Storage of Media That Contains Analog or Digital Radioscopic Data
Storage of Media That Contains Analog or Digital Radioscopic Data
Storage of Media That Contains Analog or Digital Radioscopic Data
e1 NOTE—Made editorial corrections to ANSI standards in Referenced Documents and 6.4 in December 2002.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
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relative humidity falls below 10 % and the moisture in the 5.2.3 Humidity—The extremes must be avoided as pro-
media is reduced sufficiently, damage can occur during han- longed exposures to relative humidities over 60 % will tend to
dling after opening the sealed containers, and the media may be damage the media and may cause fungus growth and sticking.
subjected to static electrical discharges. Storage humidities Under conditions of low or changing humidity, defects in the
over 60 % can also cause the media to stick to whatever is media may occur. Low humidities will also increase the
touching their surfaces. potential of static charges on the recorded media attracting
4.2 Opened Containers—The same considerations de- solids that could harm them. In general, a relative humidity
scribed in 4.1 for un-opened containers apply. Opened contain- range of 30 to 60 % is recommended.
ers are those on which the manufacturers inner bag around the 5.3 Fire Resistance—Recorded media can withstand tem-
media has been opened. This can cause the unrecorded media peratures as high as 120°F (49°C) without significant loss of
to stick/degrade more rapidly when exposed to high humidity data quality, however, they may become distorted or stick to
and temperature. each other or to the enclosure material.
5. Recorded Media Storage 6. Special Precautions
5.1 Recorded media are normally stored in some form of 6.1 Damaging stresses in a tape pack can be produced by
enclosures to exclude dust/dirt and protect them against physi- large temperature and humidity variations even if they remain
cal deterioration and damage. Storage conditions can be within the specified ranges. Excessive temperature and humid-
designed for archival preservation, normally considered to be ity conditions can also cause tape layer-to-layer adhesion
for at least 20 years or for moderate time periods by using the (blocking) even if they are maintained constant. Extremely dry
guidelines in 4.1; however, the recorded media must have been environment can cause layer-to-layer adhesion due to static
sufficiently recorded in accordance with manufacturer’s rec- build-up. Torn windings in the middle of a pack is a sure sign
ommendations and stored in suitable enclosures to ensure that the tape has been subjected to an extreme environment.
preservation. The storage enclosure should limit dust particles The coatings on some storage media which have been sub-
to 50µ m maximum. jected to very high humidities can breakdown and become
5.1.1 Enclosure Materials for Recorded Media: gummy due to hydrolysis. This media coating deterioration can
5.1.1.1 General—The enclosure material shall be free of usually be reversed by storing the media in a cool and dry
acids and corrosives, and be chemically stable. environment for an extended period of time.
5.1.1.2 Activity Test for Enclosure Materials—At least three 6.2 Stray magnetic fields, which are of sufficient intensity to
representative samples of recorded media to be stored together obliterate data on magnetic media, at a distance greater than 3
with the proposed enclosures shall be placed in close contact in. (76 mm) from the source are rarely, if ever, encountered in
with each other and subjected to an accelerated aging test of 85 normal environments.
6 5°F (30 6 3°C), 70 6 10 % relative humidity for 30 days. 6.3 Some media contain integral sensors that indicate tem-
No materials should be transferred from the enclosure material perature excursions exceeding manufacturer’s specifications.
to the media and the recorded data should not be affected. These indicators should be inspected before media use, then
5.2 Storage Area Conditions: periodically during storage.
5.2.1 Air Impurities—Inert or inactive solid particles can be 6.4 Further guidance for the storage and care of specific
deposited on recorded media and interfere with readability and products may be found in ANSI standards, INCITS 40, IN-
produce degradation. Reactive types of solids may cause CITS 39, INCITS 125, INCITS 46, INCITS 48 and the NIST
degradation of the media and gaseous impurities may cause standard, NBS SP 500.101.
data deterioration. Never smoke, wax the floors, use steel wool
pads on a buffer machine, eat or drink in the media storage 7. Precision and Bias
area. Solvents should not come into contact with the media, 7.1 No statement is made about the precision or bias of this
because they may soften the coatings and cause degradation. guide for measuring the amount of degradation of the media,
5.2.2 Temperature—Continuous temperatures above 120°F since the results of the testing merely show whether the media
(49°C) may accelerate degradation and temperatures below the are of sufficient quality to record and preserve radioscopic data.
dew point of the air may produce condensed moisture on the
recorded data and cause sticking. In general, a moderate 8. Keywords
temperature range, as described in 4.1, along with the minimi- 8.1 analog; data; digital; electronic; media; radioscopic;
zation of large variations, is recommended. storage
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