Quantification and Prediction for Aging of Printing & Writing Papers
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Quantification and Prediction for Aging of Printing & Writing Papers Exposed to Light ASTM Institute for Standards Research Program Effect of Aging on Printing & Writing Papers USDA Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory Madison, Wisconsin Final Report August 2000 FPL 1 Table of Contents Section ...........................................................................................................................Page Program Overview.............................................................................................................. 3 Introduction to Light Aging Studies ................................................................................... 7 Executive Summary............................................................................................................ 9 Natural Aging of ISR Papers ............................................................................................ 12 Exposure Conditions..................................................................................................... 12 Testing Frequency and Protocols.................................................................................. 14 Initial Paper Characteristics.......................................................................................... 15 Optical Properties ......................................................................................................... 15 Physical Properties........................................................................................................ 23 Chemical Changes ........................................................................................................ 30 Accelerated Aging of ISR Papers ..................................................................................... 44 Exposure Conditions..................................................................................................... 44 Optical Properties ......................................................................................................... 45 Mechanical Properties................................................................................................... 54 Chemical Changes ........................................................................................................ 56 Procedures and Equipment ............................................................................................... 68 Rayonet Photoreactor Exposure.................................................................................... 68 Solar Simulator Exposure ............................................................................................. 68 Natural Chamber Exposures ......................................................................................... 71 Photo-Exposure Measurement and Calibration ............................................................ 73 Measurement of Optical Properties .............................................................................. 75 Mechanical Testing Methods........................................................................................ 76 Chemical Analysis Methods ......................................................................................... 77 Conclusions....................................................................................................................... 80 Natural Aging Studies................................................................................................... 80 Accelerated Aging Studies............................................................................................ 82 Protocol Issues .................................................................................................................. 84 Illumination Spectrum .................................................................................................. 85 Intensity and Duration of Illumination ......................................................................... 85 Uniformity of Illumination ........................................................................................... 86 Temperature .................................................................................................................. 86 Relative Humidity......................................................................................................... 87 Testing of Aged Samples.............................................................................................. 87 Existing Standards ........................................................................................................ 88 Joint FPL/KCL Accelerated Light Aging Test Recommendation.................................... 89 References......................................................................................................................... 94 List of Tables .................................................................................................................... 96 List of Figures................................................................................................................... 97 Appendixes ....................................................................................................................... 99 FPL 2 Program Overview Papers exist that are more than 500 years old and are still in very good condition. On the other hand, papers made less than 100 years ago have deteriorated so badly they are no longer usable. Until now, there has been no good means for predicting which papers would perform well for extended times compared with those that would fail at an early date. The Paper and Paper Products Committee of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has been confronted with this issue for a number of years. The remedy for the last half-century has been to specify a prescribed composition for those papers that must have long life expectancy. In 1992, discussion within the Committee identified a need to create standards that are based only on paper performance. To do so, it would be necessary to test papers to see how they would perform when new and to further test them to estimate the time for which they would continue to meet the end-use performance requirements. The purpose of the research program was to develop the needed test methods. Development of specific paper performance standards required by end users was left to others. To guage the life expectancy of paper, it was deemed necessary to accelerate aging of the paper over a short period. The accelerated aging process would have to create aging in a way that produced essentially the same physical and chemical changes as would occur in a natural aging process under normal conditions of storage and handling. Because the interest in developing scientifically sound test methods was substantial, a Task Group was formed by ASTM to define the research necessary to create such methods. The Task Group quickly became a new Subcommittee of the Paper Group. The Paper & Paper Composition Subcommittee (ASTM D6.50) guided the effort thereafter. In 1994, a 3-day workshop was held in Philadelphia, PA. Its objective was to develop a program of research that would answer key scientific questions that at that time prevented movement to acceptable accelerated aging test methods. It was agreed that to be successful, the test methods would have to be so scientifically sound that all with a stake in paper aging issues could endorse the methods. More than a hundred people from 12 countries attended the workshop; they included leading scientists in the field of paper aging and representatives from the pulp and paper industry, academia, government, libraries, archive and paper conservation, and environmental organizations. Under the guidance of skilled facilitators, the workshop participants reached consensus on the purpose and proposed scope of the research: • Development of credible, reliable accelerated aging test methods • Identification of high probability that chosen methods would predict life expectancy for any reasonable paper composition • Study and definition of important chemical and physical mechanisms of aging FPL 3 A request for research proposals to accomplish this program was sent to 25 distinguished institutions worldwide. Fifteen institutions responded with firm proposals, and five laboratories were chosen by a panel accountable for scientific and administrative direction to the program. The laboratories conduct research on three means of accelerating aging: temperature, light, and atmospheric pollutant gases: Temperature : • Canadian Conservation Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada—Dr. David Grattan, overall leadership; Mr. Paul Bégin, principal investigator • U.S. Library of Congress Preservation and Research Testing Division, Washington, DC—Dr. Chandru Shahani Light: • Finnish Pulp & Paper Research Institute, Espoo, Finland—Dr. Ingegerd Forsskåhl, principal investigator • USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, WI—Dr. Rajai Atalla and Dr. James Bond as principal investigators, and Dr. Umesh Agarwal and Mr. Chris Hunt as members of the team. Atmospheric pollutant gases: • Image Permanence Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology, New York State— Mr. James Reilly, overall direction; Dr. Peter Adelstein and Mr. Edward Zinn, principal investigators The sponsors were aware of the importance of being able to repeat the scientific studies in other laboratories. This would be done, only if needed; to fully validate the scientific information generated. Therefore, great care was taken to fully document