TAPPI T544 Aging of Paper and Board with Moist Heat

The TAPPI T544 packaging aging test standard outlines the procedure for humidified heat treatment of paper or board. It is also the general procedure for testing the heat-treated materials. The purpose of this standard is to obtain inferences regarding the long-term aging qualities of the paper. 

The TAPPI T544 humidity test method is based on work done on printing and writing papers but may be used with discretion for other types of papers and boards. The properties of paper or board are compared before and after “accelerated aging” in a humidified atmosphere at an elevated temperature (50% RH, 90ºC).

The exposure of paper or board to a hostile environment, such as some types of radiation, elevated temperature, or chemical attack over a period of hours, may provide important information. This information includes the natural changes that may occur in the material over a period of years. The TAPPI T544 package testing standard also ranks similar papers with respect to stability. 

Hostile environments that have been used include exposure to:

• Heat;
• Heat and moisture;
• Visible and ultraviolet radiation;
• Sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone gas.

The properties compared before and after such exposure include, but are not limited to:

• Specific mechanical properties including burst, tensile properties, folding endurance, and tearing resistance;
• Optical properties, such as brightness, yellowness and opacity;
• Chemical properties, such as pH and alkali solubility are also addressed.

The TAPPI T 453 Effect of Dry Heat on Properties of Paper test standard is available for evaluating the effect of dry oven treatment on paper. It has been determined that the degradation rate of cellulose is very sensitive to the amount of moisture in the sample.

The comparison of accelerated aging with natural aging indicates that some moisture should be present in an accelerated aging atmosphere. Dry accelerated aging of cellulose is much less sensitive and probably does not rank papers in order of stability as accurately as moist accelerated aging. While moist aging is more predictive than dry aging, caution must be exercised in applying either method to a wide range of paper grades and end-uses.

Expert Regulatory Package Testing

Keystone Compliance provides TAPPI T544 aging of paper with moist heat testing in a professional, timely and affordable manner. Our lab features a large amount of test equipment, so lead times on scheduling are never an issue. In addition to package testing, our lab also features EMC, wireless, and ingress protection testing. Regardless of the testing need, Keystone Compliance can provide the solution.

For more information on our capabilities, please contact us. If you are ready to see firsthand why so many companies rely on Keystone Compliance for their TAPPI T544 moist heat testing, please request a quote.