JP2001194292A - Ozone exposure test method and ozone exposure test apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ozone exposure test method high in reproducibility and reliability with respect to a water or moisture absorbable material to be tested. SOLUTION: In the ozone exposure test method, an ozone exposure test is performed with no adhesion of water to a sample to be measured during the ozone exposure test. In an ozone exposure test apparatus, a mechanism preventing water from penetrating in the route entering a test tank during the ozone exposure test is provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ozone exposure test method, and particularly to a medium such as paper or sheet by ink jet, printing, sublimation transfer, thermal transfer, electrophotography, silver halide photography, self-color recording, and the like. The test method of the image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for image fastness of recorded matters by printing, ink jet, silver halide photography and the like. As described in JP-A-63-252780, the ozone exposure test is particularly effective as a method for examining the occurrence of indoor fading.

[0003] Conventionally, an ozone exposure apparatus has been proposed, but it is an apparatus without a mechanism for controlling the temperature and humidity of the test tank or an apparatus which controls only the temperature. Was not described. Therefore, there was a problem that the results of the ozone exposure test differed depending on the conditions in the ozone exposure test of the test sample having water absorbency or hygroscopicity.

The Society of Rubber Industry, Japan, Vol. 62, No. 7, 1989
Pages 423 to 437 describe ozone tests and ozone testers. Among them, a precise method for measuring the ozone concentration is described. Suga Technical News No. 161 (edited by Suga Test Machine Co., Ltd., December 25, 1998)
On page 8 of (Issue issued on the day), it is stated that in the case of the ozone test, it is decided to replace 3/4 (941) of the test tank inner volume every minute. However, neither describes the humidity control in the test tank during the ozone exposure test or the range thereof.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ozone exposure test method with high reproducibility and reliability.

The present inventor has found that in the ozone exposure test of the test sample, the reproducibility of the ozone exposure test is improved by controlling not only the ozone concentration in the test tank but also the temperature and humidity. However, when performing an ozone exposure test under particularly high humidity conditions, condensation may occur in the circulatory system, and when performing an ozone exposure test continuously, moisture adhering to the dehumidifier may cause In some cases, water droplets may form.

In these cases, the adhesion of liquid to the sample to be exposed to ozone may cause a significant difference in fading or deterioration in the ozone exposure test. The present invention was found to be more effective in improving the reproducibility of the ozone exposure test by preventing the adhesion of the compound, and was particularly effective in the test under the condition where dew condensation was remarkable.

[0008]

The above objects are achieved by the present invention described below. That is, the present invention has a circulation system for returning gas containing ozone from the test tank to the test tank via the ozone concentration adjusting means, and prevents liquid water from entering the path from the circulation system to the test tank. An ozone exposure test method characterized in that an ozone exposure test is performed without using a mechanism for preventing liquid water from adhering to a sample to be measured during the ozone exposure test.

Further, the present invention has a test tank for performing an ozone exposure test, and a circulation system connected to the test tank for returning a gas containing ozone from the test tank to the test tank via an ozone concentration adjusting means. An ozone exposure apparatus, further comprising a mechanism for preventing liquid water from entering the path from the circulation system to the test tank.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS By using the ozone exposure test method of the present invention, an ozone exposure test with good reproducibility can be performed even when repeated measurements are made.

Hereinafter, the ozone exposure test method of the present invention will be described in detail.

The ozone exposure test method of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a general ozone tester. The test tank 1 incorporates a circulation system. Test tank 1
The air containing ozone (hereinafter referred to as “air”) that has flowed out is taken into the blower 2 via a filter (not shown). The air discharged from the blower 2 is cooled and dehumidified by the dehumidifier 3 and then humidified and humidified and heated by the heater 4 to be adjusted to a predetermined temperature and humidity. The air whose temperature and humidity have been adjusted is subjected to measurement and adjustment of the ozone concentration by the ozone concentration controller 5,
It is returned to the test tank 1.

If necessary, the switching valve 13 can be opened and closed to replace the circulating air with the outside air. Further, the ozone concentration controller 5 can be provided in the test tank away from the circulation system. At this time, an ozone concentration controller 11 and an ozone generator 12 can be provided separately if necessary.

In the present invention, it is preferable to remove liquid water into the test tank during the ozone exposure test from the circulating air before entering the test tank from the circulation system.

Here, the adhesion of water to the test sample during the ozone exposure test is performed by installing a filter paper in the test tank in place of the test sample and performing ozone exposure. It can be confirmed by visually observing the surface of the filter paper after the end of the ozone exposure test and examining the presence or absence of traces of water adhesion.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an ozone test apparatus according to the present invention. Here, the method of preventing intrusion into the test tank can be achieved by providing a water removing mechanism 6 in an air circulation system as shown in FIG. Here, the water removal mechanism 6 removes liquid water from the circulating air.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the test tank 1 and the water removing mechanism 6 of the present invention. In the water removing mechanism 6, a method of removing liquid water with a baffle plate 8 as shown in FIG. 2 is preferable. Here, the baffle plate 8 can be provided at a corner of the piping of the circulation system, or can be provided in the middle of the piping. The baffle plate 8 can be inclined with respect to the piping path like the baffle plate b, or can be provided perpendicular to the piping like the baffle plate c. Also, a plurality of baffles can be used as shown in b and c in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of another embodiment of the test tank 1 and the water removing mechanism 6 of the present invention. A method in which liquid water is removed by the trap 9 in the water removing mechanism 6 is preferable. Here, the trap 9 has a form of a trap a provided at a corner of the pipe and a form of a trap b provided in the middle of the pipe, and both can be preferably used. In the present invention, a plurality of traps 9 can be provided as needed.

Further, in the present invention, the baffle 8 and the trap 9 can be used in combination.

In the ozone exposure test apparatus of the present invention, it is necessary to keep the temperature and humidity inside the test tank at constant values during the ozone exposure test. It is preferable that the humidity range is 30% RH to 70% RH. When the humidity is within the above range, it is possible to prevent bleeding of a printed image and to prevent unevenness due to a change due to ozone exposure.

Here, the bleeding means that the printed image protrudes from a printing portion to a white background. Further, the unevenness in the ozone exposure test means that when an image printed on a solid area over a certain area is exposed to ozone, fading or discoloration proceeds differently and does not change uniformly.

A more preferable range is that the humidity of the test tank 1 is 40.
６０60% RH. If the humidity is within the above range, the fluctuation of the ozone concentration during the test can be reduced.

The temperature range is preferably from 20 ° C. to 60 ° C. If the temperature is within the above range, discoloration or discoloration due to ozone exposure can be generated without increasing the ozone exposure time. A more preferred range is from 20C to 50C.
Within this range, deformation of the test sample such as curl and twist can be prevented.

Preferred embodiments of the ozone exposure test apparatus suitable for the ozone exposure test method of the present invention are shown below.

[0025]

[Example 1] Ozone test apparatus (manufactured by Suga Test Instruments Co., Ltd.)
Was used. The same baffle a in FIG. 2 was attached to the corner of the piping of the air circulation system of the ozone tester. The test sample was put in an ozone test apparatus, and the test was performed under the following conditions.

Test chamber temperature: 40 ° C. Test chamber humidity: 50% RH Ozone concentration: 3 ppm Exposure test time: 120 minutes Samples to be tested were obtained as follows. Silica (Mizukasil P) was added to commercially available electrophotographic paper (EN-500, manufactured by Canon Inc.).
78A, manufactured by Mizusawa Chemical Co., Ltd.) and polypinyl alcohol (NH-
18, Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) at a ratio of 3: 1 in terms of dry solids, on a paper coated to a thickness of 15 g / m ² of dry solids with an ink jet printer (BJC-250, manufactured by Canon Inc.). A 100% cyan solid pattern was printed at a size of 20 × 20 mm.

The optical density before and after the ozone exposure was measured using a densitometer (31).
0TR, manufactured by X-lite) and the residual ratio was calculated by the following equation.

Residual rate = optical density after exposure to ozone / optical density before exposure to ozone * 100 The ozone exposure test was continuously performed 5 times by the same operation. The results are shown in Table 1. Reproducibility was good.

Example 2 An ozone test apparatus (manufactured by Suga Test Instruments Co., Ltd.) was used. Three sets of the same baffle b in FIG. 2 were provided in the piping of the air circulation system. The same test sample as in Example 1 was placed in an ozone test apparatus, and the test was performed under the same conditions.

The reproducibility was good. Table 1 shows the results.

Example 3 An ozone test device (manufactured by Suga Test Instruments Co., Ltd.) was used. The same thing as the trap a of FIG. 3 was provided at the corner of the piping of the air circulation system. The same test sample as in Example 1 was placed in an ozone test apparatus, and the test was performed under the same conditions.

The reproducibility was good. Table 1 shows the results.

Example 4 An ozone test apparatus (manufactured by Suga Test Instruments Co., Ltd.) was used. The same thing as the trap b in FIG. 3 was provided in the piping of the air circulation system. The same test sample as in Example 1 was placed in an ozone test apparatus, and the test was performed under the same conditions.

The reproducibility was good. Table 1 shows the results.

[0035]

[Table 1]

[0036]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

By preventing liquid water from adhering to the sample under test during the ozone exposure test, the reproducibility of the ozone exposure test is improved, and in addition, stable ozone discoloration,
Discoloration can occur.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an ozone test method and a test apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a water removal mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a water removing mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a general ozone test method and a test apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Test tank 2 Blower 3 Dehumidifier 4 Heating and humidifier 5 Ozone concentration controller 6 Water removal mechanism 7 Circulating air flow 8 Baffle plate 9 Trap 11 Ozone concentration measuring device 12 Ozone generator 13 Switching valve 14 Filter

Claims (11)

[Claims] An ozone exposure test method, comprising: a circulation system for returning gas containing ozone from a test tank to the test tank via an ozone concentration adjusting means; An ozone exposure test method comprising performing an ozone exposure test without adhering liquid water to a sample to be measured during an ozone exposure test using a mechanism for preventing liquid water from entering. 2. The ozone exposure test method according to claim 1, wherein the mechanism for preventing water from entering includes one or more baffles provided for water removal. 3. The ozone exposure test method according to claim 1, wherein the mechanism for preventing water from entering includes one or more traps provided for water removal. 4. The ozone exposure test method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature and humidity in the test tank are controlled to constant values. 5. The ozone exposure test method according to claim 1, wherein the humidity in the test tank for performing the ozone exposure test is 30% RH to 70% RH. 6. The ozone exposure test method according to claim 1, wherein a variation in humidity in a test tank for performing the ozone exposure test is ± 2% RH. 7. The ozone exposure test method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature in the test tank for performing the ozone exposure test is 20 ° C. to 60 ° C. 8. A test tank for performing an ozone exposure test, and a circulation system connected to the test tank for returning a gas containing ozone from the test tank to the test tank via an ozone concentration adjusting means, An ozone exposure apparatus having a mechanism for preventing liquid water from entering a path from a circulation system to the test tank. 9. The ozone exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the mechanism for preventing water from entering includes one or more baffles provided for water removal. 10. The ozone exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the mechanism for preventing water from entering includes one or more traps provided for water removal. 11. The ozone exposure apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a mechanism for controlling the temperature and humidity in the test tank to constant values.