Test Equipment

Abstract

In the present invention, a heater (102) heats air in the interior of a thermostatic tank (101). A rotating sample stand (103) is disposed in the interior of the thermostatic tank (101), has a cylindrical shape, and comprises a plurality of sample placement sections (104) on which samples (131) to be tested are placed on the cylinder inner surface. A black panel thermometer (105) is disposed on the cylinder inner surface of the rotating sample stand (103). A light source (106) is positioned at the center of rotation of the rotating sample stand (103) and irradiates the black panel thermometer (105) and the samples (131) placed on the sample placement sections (104) with light for testing weather resistance. An in-tank thermometer (107) measures the temperature within the thermostatic tank (101). A radiation thermometer (108) performs non-contact measurement of the surface temperatures of the plurality of samples (131) placed on the sample placement sections (104).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a test apparatus for evaluating weather resistance. Place Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] Accelerated weathering tests are conducted to evaluate the durability of polymeric materials used in outdoor environments. Accelerated weathering tests accelerate the degradation caused by light and water by irradiating a sample with light from an artificial light source or spraying it with water (Non-Patent Document 1). The test generally involves repeating a test cycle consisting of multiple steps, such as a step of light irradiation only and a step of light irradiation and water spraying simultaneously.

[0003] The device for carrying out the above-mentioned test has a light source placed in the center of a test chamber, and a rotating sample holder is placed around the light source (see Non-Patent Document 1, Figures 1 and 15). A radiometer and a black panel thermometer are also installed in part of the sample holder. The radiometer receives light from the light source and measures the irradiance, and the light source is controlled so that the measured irradiance approaches a set value. The black panel thermometer is attached to a stainless steel panel painted black to simulate a black sample. The temperature measured by the black panel thermometer is called the black panel temperature.

[0004] The test equipment also includes a heater that heats the air inside the test layer, a humidifier that humidifies the air inside the test layer, and a blower that circulates the air inside the test layer. The blower circulates the air inside the test chamber, which contributes to making the temperature and humidity of the air inside the chamber uniform. The test equipment also includes an in-chamber temperature measuring unit that measures the temperature inside the test layer (in-chamber temperature) and an in-chamber humidity measuring unit that measures the humidity inside the test layer (in-chamber humidity). The control unit controls the operation of the heater, humidifier, and blower so that the black panel temperature, in-chamber temperature, and in-chamber humidity approach the set values. The test chamber may also include a water sprayer (specimen spray) that sprays water on the specimen.

[0005] Test conditions can be entered from the test condition input section, and it is possible to set the light irradiation intensity, black panel temperature, temperature inside the chamber, humidity inside the chamber, whether or not to spray water, time, and the number of times the test cycle is repeated for each test step.

[0006] Sunshine carbon arc lamps, ultraviolet carbon arc lamps, xenon arc lamps, metal halide lamps, mercury lamps, ultraviolet fluorescent lamps, etc. are commonly used as light sources for accelerated weathering test equipment (Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2). Among these, xenon arc lamps, which have a spectral distribution similar to that of sunlight, have been widely used in recent years. The light irradiation intensity of the light source can be set to any value, and generally, light of 300 nm to 400 nm is 40 W / m 2 ~180W / m 2 These light sources are generally cooled by cooling water and have a lamp cooling mechanism that circulates the cooling water.

[0007] The cylindrical rotating specimen holder has a plurality of specimen placement sections on the inner surface of the cylinder on which specimens to be tested are placed, and the specimens are fitted and fixed in the frame-shaped specimen placement sections. A light source is disposed at the center of the frame-shaped specimen holder, and the specimens fixed to the plurality of specimen placement sections are disposed so as to surround the light source. During the test, the specimen holder rotates at a constant speed around the light source, so that the light from the light source and the water sprayed from the water sprayer are evenly applied to each specimen. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0008] [Non-Patent Document 1] Shinji Iida, Hiromichi Takayanagi, Masami Yabe, "Accelerated Weathering Test Method", Research on Paints, No. 145, pp. 22-37, 2006. [Non-Patent Document 2] Shinji Iida and Hiromichi Takayanagi, "Accelerated Weathering Test (Part 2)", Research on Paints, No. 146, pp. 26-39, 2006. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] In the conventional accelerated weathering test, the temperature inside the chamber and the black panel temperature can be set as temperature-related test conditions. It is believed that if the black panel temperature is set to an arbitrary value, the sample temperature is also generally determined to a specific value. However, the inventors' experiments have revealed that if a test is performed in which the temperature inside the chamber and the black panel temperature are fixed and only the light irradiation intensity is changed, the sample temperature is not determined to a specific value.

[0010] Specifically, a test specimen or a plastic plate coated with white paint was used as the test specimen, and tests were conducted in which the temperature inside the chamber and the temperature on the black panel were fixed, and only the light irradiation intensity was changed, and the temperature of the specimen was measured during the tests. In this test, the lower the light irradiation intensity, the lower the sample temperature, and the higher the light irradiation intensity, the higher the sample temperature. This shows that even if the temperature inside the chamber and the temperature on the black panel are fixed, the sample surface temperature changes depending on the light irradiation intensity depending on the specimen. Thus, in the past, there was a problem in tests to accelerate deterioration due to light, in that the temperature of the specimen could not be adjusted to the temperature of the set test conditions.

[0011] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has as its object to set the temperature of a sample to a temperature that satisfies set test conditions in a test for accelerating deterioration due to light. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The testing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a thermostatic bath, a heater for heating the air inside the thermostatic bath, a rotating sample stage arranged inside the thermostatic bath, having a cylindrical shape and a plurality of sample mounting sections on which samples to be tested are placed on the inner surface of the cylinder, and rotating around the center of the cylinder, a black panel thermometer arranged on the inner surface of the cylinder of the rotating sample stage, a light source arranged at the rotation center of the rotating sample stage and irradiating light for weather resistance testing onto the black panel thermometer and the samples placed on the sample mounting sections, an in-tank thermometer for measuring the temperature inside the thermostatic bath, a radiation thermometer arranged between the inner surface of the cylinder of the rotating sample stage and the light source for individually measuring the surface temperatures of the samples placed on the sample mounting sections of the rotating sample stage, and a controller for controlling the surface temperature of the sample placed on the sample mounting sections based on the measurement results of the black panel thermometer, the in-tank thermometer, and the radiation thermometer so that the measurement result of the radiation thermometer becomes the set sample temperature.

[0013] Also , trial The testing method includes a first step of placing a sample on the sample mounting part of a rotating sample stage which is arranged inside a thermostatic chamber in which a weather resistance test is performed, has a cylindrical shape, has a plurality of sample mounting parts on its inner surface, and rotates around the center of the cylinder; a second step of irradiating the sample with light for the weather resistance test; and a third step of controlling the surface temperature of the sample placed on the sample mounting part based on the measurement result by a black panel thermometer arranged on the inner surface of the cylinder of the rotating sample stage, the measurement result of the temperature inside the thermostatic chamber, and the measurement result of the surface temperature of the sample by a radiation thermometer arranged between the inner surface of the cylinder of the rotating sample stage and the light source and placed on the sample mounting part of the rotating sample stage, so that the measurement result of the radiation thermometer becomes the set sample temperature. Effect of the Invention

[0014] As described above, according to the present invention, a radiation thermometer is provided that individually measures the surface temperature of a sample placed on the sample mounting portion of the rotating sample stage, so that in a test to accelerate deterioration due to light, the temperature of the sample can be set to a temperature that satisfies the set test conditions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1A]FIG. 1A is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a test device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 1B] FIG. 1B is a configuration diagram showing a partial configuration of the test apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a characteristic diagram showing an example of the temperature measurement result by the radiation thermometer 108. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a test device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] A test device according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described.

[0017] [Embodiment 1] First, a test apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1A and 1B. This test apparatus is an apparatus for carrying out an accelerated weather resistance test, and includes a thermostatic chamber 101, a heater 102, a rotating sample stage 103, a black panel thermometer 105, a light source 106, an in-chamber thermometer 107, a radiation thermometer 108, and a controller 109.

[0018] The heater 102 heats the air inside the thermostatic chamber 101. The rotating sample stage 103 is disposed inside the thermostatic chamber 101 and has a cylindrical shape. For example, as shown in the top view of FIG. 1B, the rotating sample stage 103 is a cylinder with a 12-sided cross section and has an outer shape of a 12-sided prism. The rotating sample stage 103 has a plurality of sample mounting parts 104 on the inner surface of the cylinder on which a sample 131 to be tested is mounted. For example, the sample 131 can be fixed by fitting it into the frame of the sample mounting part 104. For example, the sample mounting part 104 is provided on each side of the 12-sided prism of the rotating sample stage 103. The rotating sample stage 103 rotates around the center of the cylinder by a rotation mechanism (not shown).

[0019] The black panel thermometer 105 is disposed on the cylindrical inner surface of the rotating sample stage 103. The black panel thermometer 105 is disposed on one of the sample mounting sections 104. The black panel thermometer 105 is composed of a stainless steel plate painted black and a temperature sensor provided on the surface of the plate. The black panel thermometer 105 also includes a plastic (PVDF) insulating material attached to the back surface of the black painted stainless steel plate, and the temperature sensor can also be disposed between the stainless steel plate and the insulating material.

[0020] Light source 106 is disposed at the center of rotation of rotating sample stage 103, and irradiates light for weather resistance testing to black panel thermometer 105 and sample 131 placed on sample placement section 104. The irradiance of light source 106 is measured by radiometer 111, and the operation (output) of light source 106 is controlled by light source control section 112 using the measurement results.

[0021] The light source 106 can be, for example, a sunshine carbon arc lamp, an ultraviolet carbon arc lamp, a xenon arc lamp, a metal halide lamp, a mercury lamp, an ultraviolet fluorescent lamp, or the like (Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2). For example, a xenon arc lamp having a spectral distribution similar to that of sunlight has been widely used as the light source 106 in recent years. The light irradiation intensity of the light source 106 can be set to any value, and generally, light of 300 nm to 400 nm has an intensity of 40 W / m 2 ~180W / m 2 In addition, although not shown, the light source 106 is equipped with a lamp cooling mechanism that circulates cooling water, making it possible to cool the light source 106.

[0022] The in-bath thermometer 107 measures the temperature inside the thermostatic bath 101. The radiation thermometer 108 measures the surface temperatures of the multiple samples 131 placed on the sample placement portion 104 of the rotating sample stage 103 in a non-contact manner. The radiation thermometer 108 is disposed between the cylindrical inner surface of the rotating sample stage 103 and the light source 106. The radiation thermometer 108 also measures the surface temperatures of the multiple samples 131 individually. The radiation thermometer 108 can be composed of an infrared detection element. The radiation thermometer 108 can also be composed of a thermal image sensor that arranges infrared detection elements two-dimensionally and measures the two-dimensional temperature distribution in the measurement area.

[0023] The controller 109 controls the surface temperature of the sample placed on the sample placement unit 104 based on the measurement results of the black panel thermometer 105, the measurement results of the bath thermometer 107, and the measurement results of the radiation thermometer 108 so that the measurement result of the radiation thermometer 108 becomes the set sample temperature. For example, the controller 109 controls the surface temperature of the sample by controlling the heater 102. In addition, this testing apparatus can be equipped with a blower 110 that generates an air current inside the cylinder of the rotating sample stage 103.

[0024] The fan 110 is newly provided (added) in the present invention in addition to a fan (not shown, see Non-Patent Document 1) provided at the bottom of the thermostatic chamber for controlling the temperature inside the chamber and the black panel temperature, which is used in conventional general weather resistance test equipment. In this case, the controller 109 controls the amount of air blown by the fan 110 in addition to controlling the heater 102 described above, thereby controlling the surface temperature of the sample so that the measurement result of the radiation thermometer 108 becomes the set sample temperature.

[0025] The testing apparatus also includes a humidifier 113 and a hygrometer 114. The controller 109 controls the humidifier 113 based on the measurement result of the hygrometer 114 to set the temperature inside the thermostatic chamber 101 to the set humidity. The controller 109 also controls the operation of the rotation mechanism of the rotating specimen stage 103 so that the rotation speed of the rotating specimen stage 103 becomes a set value. The controller 109 also stores each measurement result in a storage device (not shown) and can display the results on a display device (not shown) arranged outside the thermostatic chamber 101.

[0026] Using this testing device, an accelerated weather resistance test can be performed by the following method. First, a rotating sample stage 103 is arranged inside a thermostatic chamber 101 in which the weather resistance test is performed, has a cylindrical shape, has a plurality of sample mounting portions 104 on the inner surface of the cylinder, and rotates around the center of the cylinder. A sample 131 is placed on each of the plurality of sample mounting portions 104 (first step). Next, the sample is irradiated with light for the weather resistance test (second step).

[0027] Next, based on the measurement results from the black panel thermometer 105 arranged on the cylindrical inner surface of the rotating sample stage 103, the measurement results of the temperature inside the thermostatic chamber 101, and the measurement results of the surface temperature of the sample from the radiation thermometer 108 arranged between the cylindrical inner surface of the rotating sample stage 103 and the light source 106 and placed on the sample mounting portion 104 of the rotating sample stage 103, the surface temperature of the sample placed on the sample mounting portion 104 is controlled so that the measurement results from the radiation thermometer 108 become the set sample temperature (third step).

[0028] For example, the heater 102 is controlled to control the surface temperature of the sample. In addition to the above-mentioned control of the heater 102, the amount of air blown by the blower 110 is controlled to control the surface temperature of the sample so that the measurement result of the radiation thermometer 108 corresponds to the set sample temperature. Based on the measurement result of the hygrometer 114, the humidifier 113 is controlled to set the temperature inside the thermostatic chamber 101 to the set humidity. The temperature state, humidity state, and light irradiation set as described above are continued for a set time.

[0029] Here, the range of the width of the sample placement part 104 in the rotation direction of the rotating sample placement part 103, centered on a point on the cylindrical inner surface side of the rotating sample placement part 103 on a virtual straight line passing through the installation position of the light source 106 and the installation position of the radiation thermometer 108, can be the temperature measurement range of the radiation thermometer 108. The controller 109 uses the measurement result performed by the radiation thermometer 108 when the sample placement part 104 is located in the temperature measurement range. The rotation of the rotating sample placement part 103 is controlled by the controller 109, and if the temperature measurement range of the radiation thermometer 108 is set in the controller 109 in advance, the above-mentioned measurement control can be performed. For example, the controller 109 controls the radiation thermometer 108 to perform measurement when the sample placement part 104 is located in the temperature measurement range. The controller 109 also uses the measurement result of the radiation thermometer 108 when the sample placement part 104 is located in the temperature measurement range for heater control.

[0030] This prevents the temperature measurement results other than that of the sample 131 from being used to control the heater 102 by the controller 109. In particular, by using the measurement results performed by the radiation thermometer 108 when the sample mounting part 104 is located at the center of the temperature measurement range, the surface temperature measurement near the center of the sample 131 can be used to control the heater 102.

[0031] The controller 109 can use the measurement value in which the temperature measured by the radiation thermometer 108 is approximately constant for a longer period as the measurement result of the radiation thermometer 108. Since each sample 131 rotates together with the rotating sample stage 103, the temperature measurement result by the radiation thermometer 108 alternates between a state in which the surface temperature of the sample 131 is measured and a state in which the temperature of an area other than the sample 131 is measured, as shown in FIG. 2. In general, the distance between adjacent samples in the rotation direction is narrowed as much as possible in order to arrange as many samples as possible. Therefore, the time between t2 and t3 in which the surface temperature of the sample 131 is measured is longer than the time between t1 and t2 and between t3 and t4 in which the temperature of an area other than the sample 131 is measured. Therefore, the measurement value in which the temperature measured by the radiation thermometer 108 is approximately constant for a longer period can be regarded as the measurement of the surface temperature of the sample 131.

[0032] According to the testing device of embodiment 1, in a test for accelerating degradation due to light, the temperature of the sample can be measured even when the light irradiation intensity is changed, so that the temperature of the sample can be set to the temperature of the set test conditions.

[0033] [Embodiment 2] Next, a test apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 3. This test apparatus includes a thermostatic chamber 101, a heater 102, a rotating sample stage 103, a sample placement unit 104, a black panel thermometer 105, a light source 106, an in-chamber thermometer 107, a radiation thermometer 108, a controller 109, a radiometer 111, a light source control unit 112, a humidifier 113, and a hygrometer 114. These components are similar to those in the first embodiment described above.

[0034] The second embodiment further includes a camera 115 that captures an image of the cylindrical inner surface of the rotating sample stage 103 on which the sample placement part 104 is provided, and an image processing circuit 116 that identifies the sample placement part 104 from the image captured by the camera 115. The camera 115 can be, for example, a so-called digital camera constituted by an area image sensor.

[0035] The controller 109 uses the measurement result performed by the radiation thermometer 108 at the time when the image processing circuit 116 recognizes the sample mounting part 104. For example, a reference image obtained by capturing an image of the sample mounting part 104 on which the sample 131 is fixed is set in the image processing circuit 116. When the image processing circuit 116 detects a portion in the captured image whose degree of match with the reference image in pattern recognition is equal to or greater than a set value, the image processing circuit 116 can identify (specify) the sample mounting part 104 on which the sample 131 is placed. In this way, it is possible to prevent the temperature measurement result of anything other than the sample 131 from being used by the controller 109 to control the surface temperature of the sample placed on the sample mounting part 104.

[0036] According to the testing device of embodiment 2, in a test for accelerating degradation due to light, the temperature of the sample can be measured even when the light irradiation intensity is changed, so that the temperature of the sample can be set to the temperature of the set test conditions.

[0037] The testing apparatus according to the first and second embodiments described above may further include a temperature controller for cooling the sample placed on the sample placement section 104. Depending on the combination of the set values ​​of the light irradiation intensity, the temperature inside the chamber, and the sample surface temperature, it may be difficult to control the sample temperature using the heater 102 and the blower 110. For this reason, in order to control the sample temperature more precisely, a temperature controller for cooling or heating the sample from the back side of the sample may be provided.

[0038] The experimental results are explained below. First, a specimen was prepared by coating a urethane resin coating to a thickness of 50 μm on a steel plate measuring 7 cm x 15 cm in plan view.

[0039] In addition, the accelerated weather resistance test was performed under the following conditions: light irradiation intensity IW / m 2(wavelength 300nm-400nm), black panel temperature BPT℃, and chamber temperature CT℃. The weathering test device set under these conditions was operated for 1 hour to perform an accelerated weathering test, and the sample surface temperature ST℃ was measured. In addition, for the cases where the light irradiation intensity I was set to 60, 120, and 180, the device was also operated with the blower 110 in operation, and the sample surface temperature ST℃ was measured. In this test, a conventional blower was also operated at the bottom of the thermostatic chamber to control the chamber temperature and the black panel temperature. In Table 1, the state in which the blower 110 according to the invention was also operated is indicated as "with additional blower." The condition in which the blower 110 according to the invention was not operated, and a conventional blower was operated.

[0040] Test conditions 1, 2, and 5 were tests in which only the light irradiation intensity I was changed, and it was confirmed that the sample surface temperature rose as the light irradiation intensity I increased. Then, by operating the blower 110 that generates an airflow inside the cylinder of the rotating sample stage, the sample temperature could be lowered to 40° C. under test condition 3, the same as under test condition 1, and it was confirmed that the sample surface temperature can be controlled by the blower 110. Under test condition 5, in which I was larger than under test condition 3, the sample surface temperature was lowered more than under test condition 4 by operating the blower 110, but it was not possible to lower it to the same temperature as under test condition 1.

[0041] This results in 180W / m 2 It was found that, when the light irradiation intensity is strong, and the temperature inside the chamber is 30°C, it is not easy to lower the sample temperature to 40°C by air blowing alone. Therefore, as test condition 6, a temperature controller consisting of a Peltier element is attached to the back surface of the sample, and the test is performed while cooling the sample from the back surface. This shows that the sample surface temperature can be controlled to 40°C, and that cooling the sample from the back surface in addition to the air blower 110 is effective for controlling the sample surface temperature. Note that, although a Peltier element is used as the temperature controller here, it can be easily inferred that a temperature controller using a heat sink or circulating cold / hot water can also be used.

[0042] In addition, although an example has been given here of lowering the sample surface temperature when it becomes too high, it can easily be inferred that when the sample surface temperature is low, the output of the blower 110 can be reduced and the rear surface of the sample can be heated to raise the sample surface temperature.

[0043] [Table 1]

[0044] As is clear from the above experimental results, since the surface temperature of the sample is measured, it becomes possible to control the surface temperature of the sample in a test for accelerating deterioration due to light.

[0045] As described above, according to the present invention, a radiation thermometer is provided that individually measures the surface temperature of a sample placed on the sample placement section of the rotating sample stage, so that in a test to accelerate deterioration due to light, the temperature of the sample can be adjusted to a temperature that satisfies the set test conditions.

[0046] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it is apparent that many modifications and combinations can be made by a person having ordinary knowledge in the art within the technical concept of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 101... constant temperature bath, 102... heater, 103... rotating sample stage, 104... sample mounting section, 105... black panel thermometer, 106... light source, 107... in-bath thermometer, 108... radiation thermometer, 109... controller, 110... blower, 111... radiometer, 112... light source control section, 113... humidifier, 114... hygrometer, 131... sample.

Claims

1. A thermostatic chamber; a heater for heating the air inside the thermostatic chamber; a rotating sample stage that is disposed inside the thermostatic chamber, has a cylindrical shape, includes a plurality of sample placement sections on which samples to be tested are placed on an inner surface of the cylindrical shape, and rotates around the center of the cylindrical shape; A black panel thermometer disposed on the cylindrical inner surface of the rotating sample stage; a light source that is disposed at the rotation center of the rotating sample stage and irradiates the black panel thermometer and the sample placed on the sample placement section with light for a weather resistance test; A thermometer inside the thermostatic chamber for measuring a temperature inside the thermostatic chamber; a radiation thermometer disposed between the cylindrical inner surface of the rotating sample stage and the light source, the radiation thermometer measuring the surface temperature of each sample placed on the sample placement portion of the rotating sample stage; a controller that controls the surface temperature of the sample placed on the sample placement part based on the measurement results of the black panel thermometer, the measurement results of the bath thermometer, and the measurement results of the radiation thermometer so that the measurement results of the radiation thermometer become a set sample temperature; and a camera for photographing an inner cylindrical surface of the rotating sample stage on which the sample placement portion is provided; an image processing circuit for identifying the sample placement portion from the image captured by the camera; Equipped with The test device according to claim 1, wherein the controller uses the measurement result performed by the radiation thermometer at the time when the image processing circuit recognizes the sample placement portion.

2. 2. The test device according to claim 1, The testing apparatus further comprises a temperature controller for cooling the sample placed on the sample placement section.

3. 3. The test device according to claim 1, The testing apparatus further comprises a blower for generating an air current inside the cylinder of the rotating sample stage.

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