it from the drying oven before carrying out the evaluation. In each test run, age
a test jar with a thermometer as well so that this thermometer can be used to check the tem-
perature during the cool-down phase. This procedure is recommended as a standard proce-
dure.
Alternatively, a defined time interval can be used for the cool-down. In this case, the conditions
must be kept constant. In this case, record the cool-down time and room temperature, as well
as the type of material on which the jar is placed when cooling down, in the test record.
6. At least 3 testers must carry out the tests. If the grades from individual evaluations are two or
more grades apart from each other, the measurement must be repeated with at least 5 testers.
If more than 3 testers participate in the odor test, use two jars with the same specimen for the
test.
7. During the odor test, the jar lid must be lifted as little as possible so as to minimize the ex-
change of air with the environment.
8. In the case of variant 3, it is recommended not to smell more than 6 jars per test run. If there
are multiple test runs per workday, there must be an interval of at least 2 hours between them.

5 Evaluation
For variants A, B, and C, the odor must be evaluated with a grade of 1 to 6 based on the evalua-
tion scale (see table 3). Half points are allowed.

Table 3
Grade Evaluation
1 Not noticeable
2 Noticeable, not objectionable
3 Clearly noticeable, but still not objectionable
4 Objectionable
5 Very objectionable
6 Unbearable

The odor characteristics are defined as the arithmetic mean of the individual grades, together with
an indication of the test method and the variant used. When rounding this mean, it must be roun-
ded to the nearest half point. The arithmetic mean reveals the tendency toward a worse or better
grade.
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Grading examples
See table 4.

Table 4 – Evaluation examples

Example Evaluation
3,5 + 3,5 + 4,0 = 11,0 / 3 = 3,66 Odor test PV 3900 – A2 - Grade 3,5
4,0 + 4,0 + 3,5 = 11,5 / 3 = 3,83 Odor test PV 3900 – A2 - Grade 4,0

The odor of genuine leather (laminated and non-laminated) is evaluated exclusively by specifying
OK and NOK (not OK) for variants D4 and D5. If evaluated as OK, the leather being evaluated
does not have any significant bad odors. If evaluated as NOK, the leather being evaluated has sig-
nificant bad odors.
Bad odors include, e.g., fecal, sulfurous, putrid, rotting, pungent, phenolic.

Evaluation examples
See table 5.

Table 5 – Evaluation examples

Example Evaluation
OK + OK + NOK = OK Odor test PV 3900 – D4 evaluation OK
OK + NOK + NOK = NOK Odor test PV 3900 – D4 evaluation NOK

6 Test report
In addition to a description of the order and specimen(s), the report must include the following in-
formation without fail:
– Odor evaluation: Grade, or OK/NOK in the case of variant D
– Odor description
– Deviations from the procedure in this standard

7 Applicable documents
The following documents cited are necessary to the application of this document:
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.

DIN 12880 Electrical laboratory devices - Heating ovens and incubators

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Appendix A (informative)

A.1 Placing the specimen in the test container

Legend
1 Specimen (leather)
2 Wire mesh
3 Water
Figure A.1

Legend
1 Specimen (leather)
2 Beaker
3 Water
Figure A.2