JP2014023649A - Plumbing member - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To provide a water-retaining member that has excellent cleaning performance of scale and has scratch resistance and excellent aesthetic appearance.
The water-circulating member of the present invention is repeatedly contacted and dried with water containing soluble silica. In this water member, at least the surface S is mainly composed of polypropylene (PP). Further, the surface S has a texture formed by transfer. The surface roughness Rz is 12 μm or more and 20 μm or less, and the gloss is 3.5 or more with a 60 ° gloss value.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a water member.

  A general water-based member such as a bathroom counter mainly includes ABS resin (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer synthetic resin), unsaturated polyester, thermosetting acrylic resin, and the like. Patent Document 1 proposes that the main component of the water-circulating member is polypropylene for the purpose of heat resistance, scratch resistance, rigidity, and the like.

JP 2000-225069 A

  However, the water circulation member mainly composed of the ABS resin or the like has a problem that the scale is easily fixed and the scale is difficult to remove due to repeated contact and drying with tap water or the like after long-term use. is there. In the water-circulating member, the scale formed by precipitation of mineral content (metal ions such as Si, K, Ca, Fe) contained in tap water or the like becomes a problem. Among the scales, calcium carbonate and the like can be cleaned with an acidic or alkaline detergent, but the scale caused by soluble silica cannot be cleaned with general detergents and chemicals, which is a problem. In particular, in the dark water-based member, the fixed scale is easily noticeable.

  In this regard, it is considered that a certain degree of water stain cleaning performance can be secured in the polypropylene water-circulating member because the surface free energy of polypropylene is smaller than that of the ABS resin.

  However, in the water-based member mainly composed of polypropylene, even if high-crystal polypropylene is used, the hardness is insufficient and still easily scratched. For this reason, it is necessary to frequently wipe and clean this water member, which is difficult to adopt.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional situation, and it is an issue to be solved to provide a water-surrounding member that is excellent in dirt cleaning properties and has scratch resistance and an excellent aesthetic appearance. Yes.

The water-surrounding member of the present invention is a water-surrounding member that is repeatedly contacted and dried with water containing soluble silica,
At least the surface is mainly composed of polypropylene,
The surface has a texture formed by transfer, the surface roughness Rz is 12 μm or more and 20 μm or less, and the gloss is 3.5 or more with a 60 ° gloss value (Claim 1). .

  According to the inventors' confirmation, as shown in Table 1 below, the glass and the ridge face have a large surface free energy. On the other hand, soluble silica that causes water scale also has a large surface free energy. Thus, since the difference in surface free energy between glass and the glaze surface is small, the scale easily adheres to the surface and exhibits properties that are difficult to remove. ABS resin and high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) also exhibit characteristics that the scale is easily fixed and difficult to remove because the difference in surface free energy from soluble silica is still small.

  In this respect, at least the surface of the water-circulating member of the present invention is mainly composed of polypropylene (PP). PP has the smallest surface free energy next to polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). For this reason, the water supply member of the present invention has a large difference in surface free energy from soluble silica, and it is difficult for scale to adhere and to exhibit characteristics that are easy to remove.

  Further, the water-circulating member of the present invention has a texture having a surface formed by transfer. For this reason, even if the hardness is insufficient due to PP, scratches are hardly noticeable.

  In particular, the surface of the water supply member of the present invention has a surface roughness Rz of 12 μm or more and 20 μm or less, and a gloss of 3.5 or more with a 60 ° gloss value. According to the tests by the inventors, when the surface roughness and the gloss are within this range, the water scale does not collect easily and is easy to clean. In addition, PP has a large shrinkage ratio, but if the surface roughness and gloss are in this range, the transfer unevenness of sink marks or grain is hardly noticeable even in the case of injection molding.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-67506 has a disclosure specifying a texture on the surface of the water supply member. However, this water member has FRP as a main component, and does not disclose the problem and configuration of the present invention.

  Therefore, the water-circulating member of the present invention can exhibit excellent cleaning performance against scale and excellent aesthetics due to excellent scratch resistance. In addition, the water-circulating member of the present invention can exhibit excellent low cost because PP is very inexpensive compared to fluorine-based materials such as PTFE.

  At least the surface of the water-circulating member of the present invention is composed mainly of PP. This is because it is sufficient if the surface that is in contact with water is PP and the main component of the surface is PP. That is, the whole may have PP as a main component, the whole may not have PP as a main component, and only the surface needs to have PP as a main component. A surface material mainly composed of PP may be attached to the main body, and such a surface material may be integrally formed with the main body.

  The surface of the water supply member of the present invention has a texture formed by transfer. If the texture can be formed by transfer, the water-circulating member of the present invention can be manufactured by various manufacturing methods. For example, the whole can be injection molded. Moreover, what transferred the unevenness | corrugation to the molded object which carried out the extrusion molding may be used. After extruding the surface material, the surface material may be transferred to a roll, and the obtained surface material may be affixed to the main body, or may be integrally formed with the main body using the surface material.

  The surface has a surface roughness Rz of 12 μm or more and 20 μm or less. According to the test results of the inventors, the smaller the surface roughness Rz, the better the cleaning property of scale, and the larger the surface roughness Rz, the better the scratch resistance. When the surface roughness Rz is less than 12 μm, although the cleaning property of scale is excellent, the scratch resistance is not sufficient. On the other hand, when the surface roughness Rz exceeds 20 μm, although the scratch resistance is excellent, the cleaning property of scale is not sufficient.

  Further, the gloss of the surface is 3.5 or more with a 60 ° gloss value. According to the test results of the inventors, when the gloss is 60 ° gloss value and less than 3.5, depending on the value of Rz, either the cleaning property of the scale or the scratch resistance may be satisfied. The scratch resistance is not compatible and the performance is not sufficient. The gloss value is an index representing a fine uneven shape on the ridge line of the grain that cannot be detected by the surface roughness Rz. A high gloss value means that there are few fine uneven | corrugated shapes. For this reason, since the gloss value is high = the number of fine uneven shapes is small, it is difficult for water scale to enter and it is easy to clean, thus ensuring cleanability. In addition, the phenomenon that the appearance is changed due to scratches occurs when the shape of the surface changes. If there are many fine irregularities (= low gloss value), the appearance change when rubbing the surface is large and scratches are conspicuous, but if there are few fine irregularities (= high gloss value), the appearance change is small and scratch resistance Sex can be secured.

  Any member used around the water is applicable as the member around the water of the present invention. For example, bathroom counter, bathroom floor, bathroom drain pan, bathroom storage shelf, flush fitting exterior, bathtub, bathroom panel, flush toilet, basin, wash bowl, kitchen counter, kitchen sink, kitchen An eye plate or the like may be employed.

  It is preferable that PP is 80% by mass or more on the surface (claim 2). That is, the main component means that PP is 80% by mass or more. In addition to PP, additives such as pigments, fillers, flame retardants and lubricants may be contained. When PP is less than 80% by mass, the cleaning property of scale is impaired.

PP includes homo PP, random PP, and block PP, and there is a difference in crystallinity, but the type is not limited. According to the test results of the inventors, PP preferably has a tensile modulus of 1400 MPa or more and a Charpy impact value of less than 8.0 kJ / m ² (Claim 3).

  When the above physical properties are satisfied, it is easy to achieve both cleanability of scale and scratch resistance. It is presumed that the physical properties correlate with the amount of rubber (EPR) of the block PP.

  The water-circulating member of the present invention is preferably formed by injection molding. As a result, the water member of the present invention can be easily obtained.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the water supply member of the present invention is a bathroom counter. Since the scale easily adheres to the bathroom counter, the effect of the present invention becomes remarkable.

  The water supply member of the present invention can exhibit excellent cleanability against scale and excellent aesthetics due to excellent scratch resistance.

It is sectional drawing of a test body. It is a graph which concerns on the test 1 and shows the relationship between surface roughness Rz and cleaning property. It is a graph which concerns on the test 1 and shows the relationship between surface roughness Rz and scratch resistance. It is a graph which concerns on the test 1 and shows the relationship between a gloss value and cleaning property. It is a graph which concerns on the test 1 and shows the relationship between a gross value and scratch resistance. It is a graph which concerns on the test 1 and shows the relationship between surface roughness Rz and a gross value. 4 is a photomicrograph showing a cross section of a specimen 11 according to Test 2. 4 is a photomicrograph showing a cross section of a specimen 4 according to Test 2.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described by tests 1 and 2.

(Test 1)
First, the texture which changed the conditions to the insert mold of the injection mold was processed, and the test bodies 1-50 were shape | molded using PP composition. The PP composition comprises 99% by mass of PP and 1% by mass of black pigment (carbon black). The thickness of each test body 1-50 was unified at 3 mm. As shown in FIG. 1, the surface S of each test body 1-50 has a texture formed by transfer.

The surface roughness Rz of each test body 1-50 was measured on condition of the following.
Standard: JIS-'94 Gaussian Parameter: Rz 10-point average roughness Measuring machine surface roughness meter: surfcom590A manufactured by Tokyo Seimitsu Measuring needle: 2 μm R standard pickup Inclination correction: least square linear correction Measurement mode: roughness measurement Measurement speed: 0. 15mm / s
Cut-off wavelength: 0.80mm
Measurement magnification: 5000 times Measurement distance: 4.0 mm

Moreover, the glossiness of the surface S of each test body 1-50 was measured on condition of the following.
Parameter: 60 ° gloss value Measuring instrument: HORIBA IG320

Then, using the Aichi tap water (about the content of soluble silica 5～15Ppm), after spraying of 100 cm ² per 5mL for each specimen 50, 90 minutes with warm air of 40 ° C Dried. This was repeated 60 cycles to deposit scale. Thereafter, the wet urethane sponge was cleaned 10 times in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the amount of residual scale was visually indexed between 0 and 100 points. More than 80 points were determined to be acceptable for cleaning of scale. The standard is as follows.
0 point: Scale dirt cannot be removed at all.
10 to 30 points: A part of scale dirt can be removed.
40-50 points: About half of the dirt can be removed.
60-70 points: Dust stains can be almost removed, but remain to the extent that can be seen visually.
80-90 points: Level of dirt that can be removed almost completely and the residue cannot be seen without careful observation.
100 points: Scale dirt can be completely removed.

A test PP cup (As One / Disposable sample storage container (PP, φ70 × 40mm; new one is used for each sample) was fixed with a 1kg weight (270g / cm ² with a load around the contact area). It was made to reciprocate 50 times horizontally on the bodies 1 to 50, and the scratch pattern on the surface S was indexed.It was assumed that the scratch resistance was acceptable at 80 points or more.
0 to 40 points: scratches are very conspicuous 50 to 70 points: scratches can be visually confirmed 80 points: scratches can be clearly understood 90 points: scratches are hardly known 100 points: scratches are not found, cannot be identified The child's PP cup is a material of products often used around water (detergent bottles, baskets, buckets, containers, etc.). The load was set from the content of a typical detergent, the weight when the container was filled with water, and the contact area.

  Moreover, the relationship between the surface roughness Rz and the cleaning property is shown in FIG. 2, and the relationship between the surface roughness Rz and the scratch resistance is shown in FIG. Further, FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the gloss value and the cleaning property, and FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the gloss value and the scratch resistance. Further, FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the surface roughness Rz and the gloss value.

  From Table 2 and FIGS. 2 and 3, it can be seen that there is a trade-off relationship that the smaller the surface roughness Rz, the better the cleaning property of the scale, and the higher the surface roughness Rz, the better the scratch resistance. On the other hand, from Table 2 and FIGS. And, as shown in FIG. 6, by plotting the cleaning performance and scratch resistance performance, if the surface roughness Rz is 12 μm or more and 20 μm or less, and the gloss is 60 ° gloss value or more, 3.5 or more, It was found that both cleanability and scratch resistance can be achieved.

(Test 2)
PP test bodies 1 to 13 were molded in the same manner as in Test 1 above using PP from multiple manufacturers in Japan and overseas. At this time, in the state of the molded product, the molding conditions were adjusted so that the surface shape was Rz = 12 to 15 and the gloss value was 4.0 to 5.0. In addition, the PP manufacturer's catalog values were adopted for the PP tensile modulus and Charpy impact value. The results are shown in Table 3.

From Table 3, it can be seen that there is a correlation between the tensile modulus of elasticity and the Charpy impact value of PP and the cleanability and scratch resistance. That is, if PP having a tensile modulus of elasticity of 1400 MPa or more and a Charpy impact value of less than 8.0 kJ / m ² is employed, it is easy to achieve both cleanability of scale and scratch resistance.

Moreover, the microscope picture of the cross section of PP test body 11 is shown in FIG. 7, and the microscope picture of the cross section of PP test body 4 is shown in FIG. The PP specimen 11 has a tensile modulus of 1300 MPa, a Charpy impact value of 8.8 kJ / m ² , a cleanability of x, and a scratch resistance of x. On the other hand, PP specimen 4 has a tensile modulus of 1600 MPa, a Charpy impact value of 3.9 kJ / m ² , a cleanability of ◯, and a scratch resistance of ◯.

  That is, the amount of rubber and the tensile elastic modulus have a negative correlation. The amount of rubber and the Charpy impact value have a positive correlation. For this reason, when there is much rubber content, a tensile elasticity modulus is low and it is easy to be damaged. On the other hand, if the rubber content is large, cleanability cannot be ensured due to the penetration of water scale into the rubber content. For this reason, it can be seen that PP having a high tensile elastic modulus and a low impact value has a low rubber content (EPR) content and is excellent in cleanability and scratch resistance.

  Therefore, if a watering member such as a bathroom counter is manufactured based on tests 1 and 2, the watering member can exhibit excellent cleaning properties against water scale and excellent aesthetics due to excellent scratch resistance. it can.

  The present invention can be used for housing equipment, building materials, and the like.

Claims (5)

A water-circulating member in which contact with water containing soluble silica and drying are repeated,
At least the surface is mainly composed of polypropylene,
The water-surrounding member, wherein the surface has a texture formed by transfer, the surface roughness Rz is 12 μm or more and 20 μm or less, and the gloss is 3.5 or more with a 60 ° gloss value.   The water surface member according to claim 1, wherein the polypropylene is 80% by mass or more of the polypropylene. Wherein the polypropylene has a tensile modulus of not less than 1400 MPa, according to claim 1 or 2 plumbing member according the Charpy impact value is less than 8.0kJ / m ^2.   The water member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is formed by injection molding.   The water-circulating member according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is a bathroom counter.

Images