JPH0498068A - Manufacture of snow grain mixed artificial snow - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain artificial snow suitable for accumulated snow on a slope in an indoor skiing ground by a method wherein granular bodies of resin, inflated by absorbing water and having high water absorption property, are frozen in the shape of layers. CONSTITUTION:Water is absorbed into granular bodies of resin, retaining granular shapes even when the resin has absorbed water, non-adhesive to each other, having water absorption capacity of 30-500 times with respect to deionized water, having grain sizes of about 20-500mum before absorbing water and high water absorption property, to inflate them until the grain size thereof becomes about 0.05-5mm, then, the granular bodies are mixed with natural snow, artificial snow or ice blocks made by an artificial snow falling device or crushed and/or dry ice and, thereafter, the mixture is frozen in the shape of layers having the thickness of 6cm or less. The granular bodies of resin having high water absorbing property are made of polyacrylate, the copolymer of vinylalcohol and acrylate or the saponified copolymer of isobutylene and maleic anhydride. A method to make the high water absorbing resin absorb water can be any method and it is enough to throw the particles into mixed water, for example, and leave them for several minutes even though it depends on the water absorbing magnification of the resin.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a method for producing snow particle aggregate artificial snow containing super absorbent resin granules.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of producing artificial snow made of snow grains, which is particularly suitable for ground snow at indoor ski resorts.

[Prior Art] (Natural Snow) In recent years, snowfall has been decreasing year by year, which has hindered the opening of ski resorts. Moreover, the natural snow that accumulates on the ground is too soft and difficult to ski on, making it unsuitable for ski slopes as it is, so the snow has to be compacted many times with snow compactors. Also, compacting snow using a snow compactor is not suitable for competitions.
Methods such as ``tsuboashi'', where people step on the ground with only their shoes on, and methods of sprinkling water on a layer of snow, have been adopted. The ski slopes measured in this way are greatly affected by the outside temperature, and the quality of the snow changes over time. This is because sublimation and condensation occur inside the snowpack, and the snow crystals change, progressing from "plum snow" to "rough snow." Rough snow is extremely difficult for skiers to slip on, and therefore, the work of breaking up the snow, that is, blooming, must be performed frequently, but even this cannot be said to be sufficiently effective.

(Artificial Snow) Recently, artificial snow-making devices have been increasingly introduced at ski resorts in Japan in order to hasten or extend the ski season. There are two types of artificial snowmaking devices: gun type and fan type. The method for making snow using these devices is to use adiabatic expansion of compressed air with high-pressure water in the atmosphere below 0°C, or use cold air to make fine ice. Artificial snow made in this way contains more than 10% water, has a density of 0.3 to 0.4 g/cm, a strength of less than I kg/cla2, and is not suitable for skiing unless it is compacted. Compared to natural snow, the quality of snow changes rapidly, and after a few days, the outer diameter decreases to approximately 1.
In some cases, it may progress to ~5mm of coarse snow. As mentioned above, rough snow is a troublesome snow quality for skiing, and the same countermeasures as mentioned above are taken.

Artificial snowmaking machines have also been introduced that freeze books into blocks of ice and apply physical impact to crush them into ice particles and snowflakes.
This also has the drawback that only the difficult snow quality, shaved ice-like snow or rough snow, can be obtained, so the same countermeasures as mentioned above are taken.

An artificial snow manufacturing method has been proposed in which water is mixed with a surfactant, stirred and aerated to form foam, and the foam is frozen to form snow crystals (Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-27584), but the above It is difficult to solve such problems, and the process of using a surfactant or aeration is complicated, resulting in increased costs and pollution problems.

In addition, in the case of artificial snow made by freezing a water-swellable material (water-absorbing resin) and water in an aeration machine, as disclosed in Patent Application Publication No. 63-500526,
The density and strength of snow tend to vary depending on aeration conditions and freezing conditions, with a density of 0.4 to 0.9 g/am' and an intensity of 10 to several 100 kg/cI! It becomes 2. Such snow is more like rough, fine ice or ice burn than snow. If it is in the same state as an ice burn, it must be crushed into ice grains or snowflakes by applying a physical impact as described above, and the only thing that can be obtained is something that resembles coarse snow. Therefore, when making artificial snow using only water-swellable materials, in order to make it suitable for skiing, it is necessary to add a surfactant or adjust the particle size and water absorption ratio so that the frozen particles do not bond together more than necessary. or blooming frequently. Such snow can be said to be extremely difficult to use at ski resorts.

Furthermore, since outdoor ski resorts are dependent on the weather, indoor ski resorts that can be used throughout the year are becoming increasingly popular. Artificial slopes at indoor ski resorts are also constructed by placing the above-mentioned artificial snow, artificial ice particles, snowflakes, etc., or artificial snow made from water-swellable materials (water-absorbing resins) and water on artificial slopes. However, indoor ski resorts built using these methods also have the same problems as above.

In addition, the water-swellable material (water-absorbing resin) and water are mixed on the artificial slope of an indoor ski resort (weight ratio, approximately 1/80 to 1/80).
There are also artificial ski slopes where ice is once frozen over the entire surface, and then only the surface is bloomed to scrape off the ice and create artificial snow, like a skating rink. In addition to the above-mentioned problems even with indoor ski resorts built using this method, there are other problems such as the fact that there is a layer of ice like Ice Par 7 under the artificial snow, making it difficult for ski poles to stand.

In addition, natural snow, artificial snow made with an artificial snow-making device, or artificial snow-making machine can be used to absorb water using super absorbent resin granules developed by the present inventors, or without absorbing water. The above problem can be solved by using artificial snow made by mixing and freezing the ice and snow, but artificial snow made by this method is suitable for outdoor use, and when used at indoor ski resorts, it is better to use natural snow. It is desirable to be able to obtain artificial snow without mixing it with snow or other artificial snow or ice.

Furthermore, the above problem can be solved by using artificial snow developed by the present inventors, which is made by freezing superabsorbent resin granules that absorb water and swell using a coolant such as dry ice. , which uses a cooling agent such as dry ice, is somewhat complicated and increases costs.

In this way, the artificial snow that is made without using surfactants, aeration, or cooling agents is an artificial snow that can be used as is, and it also makes the slopes suitable for skiing. What is desired is something that can be easily maintained.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Conventional natural snow and artificial snow have the following problems and are particularly unsuitable for indoor ski slopes.

■Snow must be compacted.

■It is not possible to obtain snow of any density or strength that suits the skier's level and preferences.

■Snow quality changes significantly over time, making it difficult to maintain the condition of the slopes.

■Slope construction quality and maintenance fees are high.

■ Must be mixed with various types of snow such as natural snow and artificial snow.

■Artificial snow made by freezing water and a water-swellable material (water-absorbing resin) turns into blocks of ice, which must be crushed first.

■It is necessary to use a surfactant or aerate.

■A cooling agent must be used when making artificial snow by freezing water-absorbing resin.

[Means for Solving the Problems] As a result of intensive research by the present inventors in order to solve the conventional problems, the object of the present invention is to create snow particle aggregate artificial snow suitable for the root snow on the slopes of indoor ski resorts. The present invention provides a method for manufacturing.

The invention according to claim (1) of the present invention is a method for producing snow particle aggregate artificial snow including the following steps (a) and (b).

(b) Water is absorbed into super-absorbent resin granules that maintain their granular shape even when water is absorbed, are non-adhesive to each other, have a water absorption capacity of about 30 to 500 times that of deionized water, and have a particle size of about 20 to 500 μm before water absorption. A step of swelling the particles until the particle size becomes about 0.05 to 5111.

(b) A step of freezing the swollen super absorbent resin particles in a layered form to a thickness of less than 6 cm.

The invention according to claim (2) of the present invention is a method for producing snow particle aggregate artificial snow, which includes the following steps (a), (b), and (c).

(b) Super water-absorbent resin granules that maintain their granular shape even when water is absorbed, are non-adhesive to each other, have a water absorption capacity of about 30 to 50 times that of deionized water, and have a particle size of about 20 to 500 μm before water absorption. A step of absorbing water and swelling the particles until the particle size becomes approximately 0.05 to 5 mm.

(b) A step of mixing the swollen superabsorbent resin granules with natural snow, artificial snow made by an artificial snow-making device, or crushed ice and/or dry ice.

(c) Freezing the mixture in layers to a thickness of less than 6 cm.

The invention of claim (3) of the present invention provides that the super absorbent resin granules are polyacrylates, vinyl alcohol and acrylate copolymers, or saponified copolymers of imbutylene and maleic anhydride. A method for manufacturing snow grain aggregate artificial snow according to claims (1) and (2), characterized in that:

The superabsorbent resin used in the present invention includes starch-based,
Examples include cellulose-based or synthetic resin-based polymers such as acrylamide, acrylic acid, acrylates, methacrylates, styrene, vinyl ethers, copolymers, terpolymers, etc., but in particular, they are granular and have a reversed phase in an organic solvent. Polyacrylate obtained by suspension polymerization,
Saponified copolymers of vinyl alcohol and acrylate copolymers or copolymers of imbutylene and maleic anhydride are preferred.

The superabsorbent resin used in the present invention has a granular form,
It is preferable that the particle size is about 20 to 500 μm before water absorption and about 0.05 mm to 5 mm after water absorption. If the particle size is less than about 20 μm before water absorption, it will be too fine and the artificial snow made of snow particles will become too hard, and if it is more than 500 μm, the artificial snow made of snow particles will become rough, which is not preferable.

The reasons why granular superabsorbent resin is preferable are that it is easy to handle, the artificial snow obtained by freezing becomes snow grain aggregate artificial snow, which is an aggregate of granular particles, and the surface is spherical artificial snow, so it is easy to ski on. By using artificial snow as the root snow and placing smooth granular artificial snow separately produced by the method of the present inventors on top of it, it will blend well and will not easily melt due to the influence of outside air, making it economical to maintain the ski slopes. Examples include the fact that it is easy to perform and can be easily mixed with natural snow.

In order for the superabsorbent resin used in the present invention to maintain fluidity in granular form even after absorbing water and to make them non-adhesive to each other, the degree of crosslinking may be increased using polyvalent epoxy or polyvalent amine.
Excessive crosslinking lowers the water absorption capacity, so adjust the amount of crosslinking agent to obtain an appropriate water absorption capacity.

The reason why the superabsorbent resin used in the present invention remains granular and fluid even after absorbing water is thought to be because there is little water adhering between the absorbed particles, and the particles slide against each other, creating voids.

Some super absorbent polymers become glue-like when they absorb water, but once they become glue-like, they become one large block of ice when frozen, and unless they are crushed into small pieces, they cannot be used as artificial snow for skiing. This artificial snow is undesirable because, as mentioned above, it is difficult to maintain it in a manner suitable for skiing.

The superabsorbent resin used in the present invention has a water absorption capacity of 30 to 500 times, preferably 50 to 200 times, relative to deionized water. If the water absorption capacity is less than 30 times, the water absorption capacity of the resulting artificial snow will be low, making it difficult to maintain the desired snow quality by absorbing the liquid water generated when the snow grain aggregate artificial snow melts. On the other hand, if it is larger than 500 times, the gel strength will be weak when water is absorbed, and it will be easy to break when pressure is applied, which is not preferable.

The amount of water absorbed by the super absorbent resin is less than the maximum water retention amount of the super absorbent resin, and the water absorption capacity is about 5 to 100 times. If you want to obtain soft artificial snow made of snow particles, it is preferably about 5 to 50 times as much, and if you want to obtain hard artificial snow made of snow particles, it is preferably about 30 to 100 times.

Since the water absorption is less than the maximum water retention capacity of the super absorbent resin,
The artificial snow made from frozen snow particles still has the ability to absorb water, and it absorbs the liquid water generated when the snow particles melt due to increases in outside temperature, etc., so that the snow quality under the target conditions will not change. can be maintained.

For example, if you want to obtain hard and heavy snow particle aggregate artificial snow, the particle size should be small (20 to 150 μm recommended) and the ratio of water absorption capacity/water absorption capacity should be large (30 to 80%).

On the other hand, if you want to obtain artificial snow made of snow particles that is soft and light, the particle size should be large (150 to 500 μva) and the ratio of water absorption capacity/water absorption capacity should be small (10 to 50%).

Any method can be used to make the super absorbent resin absorb water.
For example, it is sufficient to simply throw the particles into stirred water and leave them for several minutes, depending on the water absorption capacity.

The water absorption rate is affected by the water temperature, and the water absorption rate tends to be slow at low temperatures and faster at higher temperatures. For example, when the water temperature is 10° C. or lower, it is desirable to use af heating to absorb water.

Even if the superabsorbent resin that has absorbed water is left at room temperature, it will not release moisture and can be kept stable for a long time. (more than 1 month) There are no particular adverse effects.

Since the superabsorbent resin itself is water absorbent, when storing it, it is desirable to store it in a sealed container, for example, to prevent moisture absorption.

In the present invention, in order to make snow grain aggregate artificial snow, first of all, it maintains its granular shape even after water absorption, is non-adhesive to each other, has a water absorption capacity of about 30 to 500 times that of deionized water, and has a particle size of about 20% before water absorption.
~500 μ- super absorbent resin granules absorb water,
Either swell the particles until the particle size is approximately 0.05 to 51, and then use the swollen super absorbent resin granules as they are, or
Alternatively, it is important to mix natural snow, artificial snow made by an artificial snow-making device, or ice blocks with crushed ice and/or dry ice, and freeze it in a layer to a thickness of less than 6 cm. Specifically, there is a method of arranging superabsorbent resin particles etc. that have swollen by absorbing water in a layer and freezing them in a freezer at -5 to -30°C.

For example, superabsorbent resin granules that have swollen after absorbing water, or a mixture of natural snow or dry ice are arranged in a layer with a thickness of about 6 cm or more, and placed in a freezer at -5 to -30°C. The artificial snow that is obtained by freezing becomes an ice mass or ice burn shape that is made up of snow grains and becomes artificial snow, and cannot be used as it is for an artificial ski resort, and is also unsuitable as root snow. The upper surface of this ice block or ice burn-like object is made up of artificial snow made of snow grains to some extent, but since the center and lower parts are completely made up of ice blocks, it is difficult to say for sure, but it is likely that the ice block formed due to its own weight. considered to be a thing.

Therefore, when freezing superabsorbent resin granules that absorb water and swell, or a mixture with natural snow or dry ice, the thickness is less than 6 CI11, preferably about 2
~4cm.

The superabsorbent resin granules that have swollen upon absorbing water may be frozen in layers either manually or automatically using a machine. However, after making artificial snow by freezing snow particles, it is necessary to use materials such as plastics, metals and alloys such as aluminum, ceramics, concrete, cement, wood, etc., to make it easier to place them on the slopes of artificial ski resorts. It is preferable to freeze in layers on or inside corrugated sheets, woven fabrics, cases, panels, boxes, etc.

The freezer used in the present invention has a freezing capacity capable of freezing superabsorbent resin granules arranged in layers and swollen by absorbing water to -5 to -30°C. It can be used as a movable device such as a refrigerator truck or as an immovable device such as a freezer compartment, and is not particularly limited.

A known method can be used to mix the superabsorbent resin granules that have swelled by absorbing water with natural snow or the like and/or dry ice. The mixing ratio of both is 99 by weight.
/1 to 50,150, preferably 99/2 to 70/30, and is appropriately selected depending on the purpose of use. It is preferable to use powdered dry ice.

The snow grain aggregate artificial snow of the present invention can be used alone directly on slopes and flat areas. Therefore, it is best to make and arrange artificial snow made of snow particles in accordance with the shape, area, material, etc. of the uneven surface of a slope or flat surface. In order to moor, integrate, and bond adjacent snow particle aggregate artificial snow, the snow particle aggregate artificial snow is shaped in advance so that they interlock with each other at the time of manufacture, and the snow particle aggregate artificial snow that has already been manufactured is post-processed. or other mechanical or chemical devices may be applied.

The slope or flat ground is not particularly limited to earth, concrete, metal, wood, plastic, ceramic, wood, etc., and may be provided with breakage materials and/or cooling, freezing/stem. When maintaining a human ski resort for a long period of time, it is preferable to provide insulation and/or cooling and freezing/stem. Mechanical or chemical devices may be applied to prevent slippage between the snow particle aggregates of the present invention and these slope surfaces.

However, the artificial snow made of snow grains of the present invention is placed on a slope or flat ground as root snow, and on top of that, a "free-flowing artificial snow" separately manufactured by the method of the present inventors using super absorbent resin granules is placed. It is preferable to construct a slope by arranging "snow" with an appropriate thickness, and by this method it is possible to create a slope suitable for skiing that does not have the problems mentioned above, but also avoids problems such as the ski poles not being able to stand up. It disappears.

The superabsorbent resin particles used in the present invention can be separated and recovered by an appropriate method, dried, etc., and reused.

The superabsorbent resin granules used in the present invention are themselves photodegradable and biodegradable, so there is no problem in disposing of them after use. Known accelerators, catalysts, additives, etc. for photodegradation and biodegradation may be blended, added, impregnated, or applied to the superabsorbent resin. Since the superabsorbent resin itself is safe for the human body, these additives are also preferably selected with safety in mind.

The snow particle aggregate artificial snow of the present invention and/or the super absorbent resin used in the present invention may be colored by a known method using pigments, dyes, etc. Colored snow grain assemblage artificial snow is beautiful and can add new commercial value. for example,
It can also be used to distinguish ski slopes for advanced skiers, slopes for beginners, etc. by color, making skiing more enjoyable.

New commercial value can be added to the snow particle aggregate artificial snow of the present invention and/or the superabsorbent resin used in the present invention by scenting it with a known perfume, aromatic agent, perfume, etc.

Adding antioxidants, ultraviolet absorbers, fluorescent agents, nucleating agents, fillers, substances with a low coefficient of friction, and other additives to the superabsorbent resin used in the present invention within a range that does not impair the gist of the present invention; It may be blended, applied, or impregnated.

[Example] Next, the present invention will be specifically explained with reference to Examples, but the present invention is not limited to these Examples.

In addition, the water absorption capacity, fluidity, density and strength of artificial snow after freezing in the following Examples and Comparative Examples are determined by the following operations.

(Water absorption capacity for deionized water) Disperse 0.5 g of dry polymer in 11 deionized water,
After being allowed to stand for 4 hours, it was filtered through a 6o mesh wire gauze, and the resulting water-swelled weight (W) was measured, and this value was divided by the initial dry polymer (W).

(Fluidity after water absorption) Dry polymer 1. After adding 5 Qcc of deionized water to Og and completely absorbing water, the water-swollen body was observed without moving, and the fluidity was evaluated as ○, ×, or Δ.

The angle of repose was measured.

(Density of artificial snow after freezing) Remove snow whose volume is known, weigh it, and divide the weight by the volume. The unit is g/cm' a When the I is soft, insert a thin stainless steel box with a known internal volume into the snow to remove the snow with a known volume. For hard snow, cut the snow into squares with a saw, measure the dimensions with a ruler, and calculate the volume.

(Strength of artificial snow after freezing) Using a Kinoshita hardness tester, drop a weight onto the artificial snow and measure the strength of the fall. The unit is kg/c. Replace the adapter so that the sinking of the 112° disc into the artificial snow is 7 to 30 m, and calculate the strength from the conversion table.

(Example of synthesis of super absorbent resin granules) 150 g of deionized water was charged into a 500 ml separable flask equipped with a stirrer, reflux condenser, dropping funnel, thermometer and nitrogen gas inlet tube, and partially saponified polyvinyl alcohol was added as a dispersant. (Nippon Gosei An-23) 0.2
g was added, heated and melted, and then replaced with nitrogen.

On the other hand, in a Erlenmeyer flask, mix ac IJ lauryl acid and tridenol mixed ester (LT manufactured by Osaka Organic Chemical Co., Ltd.).
A) 22.5g, hydroxy/ethyl methacrylate 10
．． 10 g of azobistumethylvaleronitrile was added and dissolved in 17.5 g of methyl methacrylate, and the solution was added dropwise to the above separable flask over 1 hour under nitrogen bubbling. Hold at 65°C for 5 hours to complete the reaction,
After cooling, the solid matter was filtered, washed with water, and dried under reduced pressure to obtain a bead-like dispersant.

A 100 (lal) separable flask was equipped with a stirrer, reflux condenser, dropping funnel, thermometer and nitrogen gas inlet tube.
- 360.7 g of hexane and 4.32 g of the above dispersant were charged, heated to 50°C to disperse and dissolve, and then replaced with nitrogen.

Meanwhile, 72% of acrylic acid was prepared in advance in an Erlenmeyer flask.
0 g was partially neutralized with 32.2 g of sodium hydroxide dissolved in 103.8 g of deionized water, and 0.24 g of potassium persulfate was further dissolved at room temperature. This monomer aqueous solution was added dropwise to the above separable flask at a stirring speed of 300 rpm over 1 hour under nitrogen bubbling, and after refluxing for 2 hours, 0.1 g of 30% hydrogen peroxide was added, and the mixture was further refluxed. The polymerization was continued for 1 hour to complete the polymerization. Thereafter, 0.73 g of ethylene glycol diglynnol ether was added, followed by azeotropic dehydration, filtration, and drying under reduced pressure to obtain white superabsorbent resin granules.

This super absorbent resin granule has an average particle diameter of 100 μm and exhibits excellent fluidity.

When it was allowed to absorb water for 19 seconds while stirring in water at room temperature, it absorbed 50 times more water and swelled, with an average particle size of 0.4 mm, which also showed excellent fluidity. The superabsorbent resin granules that had been swollen by absorbing 50 times more water were allowed to stand at room temperature for more than 60 days, but were able to be stably maintained without being drained of water.

The water absorption capacity was 100 times higher than that of deionized water.

Table 1 shows examples in which the manufacturing method, particle size, water absorption capacity, etc. of superabsorbent resin granules were changed.

(Example 1): Production example of snow grain aggregate artificial snow 150 times the water absorption and swelling of the superabsorbent resin granules (temperature of about 19°C)
, or a mixture of ice and snow or dry ice in a wooden case (width 20C, length 30C-1 depth 3)
cm) in a cup and store in the freezer at -30℃ for about 1~2 hours.
Artificial snow made of snow particles was produced by freezing for a time. The results are shown in Table-2.

The resulting snow grain aggregate artificial snow was stored at -1°C and its changes over time were examined, but even after one month, it still maintained the state immediately after production.

(Comparative Example 1) The superabsorbent resin granules (temperature: about 19°C) which had been swollen by absorbing water 50 times as much as in Example 1, or a mixture containing ice and snow or dry ice, were placed in a wooden case (width 20 cm).
, length 30cI111 depth 6cm-10cm) and a commercially available bucket, and place it in a -30°C freezer for about 1 hour.
Freeze for ~2 hours.

As a result, artificial snow made of snow grains was not obtained, but ice blocks or ice burn-like objects were obtained.

(Example 2): Manufacturer's side of an artificial ski slope A wooden artificial ski slope (approximately 40 cm in width, approximately 10' in slope angle and approximately 411 in length) covered with Styrofoam (approximately 3 cm thick) The continuous length is approximately 211
Place approximately 20 pieces of dry ice on top (consisting of a horizontal section of
Kg of snow was sown, and on top of that, an artificial snow block made of snow grains manufactured in Example 1 (width approx. 200C1, length approx. 30C111
Approximately 3.3 cm thick) was placed as root snow.

Separately, 100 super absorbent resin granules that have been swollen by absorbing 50 times more water
-8.3 parts by weight and 60 parts by weight of granular dry ice.
A ski slope was created by mixing the snow at room temperature (°C) using a mixer for about 5 minutes and freezing it to obtain smooth artificial snow, which was then spread over the root snow to a thickness of about 4 cm.

Outside temperature of approximately 21°C, artificial snow temperature approximately -10 to -30
The glide properties of skis were examined at ℃. As a result, the snow had excellent gliding properties, and its acceleration was roughly the same as that of natural powder snow. Even if the temperature of the artificial snow varied from about -10°C to -30°C, or even if the surface snow of the artificial snow was slightly melted, the sliding properties were excellent. I couldn't climb the slopes without using ski poles. The stock stuck easily to the ski slope. The edge of the ski was easy to hit. It also made a nice squeaking sound when I stepped on it with my skis.

When the surface snow of artificial snow melts to a certain extent and becomes a gel, mixing an appropriate amount of granular dry ice can make it smooth and powdery again, and by repeating this process, the ski slope can be kept in good condition for a long time. I was able to maintain it.

Effects of the Invention The present invention provides an excellent method for producing artificial snow that improves the drawbacks of conventional natural snow and artificial snow, and in particular produces artificial snow made of snow grains that is suitable for the root snow on the slopes of the 7-nai ski resort. provide a method to do so.

According to the present invention, artificial snow is created by freezing super-absorbent resin granules swollen by absorbing water in layers to a thickness of less than 8 cm without using a surfactant, without using aerated soot, or without using a coolant. Because of this, it can be used directly as artificial snow or artificial root snow, which does not need to be compacted, has little change in snow quality over time, makes it easier to maintain the condition and length of the slope, and is inexpensive and easy to handle.

Agent Aki Moto Teruo

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A method for producing snow particle aggregate artificial snow including the following steps (a) and (b). (b) Water is absorbed into super-absorbent resin granules that maintain their granular shape even when water is absorbed, are non-adhesive to each other, have a water absorption capacity of about 30 to 500 times that of deionized water, and have a particle size of about 20 to 500 μm before water absorption. A step of swelling the particles until the particle size becomes approximately 0.05 to 5 mm. (b) A step of freezing the swollen super absorbent resin particles in a layered form to a thickness of less than 6 cm. (2) A method for producing artificial snow made of snow particles, including the following steps (a), (b), and (c). (b) Water is absorbed into super-absorbent resin granules that maintain their granular shape even when water is absorbed, are non-adhesive to each other, have a water absorption capacity of about 30 to 500 times that of deionized water, and have a particle size of about 20 to 500 μm before water absorption. A step of swelling the particles until the particle size becomes approximately 0.05 to 5 mm. (b) A step of mixing the swollen superabsorbent resin granules with natural snow, artificial snow made by an artificial snow-making device, or crushed ice and/or dry ice. (c) Freezing the mixture in layers to a thickness of less than 6 cm. (3) Claim (1) characterized in that the super absorbent resin granules are a saponified product of polyacrylate, a copolymer of vinyl alcohol and acrylate, or a copolymer of isobutylene and maleic anhydride. and (2) the method for producing snow particle aggregate artificial snow.