JP7445290B2 - vivarium ornaments - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vivarium ornament. More specifically, the present invention relates to a vivarium ornament using open-cell polyurethane foam foamed with a colorant added thereto.

Among the equipment used to raise insects, fish, corals, etc., or cultivate trees, plants, and bulbs for ornamental purposes, vivarium is the general term for equipment that reproduces the habitat of the animals to be raised or cultivated. In recent years, more and more people are enjoying it as interior decoration. Vivariums are broadly divided into aquariums that keep and cultivate underwater animals and plants, terrariums that keep and cultivate terrestrial creatures, and aqua terrariums that are a mixture of both, but all of them are used as indoor interiors, etc. To enjoy animals, it is common to artificially create a habitat for animals to be kept or cultivated in a housing (such as an aquarium) made of transparent material such as glass or acrylic. For example, when creating an aqua terrarium that reproduces the habitat of waterside animals and plants, you can place rocks and stones or lay gravel in the aquarium, plant trees and plants, and fill it with an appropriate amount of water. To create an atmosphere similar to a natural environment in a limited space by releasing fish into the water (for example, Patent Document 1).

Rocks and stones placed in the aquarium play an important role in enhancing the taste, so natural materials or synthetic resin molded products (pseudo-rocks) are used, but these are preferred by viewers. Obtaining the right size and shape is not always easy. Furthermore, it is not easy or possible to cultivate living trees, plants, and bulbs by fixing them to them.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-168369

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a vivarium ornament that can be freely created in any size, shape, and color, and that can be cultivated by fixing living trees, plants, and bulbs.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, as described in claim 1, the foam is foamed by adding a coloring agent to give the color of the rock surface or the color of the rock surface , and has a density of 30 to 60 kg/m3 ^. This is a method of manufacturing vivarium decorations by processing open-cell polyurethane foam using a cutter knife or chisel to create a shape that resembles a rock or stone .

The vivarium ornament of the present invention uses polyurethane foam that is foamed with a coloring agent and is easy to process, so it can be produced in any size, shape, and color. In addition, since it is an open-cell foam, it has excellent water absorption properties, and the roots of living trees, plants, and bulbs can be grown inside the foam, allowing them to be fixed and cultivated.

1 is a partially enlarged photograph (part 1) of an example of an aqua terrarium using the vivarium ornament of the present invention. Same, Part 2. Same, part 3. Same, Part 4. Same, part 5.

The vivarium ornament of the present invention uses open-cell polyurethane foam foamed by adding a colorant.

The open-cell polyurethane foam may be a known type obtained by a known method, such as a CFC-free type that is environmentally friendly and does not cause global warming, specifically a CFC-free type that does not generate CFC gas. Examples include those made of polyol and isocyanate that become foamed urethane (such as a combination of Nippon Paftem Co., Ltd.'s non-fluorocarbon polyol FF5020-UC and the same company's isocyanate NP-90). The polyol and the isocyanate are mixed at 20 to 70°C in a weight ratio of 1:0.8 to 1.5, for example. Open-cell polyurethane foams include those made of polyol and isocyanate, those that foam with carbon dioxide gas through a reaction between water and isocyanate, those that foam using liquefied carbon dioxide, and those that are hydrocarbon-based with foaming properties. There may be.

A coloring agent (which may be a known non-toxic dye or the like) to impart the desired color to the open cell polyurethane foam, such as rock or stone color, is added to the polyol and/or isocyanate. By selecting the appropriate colorant, it can also be imitated on man-made objects such as concrete blocks. Open-cell polyurethane foam obtained by reacting a polyol with a coloring agent and an isocyanate has a surface that has the desired color no matter where or how it is processed, and even if it is reprocessed, the surface remains as desired. The color remains the same. The method of applying paint in the desired color to the surface of open-cell polyurethane foam requires painting every time it is processed or reprocessed, and the paint applied to the surface may clog the open-cell foam. This can cause problems such as causing problems.

The open-cell polyurethane foam may be a rigid foam or a flexible foam, but a rigid foam having a density of about 30 to 60 kg/m ³ is preferable, for example. Open-cell rigid foam with a density of this level has a moderate compressive strength (approximately 50 to 300 kPa), so it is easy to shape with a cutter knife or chisel, and it can be shaped into living trees and plants. It is hard enough for bulbs and bulbs to grow their roots inside, and even if you fix a lot of them, they won't lose their shape. In addition, it has excellent water absorption (the amount of water absorbed after 24 hours after being immersed in water is about 30 to 70 g/100 ^cm2 ), so if it is submerged in water up to about half its height, it should be pressed down with a weight or glued. It does not float up even if it is not fixed to the bottom of the housing with adhesive, making it suitable for use as aquarium decorations and acra terrarium decorations.

The vivarium ornament of the present invention in a predetermined color can be processed into the size and shape desired by the viewer before being offered on the market, or it can be offered on the market in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped with sides of 20 to 60 cm before processing, for example. You can also do that. The rectangular parallelepiped-shaped forms offered on the market can be processed by molders into sizes and shapes that meet the demands of viewers, and then handed over to viewers, or can be used by viewers themselves as part of their hobbies and preferences. It can be enjoyed by being processed, and it can also be used as craft materials for school education. In addition, in the case of rigid foam, it is possible to take advantage of its self-adhesive power during foaming and process it after foaming it inside the casing (if necessary, remove the surface skin layer to expose the open cells on the surface). ).

In the case of trees and plants, living trees, plants, and bulbs can be fixed to the vivarium decoration of the present invention by making cuts or holes in the open-cell polyurethane foam and inserting them into the holes. . In the case of a bulb, a depression corresponding to the shape of the bulb is provided in the foam, and the bulb is inserted into the depression. In either case, living trees, plants, and bulbs grow their roots inside the foam, so they can be fixed to the foam and cultivated.

1 to 5 are partially enlarged photographs of an example of an aqua terrarium using the vivarium decoration of the present invention. This vivarium decoration is made of open-cell polyurethane foam with a density of 47 kg/ ^m3 (Nippon Paftem Co., Ltd.'s non-fluorocarbon polyol FF5020-UC10 and the same company's isocyanate), which is foamed with a coloring agent to match the color of the rock surface. A hard foam made of a combination of NP-90 (1% closed cells) was shaped like a rock using a cutter knife or chisel. Figures 1 to 5 show the notches and holes made in the foam. This is the situation about 8 months after I put the plants in. It can be seen that the open-cell foam contains enough water to support the growth of plants, allowing the roots of the plants to grow into the foam, making them firmly established and vibrant. The open-cell foams shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 had a compressive strength of 90 kPa (according to a test based on JIS K 7220) and were easy to process. In addition, the water absorption amount after 24 hours after being immersed in water is 40 g/100 cm ² (according to a test based on JIS A 9521). It didn't float up even if I didn't fix it to the bottom of the aquarium with adhesive.

By varying the amount of blowing agent (water) contained in CFC-free polyol FF5020-UC10, open-cell polyurethane foams with various densities can be obtained to improve ease of processing and the cultivation of living trees, plants, and bulbs. When we investigated ease of use, water absorption, etc., we found that when the density of the foam is less than 30 kg/ ^m3 , the compressive strength decreases and the elasticity increases, in other words, it becomes too soft, making it difficult to process. It was also confirmed that fixing a large number of living trees, plants, and bulbs in place tends to cause them to lose their shape. On the other hand, if the density of the foam exceeds 60 kg/ ^m3 , it will be too hard and difficult to process, it will be difficult for the roots of living trees, plants, and bulbs to grow inside, and the amount of water absorption will decrease. It was confirmed that it floats more easily when placed inside a container. However, it was also confirmed that even if the density of the foam is about 15 kg/m ³ or about 90 kg/m ³ , it is not impossible to use it as a vivarium ornament, although the above-mentioned disadvantages occur.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is industrially applicable in that it can provide a vivarium ornament that can be freely created in any size, shape, and color, and can also be used to fix and cultivate living trees, plants, and bulbs. have sex.

Claims (1)

Open-cell polyurethane foam with a density of 30 to 60 kg/m ³ is foamed with the addition of a coloring agent to give it the color of the rock surface , and is processed using a cutter knife or chisel. A method of manufacturing vivarium ornaments by shaping them to look like rocks or stones .