JPH0830759B2 - Variable color glove - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention relates to a glove box used in a nuclear facility,
In particular, it relates to a glove suitable for use in a chemical wet glove box. More specifically, the present invention relates to a variable-color type glove which includes a transparent (or semi-transparent) layer and a variable color layer due to pH change, and can promptly detect damage or quality deterioration of the glove by visual observation.

[Prior Art] When handling radioactive materials in a nuclear facility, the operation is usually performed using a glove box.
Although the structure and size of the glove box vary, basically, a port for attaching an operating glove is installed on the front surface of the box, and the front surface of the box has a structure capable of seeing through the inside. The proximal end of the glove is tightly fixed to the port to prevent the radioactive substance inside the glove box from leaking to the outside.

The glove may be damaged if it comes into contact with an angular object during work. In addition, the physical properties of the glove material may deteriorate depending on the chemicals used, and pinholes and cracks may occur. All the gloves attached to the glove box are exposed to the outside, so radioactive substances leak from these damaged parts and cause pollution.

Therefore, it is important to detect any damage to the glove as soon as possible. The gloves for the glove box are inspected exclusively by visual inspection, and there are other methods such as using a survey meter and touching.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, these inspection methods have the drawback of being time-consuming and extremely inefficient. The accuracy of damage detection is low, especially when visually inspecting ordinary gloves. As a technique that can improve this point, a glove having a three-layer structure in which the color of the middle layer is different from the colors of the other two layers has been proposed (Shokaisho 61
However, in the case of damage such as a pinhole, it is difficult to find it, and in the case of quality deterioration, it cannot be found.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and in the case where a pinhole, other damage, quality deterioration, etc. occur, it is possible to quickly find these dangerous states by visual inspection. Is to provide.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention that can achieve the above object is a variable color type including a transparent or semi-transparent layer located on the surface and a variable color layer that is in contact with the layer and changes color depending on pH change. It is a glove. The following two types are more preferable.

In the first aspect, the first layer located on the surface is made of a transparent or translucent backup material, and the second layer is made of a variable color material containing a material that discolors due to pH change (including impregnation). Consists of. The other layers are made of the constituent material of the glove body. This may be a rubber material or the like conventionally used in this type of glove. In this case, the first layer is the side that comes into contact with the operator's hand, and the opposite layer is the side that is exposed under the external environment (in the glove box). In short, it can be said that a variable color material layer and a transparent (or translucent) layer are added to the surface of a conventional globe.

In the second aspect, the first layer located on the surface is made of a transparent or translucent constituent material of the globe body, and
Layer contains material that changes color due to pH change (including impregnation)
Made of variable color material. And the other layers consist of backup material. In this case, conversely to the above, the first layer is the side exposed in the external environment, and the opposite layer is the side in contact with the operator's hand.

In any case, the backup material only needs to have such a property that when the constituent material of the glove body is damaged or the like, contamination does not occur for a certain period until the glove is replaced. Of course, it may have sufficient performance to function as a normal glove body.

The variable color type glove of the present invention is particularly suitable for use in a glove box, but it can also be used as an ordinary glove other than that.

[Operation] When the layer made of the constituent material of the glove body is exposed to the external environment during use, resulting in pinholes or quality deterioration, chemicals penetrate from the damaged part. This causes the pH indicator material in the variable color layer to change color. The discoloration is easily visible through the transparent or translucent layer.

When attached to a glove box, in the first mode,
The transparent or translucent material appears on the front side when the glove is pulled out from the glove box, so that it can be directly viewed.
In the second aspect, it will be viewed through the transparent window of the glove box.

If you discover that discoloration has occurred, you can replace the gloves as quickly as possible to prevent leakage of the radioactive material handled in the glove box. During that time, the backup material prevents contamination.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 is an overall explanatory view showing an embodiment of a glove for a glove box according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a portion surrounded by a chain line A thereof. The globe 10 is made of rubber having excellent ozone resistance, chemical resistance, heat resistance, and tear strength, or a material equivalent thereto.

In this embodiment, the globe 10 has a three-layer structure. The first layer 11 on the surface side (the layer on the side that comes into contact with the operator's hand) is made of a transparent material or a translucent material, and the next second layer 12 is a variable color containing a pH indicator material that changes color due to pH change. Made of material.
The third layer 13 on the opposite side (the layer exposed to the environment in the glove box) is made of the constituent material of the glove body. This may be a rubber material or the like conventionally used in this type of glove.

As shown in FIG. 3, when a damaged portion 14 occurs in the third layer 13, the gas or liquid used in the environment penetrates from the damaged portion 14 and reacts with the pH indicator material of the second layer 12. Then, the discolored area 15 is formed. Since the first layer 11 on the front side when the glove is pulled out from the glove box is transparent or translucent, this discolored area 15 can be easily found by visual observation. At this time, the transparent or translucent first layer 11
Therefore, leakage of radioactive material is unlikely to occur. Therefore, if the discolored area 15 is found, the globe 10 can be replaced as soon as possible, whereby the occurrence of contamination can be prevented.

When handling nuclear fuel materials in the glove box, the surface of the glove is often contaminated. In the above aspect, since the transparent layer is on the side that comes into contact with the hand of the operator, it is convenient because the transparent layer does not become difficult to see even if the gloves are contaminated during the work in the glove box.

Next, a preferable specific material example is given. There is a configuration in which the first layer 11 is CPE (chlorinated polyethylene), the second layer 12 is CSM (chlorosulfonated polyethylene rubber) containing congo red (pH indicator), and the third layer 13 is CSM. These three layers are sequentially laminated by the dipping method. In other words, it can be easily manufactured by putting the pottery hand mold in and out of the liquid tank. To prepare the second layer 12, powdered Congo Red is added to liquid CSM and mixed to form a uniform liquid. Congo red turns blue at pH 3.0-5.0 and turns black at lower pH. Therefore, the third layer 13 constituting the glove body is set in a color that makes it easy to see the change from before the color change to after the color change in consideration of these color changes. With this combination, both the CPE of the first layer and the CSM of the third layer have sufficient performance to be constituent materials of the glove body. That is,
30% TBP dodecane, 4N nitric acid, concentrated nitric acid alone and in a mixed gas contact test and a dipping test showed durability for 8 months or more.

According to the result of the actual test conducted on the combination of the above materials, when the pinhole was formed on the surface and the pH was adjusted to about 1 in the environment where ammonium nitrate was used, it was clearly observed that the discoloration was black.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The globe of the present invention can be applied to various chemical or biotechnology facilities other than nuclear facilities. In a working environment where the surface of the glove is not contaminated during work, conversely, attach the constituent material of the glove body as a transparent (semi-transparent) layer so that it is exposed to the environment, and view it through the transparent window of the glove box. You may make it inspect.

Depending on the environment of use, the structure may be four layers or more (the globe body or the backup layer is composed of a plurality of layers). Although not so preferable, a two-layer structure of a transparent (or semi-transparent) layer and a variable color layer may be used depending on the use condition. Usually, the worker often wears a glove separately and then the glove as described above on it.
When the transparent (or semi-transparent) layer is made of a material that functions as a glove body, if it is put on another glove so that the layer is exposed to the external environment, the glove having the above-mentioned two-layer structure is used. But it doesn't matter.

The pH indicating material constituting the variable color material can be appropriately selected and changed according to the use environment.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION Since the present invention is configured to have a transparent (or semi-transparent) layer located on the surface and a variable color layer which is in contact with the layer and changes in color due to pH change, if the globe is damaged, The portion of the variable color layer corresponding to the damaged portion immediately reacts and discolors, so that the occurrence of the damaged portion can be quickly and accurately detected visually. Therefore, the worker can detect the danger of leakage and can promptly avoid the occurrence of leakage by exchanging the gloves.

In particular, in the present invention, since the discoloration of the variable color layer is observed from the transparent (or semi-transparent) layer, it is possible to easily and surely detect even pinholes and quality deterioration, and it is possible to prevent contamination from occurring due to the presence of the backup layer. There is an effect.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall explanatory view showing an embodiment of a variable color type glove for a glove box according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view when damage occurs. 10 …… Gloves, 11 …… First layer, 12 …… Second layer, 13
...... Third layer, 14 ... Damage, 15 ... Discolored area.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A variable color type glove comprising a transparent or semitransparent layer located on the surface and a variable color layer which is in contact with the transparent layer and changes color depending on pH change. 2. A first layer, which is composed of at least three layers, and which is located on the surface, is a transparent or translucent backup material, the next second layer is a variable color material that changes color due to pH change, and the other layers are gloves. A variable color glove for the glove box made of the constituent materials of the main body. 3. A first layer composed of at least three layers, a first layer located on the surface is a constituent material of a transparent or translucent glove body, and a second second layer is a variable color material which changes color due to pH change.
The other layer is a variable color glove for the glove box made of backup material.