Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
W O 94/0906~ 21~ 6 ~ 71 pC~r/FI93/00404
Mat~rials containing fluor~scing additiv~. -
The invention relates to rubbers, polymers or resins which have been rendered fluorescent
5 by adding an additive fluorescent in UV light.
In a case in which it is desirable to make certain parts or areas of an object clearly
distinguishable from the background, the convention~l method is to illllmin~te those
objects more or less strongly with visible light. Objects which should be clearly visible
10 may also be painted with a strongly distinguishable color, or such color may be ~mi~ed
with them. Owing to the prevailing circum~t~nces, conventional visible light may not
always pen~tr~tt~ effectively enough through the medium to the object, and therefiol,l to
the observer. Such a situation may prevail in the natural environment in rain or fog, or in
a closed space in which the atmosphere is, for example, more or less saturated with liquid
15 or solid particles, whereby the penetration of visible light through the atmosphere is weak-
ened.
A solution to the problem is to use, instead of visible light, radiation of approx. 350 - 400
nm within the ultraviolet wavelength, and to use in the manufacture of the object which
20 should be visible an additive fluorescent in UV light. Thus a certain object can be
distinguished very well from its background and/or from other surrounding objects.
The use of plastics in both exterior and interior spaces is con~t~ntly increasing. Therefore
there is a need for plastics and corresponding m~teri~l~ with an improved visibility in UV
25 light.
According to the invention it has been observed that various polymeric materials can be
rendered fluorescent in UV light by adding to the m~t~.ri~l~ small amounts of certain
fractions obtained from crude oil. Thus the rubbers, polymers, resins or similar m~t~ri~l~
30 which contain a fluorescent m~tt~.ri~l in accordance with the invention are characterized in
that there has been admixed with them, as a fluorescent additive, a fraction obtained at
350-400 C in the ~ till~tion of crude oil, the fraction cont~ining in the main aromatic
and naphthenic compounds. If the oil fraction is separated by dictill~tion, the fraction
concerned is the fraction tli~tilling at 350-400 C in vacuum iistill~tion. This is so-called
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heavy vacuum gas oil, i.e. HVGO. The oil fraction may also be a fraction somewhat
heavier than HVGO, i.e. flux oil for blowing, used in the oxidation of bitumen.
If the object to be illl~"~in~l~l is made from rubber, polyester, resin, or some other
5 m~tPri~l of col~onding type, it is possible to admix with the material a fraction ~ tilled
at a high Lel-,peldture, e.g. 350 - 400 C, in the ~ till~tion of crude oil, the fraction
cont~ining large amounts of aromatic compounds and containing no asphaltenic
compounds or a very small amount of them.
10 The rubber, polymer, resin or corresponding m~teri~l may be any substance of this type
with which the said fluolescellt crude oil fraction can be admixed. It may be a natural
macromolecule or a synthetic polymer, with which a number of other additives may be
a-lmixed, ~epen~ling on the intended use. The m~teri~l may be entirely of the above-
mentioned plastic m~teri~l, or the suitable base or frame structure may be, for example
15 in order to provide mech~nic~l strength and/or rigidity, of some other m~teri~l such as
wood, metal, various macromolecules, glass or various cer~mic materials, and this base
or frame may be coated with a fluorescent rubber, resin, polymer or the like
The polymer may be, for example, a polyolefin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or
20 a mixed polymer of various olefins, or a polymer of styrene, vinyl chloride or various
other monomers, which polymers may have rubber-like, i.e. elastomeric properties. Many
natural resins and macromolecules, some examples being cellulose derivatives, natural
rubber, starch derivatives, etc., are usable.
25 A fluo,~scent oil-like additive needs to be ~tlmixed in only small amounts with the
macromolecular substances in order that the entire mixture, and the piece, package,
coating, etc., made thelerru,l" should be fluorescent in UV light. The amount to be
admixed is 0.01 - 10 %, preferably less than 1 %. In this case the other properties of the
polymers and corresponding materials do not subst~nti~lly change, and the said pieces
30 which have been manufactured from the m~t~ l cont~ining the additive may be used for
the same purposes as the material not cont~ining the additive.
Typical objects fluorescent in UV light are lane m~rking~, roadway m~rking~, traffic
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signs, guide posts, cu~b~lolles, curb markers, and many kinds of safety and security
equipment and markings on roadways. Furthermore, fluorescent materials may be used in
buoys and life belts to increase safety in navigation. The penetr~tion of UV light in poor
visibility conditions, such as fog and rain, is better than that of visible light. P~k~ging
5 for hazardous substances may be made from fluorescellt plastics, in which case, for
example, in a fire situation the packages can be rapidly recognized and removed from the
scene of the fire.
In places in which m~int~ining night vision is important, such as the cockpits of ships and
10 airplanes, switches and scales made of a fluorescent material may be "ill~ ;n~l~" with
W light without reclucing dark adaptation of the eye.
The functioning of the invention is described below with examples, which are, however,
not inten-led as limiting the use of fluorescent additives only to the mixtures and objects
15 described in the examples.
Example 1.
Flux oil having a viscosity of 85 mm2/s at 50 C was admixed at a rate of 0.1 % with
EVA polymer B-5028 (a copolymer of ethylene and vinyl alcohol, m~mlf~cturer Neste
20 Oy). A sheet was ~,e~ed from the mixture, and the sheet was irradiated with a 160 W
Claude Mixopal UV lamp. The ~ Lulc was fluorescent, but the pr~elLies of the ~ u~e
did not otherwise change subst~nti~lly.
Example 2.
25 A HVGO-type oil fraction was melt-mixed at a rate of 0.1 % with polyethylene plastic
NCPE 2224 (Neste Oy). The m~t~ri~l was co",plession molded into a sheet, which was
fluorescent in UV light. The UV lamp used was a 160 W Claude Mixopal lamp having a
wavelength range of 350-400 nm.
Example 3.
A HVGO-type oil fraction was melt-mixed at a rate of 0.1 % with polystyrene plastic SP
453 (Neste Oy). A sheet coll,pr~ssion molded from the material fluoresced inten~ly in the
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light of a Claude Mixopal lamp.
Example 4.
5 A HVGO-type oil fraction was melt-mixed at a rate of 5 % with styrene-but~i.one-styrene
elastomer Vector 241 lD (manufacturer Dexco Inc). A sheet co---plession molded from the
m~t~ri~l fluoresced in the light of a Claude Mixopal lamp.
The fluorescence produced in the above examples was white. Plastic m~teri~ls with which
10 an additive has not been ~lmix~ according to the invention are not distinguishable in UV
light.
