Long-Term Stability of Magnetic Tape for Data Storage Under an Accelerated Condition

The long-term stability of magnetic particulate tapes (Linear Tape Open (LTO) and a more modern barium ferrite data cartridge tape) was investigated using samples that had been stored under an accelerated condition for one year. Analysis by a vibrating sample magnetometer, surface roughness analyzer, and friction tester were used to ascertain the magnetic and tribological properties, whereas gel permeation chromatography was employed to analyze the stability of organic materials, such as binder polymers. Dry conditions (60 °C) were employed to accelerate the storage term by about ten times. The magnetic and tribological performances remained stable in all samples. The degradation of binder polymer was investigated. Expansion of the storage period of the samples stored under the above conditions by ten times resulted in the same degradation trends as those of the LTO samples that had been aged in an office environment. The acceleration ratio of 10 was confirmed to be usable for Digital Linear Tape III, LTO, and other tapes. The same procedure was applied to a more modern barium ferrite tape. The degradation of the barium ferrite tape was equal to or less than that of the LTO tape. Thus, the one year acceleration test showed that the stability of LTO and the barium ferrite tape could be estimated to be more than ten years.