NATL INST OF STAND & TECH NI8T

PUBUCATIONS

NIST Special Publication SP250-70

Specular Gloss

Maria E. Nadal

Edward A. Early

E. Ambler Thompson

Detector

Condenser

lens

CoUimating

lens

Depolarizer

Sample table

ICfO
NisrNational Institute of Standards and Technology • Technology Administration • U.S. Deportment of Comm

ii
NIST Special Publication SP250-70

Specular Gloss

Maria E. Nadal

Edward A. Early*

Optical Technology Division

Physics Lahoratoiy

National Institute ofStandards and Technology

Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001

E. Ambler Thompson

Weights and Measures

Technology Services Laboratory

National Institute ofStandard and Technology

Gaithersburg, MD 20899-001

August 2006

U.S. Department of Commerce

Carlos M. Gutierrez. Secretaiy

Technology Administration

Robert Cresanti. Under Secretaiyfor Technolog}-

National Institute of Standards and Technology

U'illiani Jcffrcv. Director
*AFRL/HEDO, 2650 Loiuse Bauer Drive, Brooks City-Base, TX 78235

Certain coinmercial entities, equipment, or materials may be identified in this document in order to describe an experimental procedure or concept adequately. Such

identification is not intended to imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, nor is it intended to imply that the

entities, materials, or eauioment are necessarily the best available for the Duroose.

National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication SP250-70

Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol. Spec. Publ. 70, 72 pages (August 2006)

CODEN: NSPUE2

PREFACE

iv
The calibration and related measurement services of the National Institute of Standards and

Technology (NIST) are intended to assist the makers and users of precision measuring

instrument in achieving the highest possible levels of accuracy, quality, and productivity. NIST

offers over 300 different calibration, special test, and measurement assurance services. These

services allow customers to directly link their measurement systems to measurement systems and

standards maintained by NIST. These services are offered to the public and private

organizations alike. They are described in NIST Special Publication (SP) 250, NIST Calibration

Services Users Guide.

The User Guide is supplemented by a number of Special Publications (designated as the "SP250

Series") that provide detailed descriptions of the important features of specific NIST calibration

services. These documents provide a description of the (1) specifications for the services; (2)

design philosophy and theory; (3) NIST measurement services; (4) NIST operational procedures;

(5) assessment of the measurement uncertainty including random and systematic errors and an

error budget; and (6) internal quality control procedures used by NIST. These documents will

present more detail than can be given in NIST calibration reports, or is generally allowed in articles in scientific journals. In the past, NIST has published such information in a variety of

ways. This series will make this type of information more readily available to the user.

This document, SP250-70 (2006), NIST Measurement Services: Specular Gloss, describes the

instrumentation, standards, and techniques used to measure the specular gloss of materials at 20°,

60°, and 85° geometries. A description of Special Test 38090S is also presented. Inquires

concerning the technical content of this document or the specifications for these serx'ices should

be directed to the authors or to one of the technical contacts cited in SP 250.

NIST welcomes suggestions on how publications such as this might be made more useful.

Suggestions are also welcome concerning the need for new calibration services, special tests, and

measurement assurance programs.

Belinda L. Collins

Director

Technology Services

Katharine B. Gebbie

Director

Physics Laboratory
ABSTRACT

This document describes the instrumentation, standards, and measurement techniques

used at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to measure specular gloss.

The organization of this document is as follow. Section 1 describes the motivation for

establishing a reference goniophotometer and primary standards for specular gloss and

associated calibration services that are available. Section 2 presents the theory and measurement

equations relevant to the measurements described in this document. The NIST reference

goniophotometer including the illuminator, goniometer, receiver, and the characterization and

uncertainty analysis of the instrument are described in Sec. 3. In Sec. 4 the new primary specular

gloss standard and its characterization are presented. A sample calibration report and references

containing details of the instrument and primary standard are reproduced in the appendices.

Key words: appearance attributes; gloss standard; glossmeter; goniophotometer; luminous

reflectance; specular gloss

vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract v

1 . Introduction 1

2. Theory 2

2.1. Definitions 2

2.2 Measurement Equations 3

3. Reference Goniophotometer 7

3.1 Description 7

3.1.1 Illuminator 8

3.1.2 Goniometer 9

3.1.3 Receiver 9

3.2 Characterization 9

3.2.1 Illuminator 10

3.2.2 Goniometer 11 3.2.3 Receiver 11 3.3 Operation 14

3.4 Uncertainty Analysis 14

3.4.1 Basic Definitions 14

3.4.2 Specular Gloss 15

4. Primary Gloss Standard 18

4.1 Description 18

4.2 Characterization 19

4.2.1 Index of Refraction 20

4.2.2 Luminous Reflectance 21

4.3 Comparison of Specular Gloss Standards 22

Acknowledgments 23

References 24

Appendix A: Sample of Report of Calibration for Specular Gloss at 20°, 60°, and 85°

geometries

Appendix B: NIST Reference Goniophotometer for Geometrical Appearance Measurements

(copy of Ref. 9)

Appendix C: New Primary Standard for Specular Gloss Measurements (copy of Ref

21)

vii
LIST OF TABLES

Table 2.1 Geometries for specular gloss measurements and applications 2

Table 2.2 Specular reflectance poi 6, Ad) of the theoretical gloss standard for each

illumination angle of the standard geometries at wavelength An = 589.3 nm 5

Table 3.1 ASTM specifications and the NIST measured values for illuminator and

receiver apertures with tolerances and uncertainties 9

Table 3.2 Average gain ratio and relative standard deviation for successive amplifier

gain ratios 12

Table 3.3 Correction factors for deviations from the standard conditions for a black

glass calibrated with the primary specular gloss standard 16

Table 3.4 a. Components of uncertainty that depend on the scattering properties of the

materials and the resulting relative standard uncertainties. The values are based on a BaK50 primary gloss standard and a highly polished black glass

test sample 17

b. Components of uncertainty that are independent of the scattering

properties of the materials and the resulting relative standard uncertainties 17

Table 3.5 Relative expanded uncertainties of specular gloss measured by the NIST

reference goniophotometer (k = 2) for the 20°, 60°, and 85° geometries 1

8

Table 4. 1 Index of refraction n of BaK50 glass as a function of wavelength 20

Table 4.2 Calculated specular reflectance Ps(d, Ad) and specular gloss value Gsi0) of

the new primary standard at /Id = 589.3 nm for each standard geometry 21

Table 4.3 Average luminous reflectance fK,.s(0) and specular gloss value Gs(0) for the

new primary standard for each standard geometry and method of calculation or measurement 21

viii
LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 3.1 Schematic of the NIST reference goniophotometer 8

Figure 3.2 Spectral flux distribution of the CIE standard illuminant C and the CIE

spectral luminous efficiency function 11 Figure 3.3 Relative responsivity (ratio of the measured signal to the actual flux) of the

photodiode-amplifier combination as a function of current for the listed gain

settings 13

Figure 3.4 Actual and ideal spectral products of the illuminator and receiver 13

Figure 4. 1 Schematic diagram of the new NIST primary standard showing the

incoming and reflected beam at a specular geometry 19

Figure 4.2 Fitted refractive index, n{A), for BaK50 glass as a function of wavelength 20

Figure 4.3 Fitted refractive index, n{A.), for average black glass working standards,

NIST old standard (Carrara black glass), BaK50, and quartz as a function of

wavelength 23

Figure 4.4 Normalized refractive index for BaK50, average of black glass working

standards, and quartz as a function of wavelength 23

ix

1. Introduction

This document describes the NIST reference goniophotometer and primary standards, as they existed at the time of pubHcation, for the cahbration of specular gloss at the 20 % 60 and

85° standard geometries. Updated information about calibration services is published

periodically in the NIST Calibration Services Users Guide [1].

Specular gloss is the perception by an observer of the mirror-like appearance of a surface

[2]. The measurement of specular gloss consists of comparing the luminous reflectance from a

test sample to that from a calibrated gloss standard, under the same experimental conditions.

Therefore, gloss is a dimensionless and psychophysical quantity whose accurate determination

depends on the characteristics of the measuring instrument and on the gloss standard. Several

documentary standards describe the proper measurement conditions to determine specular gloss

for specific surfaces. In particular, the International Organization for Standards ISO 2813 [3]

and the American Society for Testing Materials ASTM D523 [4] describe the measurement

procedure for specular gloss of nonmetallic samples. These documentary standards specify the

spectral and geometrical conditions of measurement. The spectral flux distribution of the

illuminator is CIE standard illuminant C and the spectral responsivity of the receiver is the CIE

spectral luminous efficiency function [5]. There are three standard geometries, corresponding to illumination angles of 20°, 60°, and 85°, each with specifications on the angular extent of the

rays within the influx and efflux.

The NIST reference goniophotometer was originally developed at NIST in the 1970's. In 1999, this instrument was updated, automated, and characterized to ensure proper operation and

to verify agreement with the ISO and ASTM standards for specular gloss of nonmetallic

samples.

The accuracy of specular gloss measurements depends not only on the properties of the

instrument but also to a considerable extent on the primary gloss standard. A new primary gloss

standard using BaK50 barium crown glass has been developed at NIST. It possesses high

chemical and mechanical durability and an index of refraction at the sodium D line of no =

1.5677. Different calibration procedures are detailed, and the new standard is compared with

other primary standards. The new gloss standard and the NIST reference goniophotometer

provide an accurate calibration facility for specular gloss. Note that the primary standard

referenced in the documentary standards is referred to here as the theoretical standard, while the

realization of the theoretical standard is referred to here as the primary standard.

The NIST Calibration Services Program offers Service ID Number 38090S, Special Test

of Specular Gloss, as listed in the Optical Properties of Materials section of the Optical Radiation

Measurements Chapter of the NIST Calibration Services Users Guide [1]. The measurement

service quality system is based on the ISO 17025 standard.

1

2. Theory

This section details the basic definitions and the relevant measurement equations to determine specular gloss. The approach used in this paper is based upon the concepts presented

in Refs. [6-9].

2.1 Definitions

Gloss is the perception by an observer of the shiny appearance of a surface. This

perception changes whenever there is a change in the relative position or spectral distribution of

the source, the sample, or the observer. Different geometries are used to determine the specular

gloss of materials, as shown in Table 2.1. These geometries were selected based on their ability

to produce optimum discrimination between samples and to correlate with visual rankings.

Several documentary standards specify the geometrical and spectral conditions of measurement

to determine specular gloss for specific surfaces.

Table 2.1. Geometries for specular gloss measurements and applications

Illumination angle Applications

20° High gloss of plastic film, appliance and

automotive finishes

30° High gloss of image-reflecting surfaces

45° Porcelain enamels and plastics

60° All ranges of gloss for paint and plastics

75° Coated waxes and paper

85° Low gloss of flat matte paints and

camouflage coatings

The measurement of specular gloss compares the specular luminous reflectance from a

test specimen to that from a standard surface under the same experimental conditions. The

illumination beam is collimated with a spectral flux distribution approximating that of CIE

standard illuminant C. The luminous flux in the reflected beam is measured with a receiver

having a spectral responsivity that approximates the CIE spectral luminous efficiency function

Vx. The theoretical standard for specular gloss measurements is a highly polished plane black

glass with a refractive index for the sodium D line of no = 1.567. To set the specular gloss scale,

the specular gloss of this theoretical standard has an assigned value of 1 00 for each of the three

standard specular geometries of 20°, 60°, and 85°. For primary standards with a refractive index

different from «d = 1.567, the specular gloss is computed from the refractive index and the

Fresnel equations.

2
2.2 Measurement Equations

The NIST reference goniophotometer measures luminous flux Oy [Im], defined by

0^.=K^-\m)-VA^)-dA , (2.1)

where Km = 683 Im/W is the maximum spectral luminous efficacy for photopic vision, A [nm] is the wavelength, 0(/l) [W/nm] is the spectral flux, and V}XA) is the spectral luminous efficiency

function. For specular gloss measurements, the documentary standards specify that 0(/l) have

the spectral flux distribution of CIE standard illuminant C, so that the spectral flux is Oc(/l). The

goniophotometer has a spectral flux 0(/l) and responsivity V{A) that closely approximate the

specified <^c{A) and V)XA), respectively.

The specular luminous reflectance fK,(do) of an object at the standard illumination angle

6b (20°, 60°, or 85°) is given by

A('9o) = —^ ' ^

where Ov.r(6()) and Ov.i are the reflected and incident luminous fluxes, respectively. In terms of

the geometrical and spectral properties of the instrument and object, the luminous fluxes are given by

O^A0,)= lcW\dA-^,A0,A) p(O,A)-V,U) and • (2.3)

O^, = jc/^ a),,(;i)-K,(A) ,

. (2.4)

where p{0. A) is the specular spectral reflectance of the object. The angles 0 are the angles

around do resulting from the finite size of the source apeiture. There is no angular dependence

for Ov,! since the entire incident beam is collected by the receiver.

The current / [A] from the detector of the receiver is given by

/= ^0(A)R(A)-dA

= ^(I>iA) R V,{A)-r(A)-dA ,

, , , , (2.5)

where R [A/W] is the responsivity of the detector and r{A) is the differerice between the spectral

luminous efficiency function and the actual spectral responsivity of the detector. The current is converted to a voltage [V], given by

N = I-A , (2.6)
where A [V/A] is the ampHfier gain. Solving Eq. (2.5) for the luminous flux and substituting into

Eq. (2.2) yields

A

N-. A^

(2.7)

where the subscripts i and r refer to measurements made of the incident and reflected luminous

fluxes, respectively.

The specular gloss of a test sample at illumination angle 6o, G^t(^o), is given by

A.(^o)

p.M)

(2.8)

where Gs(^) is the specular gloss of the primary standard and fK^Oo) and yC\.s(^o) are the

specular luminous reflectances of the test sample and primary standard, respectively.

Substituting Eq. (2.7) for the luminous reflectances of the test sample and primary standard into

Eq. (2.8) yields

A^-„ A,

(2.9)

which relates the specular gloss of the test sample to the specular gloss of the primary standard

and the measured signals from the reflected luminous fluxes from the test sample and primary

standard. The specular gloss of the primary standard is given by

Ps

(2.10)

where Go(/%) is the specular gloss of the theoretical standard, poiOo, Ad) is the specular

reflectance of the theoretical standard at a wavelength Ao = 589.3 nm, and ps is the specular

reflectance of the primary standard. For each angle of illumination, the specular gloss of the

theoretical standard is defined as Go{d) =100.

The specular reflectance p from the surface of a dielectric sample depends on the incident

angle 6 defined relative to the normal of the sample, the wavelength A, and the polarization cr (p or s) of the incident radiant flux. The specular reflectance as a function of these variables is given by the Fresnel equations.

pi0,A,p) =

n"(/l)-cos(9--^«"(A)-sin" 0

n~ (A) cos 6 + ^n' (A) - sm~ 6

and (2.11)

4
cos 9 - -^77" (/I) -sin' <9

cos 6 + -sin^ 9

(2.12)

where « is the index of refraction. The specular reflectance for unpolarized incident radiant flux

is calculated from

(2.13)

From the documentary standards, the index of refraction of the theoretical standard at wavelength Id is «(/Id) = 1.567. The specular reflectances at the standard angles of illumination

for unpolarized radiant flux for the theoretical standard, poido, Ad), are calculated from Eqs.

(2.11) to (2.13) and are listed m Table 2.2

Table 2.2. Specular reflectance po(0. Ad) of the theoretical gloss standard for each

standard illumination angle at wavelength Ao = 589.3 nm

Illumination angle poi0. Ad)

20° 0.049078

60° 0.100056

85° 0.619148

The specular gloss of the primary standard depends, from Eq. (2.10), on its reflectance ps. However, the documentary standards are ambiguous concerning the definition of this reflectance.

One approach is to use the calculated yC»s(^o, Ad) of the primary standard for its index of refraction

at /Id = 589.3 nm.

An alternative approach, and the one taken for measurements with the reference

goniophotometer, is to measure the luminous reflectance pjsi^o) of the primary standard. This

approach has the advantages of taking the dispersion characteristics of the standard into account

and being a measurable quantity on the goniophotometer In terms of the geometrical and

spectral conditions of measurement, the luminous reflectance is obtained from Eqs. (2.2) to (2.4) as

_

\d9\dA-(^,,(0,A)-p^{0,A)-V.M)

(2.14)

\dA-(t>,^{0,A)-V,iA)

while in terms of the measured signals the luminous reflectance is obtained from Eq. (2.7) as

A.s(^o)--rf-f^. (2-15)

5
Using the luminous reflectance of the primary standard and Eq. (2.10), Eq. (2.9) becomes

G,(0,) = m- ^-^^"^

• ^.Al , (2.16)

where Pq{6q, /Id) is calculated and given in Table 2.2, A.sC'^) is measured and given by Eq.

(2.15), and the signals A^r.t and A^r.s are the measured signals from the test sample and primary

standard, respectively, at amplifier gains of v4r.t and A^^^. Equation (2.16) is the measurement

equation for specular gloss in terms of measured and calculated quantities.

In terms of the spectral and geometrical quantities, using the appropriate modification of

Eq. (2.14) in Eqs. (2.8) and (2.10), the specular gloss of a test samples is given by

p^, ^ (^j fd^ jd/l • CD , (^, A) • A {6, X) ViA)

Po iO, , /Id ) |d6' jdi • O, ((9, ^) • A (^, /i) • V{X)

where (D,(^, A) and V{?i) are the incident spectral flux and responsivity of the reference

instrument, respectively. In terms of the ideal case given in the documentary standards, the

specular gloss Gt.id is given by

p^, ^ (^J fd ^ fd/l • Oc , (^, A) • A iO, A) • V, {X)

G,„(^o) = 100-

°'

^ , (2.18)

Deviations of the reference instrument from the ideal case include deviations from the

specified spectral flux distribution of the illuminator, spectral responsivity of the receiver,

unpolarized and collimated illumination beam with specified angular ranges, and illumination

angle. The correction factors for the specular gloss of the sample under test as determined with

the reference instrument are obtained using Eqs. (2.17) and (2.18). The correction factors are the

ratio of the specular gloss for the ideal case to the specular gloss for the reference instrument.

C = ^2^^. (2.19)

The correction factor for deviations from the ideal spectral flux distribution of the illuminator

and spectral responsivity of the receiver is given by

\AX-^,M)-pSe,.x)-v,{X) \dx-^x^)-pse,A)-v{X) Q = ^ • (2.20)

\dx-^^X^)-p,{e,,x)-v,{X) ]dx-^M)-p,{e,A)-v{X)

The correction factor for deviations from an unpolarized illumination beam is given by

6
"

}dA-cD,,a)-p,(^o,^)-F,(A) jd/l-cDc,(i)-A(6'o,^,^)-i^.a) " ^^'^^^

The correction factor for deviations from the angular ranges of the illumination beam is given by

jd^., \dA Oe,, {e,X)- A {6, A) V, (A) \dd \dA , {6, A) a {9, A) V, (A)

jd^„ \dA cDe,, (0, A) A (9, A) V, (A) \d0 \dA O^,, (0,A)- (9, ^) V, {A)

(2.22)

The correction factor for deviations from the standard illumination angle is given by

\dA-^,M)-p,{e„A)-V^{A) \dA-^,S^)pSe.A)-V,{A) ^ _ _J ^ . _J ^ ^ ^2 23)

^ \dA-0,^(A)-p^{d„A)-V,(A) ldA-(^,^iA)-p^id,A)-V,(A)

'

Therefore, the specular gloss for the ideal case in terms of the correction factors is given by

G,M) = G,-C,-C^-C,.C,. (2.24)

The final measurement equation, including the correction factors and the experimentally

measured quantities, is given by

(?,,d(^o) = 100-^^^-^ A.Q .c^ .c, .Q. (2.25)

A(^o,^) A

3. Reference Goniophotometer

3.1 Description

Interest in specular gloss measurements at NIST (formerly NBS) dates back to the 1930's

[10-12]. The goniophotometer described in this paper was originally developed at NBS [6] in

the 1970's by scientists active in the development of the ASTM standard test method, and has

recently been updated, automated, and characterized. This instrument is a monoplane gonioinstrument with a fixed illuminator and a rotating sample Table and receiver arm. The sample

Table and the receiver arm can be rotated independently of each other in the plane of incidence.

A schematic diagram of the goniophotometer in reflectance mode is shown in Fig. 3.1 and a

detailed description of the instrument is given below. This instrument complies with the

geometrical and spectral conditions specified by the ASTM D523 and ISO 2813 documentary

standards for the measurement of specular gloss of non-metallic surfaces at fixed specular

geometries of 20°, 60°, and 85°.

7
Figure 3.1. Schematic of the NIST Reference Goniophotometer

3.1.1 Illuininator The illuminator supplies the influx onto the sample. It consists of a light source, a set of condenser lenses, a source aperture, a collimating lens, a depolarizer, a color

filter, and an iris. The light source is a quartz-tungsten-halogen incandescent lamp rated at 100 W. A constant dc current of 6.3 A is run through the lamp from a computer-controlled

power supply. This current was chosen so that the spectral flux distribution from the lamp

approximates CIE standard illuminant A. An image of the lamp filament is formed at the source

aperture with the achromatic condenser lens system. This source aperture is the field stop of the

illuminator. The recommended and actual dimensions of the source aperture are gi\ en in

Table 3.1. The source aperture is at the focus of an achromatic lens with a focal length of

192 mm, which collimates the beam. The polarization of the beam is determined using either a glass-laminated polarizer to provide linearly polarized light, or a scrambler to provide

unpolarized light. The scrambler is used for most measurements. A color filter BG-34, 2.7 mm

thick, converts the spectral flux distribution to CIE standard illuminant C. Finally, an iris diaphragm serves as the aperture stop of the illuminator. For most measurements the beam

diameter is about 3 cm.

8
Table 3.1. ASTM specifications and the NIST measured values for full angles of

the illuminator and receiver apertures with tolerances and uncertainties

/\periures

Parallel to the plane of

incidence

Perpendicular to the plane of

incidence

ASTM spec. NIST apertures ASTM spec. NIST apertures

Source 0.75° ±0.25° 0.71° ±0.01° 2.5° ±0.5° 3.0° ±0.01°

20° receiver 1.8° ±0.05° 1.82° ±0.01° 3.6° ±0.1° 3.64° ±0.02°

60° receiver 4.4° ±0.1° 4.44° ± 0.02° 11.7° ±0.2° 11.72° ±0.01°

85° receiver 4.0° ±0.3° 4.03° ±0.01° 6.0° ±0.3° 6.02° ±0.01°

3.1.2 Goniometer The goniometer positions the sample and receiver for bi-directional

luminous reflectance or transmittance measurements. It consists of two computer-controlled

rotation stages. The sample stage has a diameter of 48 cm and the sample holder can accommodate rectangular samples with dimensions up to 10 cm high by 20 cm wide by 25 mm

thick. In addition, a sample holder with vacuum suction can be mounted on the sample stage for use with non-rigid samples such as paper. The sample holder positions the front surface of the

sample on the axis of rotation of the stage. The receiver is attached to a rotation stage whose

axis of rotation is collinear with the rotation stage for the sample.

3.1.3 Receiver The receiver collects and measures the efflux from the sample. It consists of

an iris, a focusing lens, a receiver aperture, an averaging sphere, and a detector. The iris, lens,

and aperture are enclosed in a light-tight tube with baffles to reduce scattered light. The iris has

a clear diameter of 7.4 cm and is the aperture stop of the receiver. A lens with a focal length of

508 mm immediately behind the iris focuses the light at the receiver aperture. The specified

dimensions of the receiver aperture, with tolerances, and the measured dimensions of the

receiver aperture are given in Table 3.1. The receiver aperture is located at the entrance port of

the averaging sphere, and is the field stop of the receiver. The averaging sphere has a diameter

of 30.5 cm and is packed with pressed polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). A photopic detector is located at the detector port of the averaging sphere and consists of a silicon photodiode and a

filter that in combination approximates the spectral luminous efficiency function Vx. The

detector is temperature controlled with a thermoelectric heater and has an integral current-to- voltage amplifier. The voltage output from the detector is measured by a 6 Vi digit voltmeter and

sent to a computer.

3.2 Characterization

This instrument has been carefully characterized and calibrated to ensure proper

operation and to verify agreement with the documentary standards for specular gloss

measurements - ASTM D523 and ISO 2813. These documentary standards specify the geometry

of the illumination beam, the specular angles, the dimensions of the source and receiver

apertures, the spectral flux distribution of the illuminator, and the spectral responsivity of the

receiver. Details of the characterization of the instrument are given below.

9
3.2.1 Illuminator The lamp is burned in at 100 W for 24 hours and ihcn at ihc operational

current of 6.3 A for an additional 48 h prior to performing measurements. The stability of the source was investigated by measuring the flux incident on a Si photodiode at the sample location

for a period of 30 min. A typical relative standard deviation of the signal over ten minutes is 0.01 %.

The degree of polarization of the illuminator with no polarizing components was

measured by rotating a polarizer in the beam and measuring the maximum and minimum

transmitted signals. The difference of the signals was divided by the sum to obtain the degree of

polarization of the source, approximately 9 %. Because the illuminator is not completely

unpolarized, either a glass-laminated polarizer or a scrambler are used in the beam path just

before the sample. The averaging sphere on the receiver arm in front of the photopic detector

randomizes any additional polarization imparted by the sample. The leakage of the glasslaminated polarizer for luminous flux that is polarized perpendicular to the intended direction of

polarization of the illuminator is 1.4 %. The degree of polarization of the source-scrambler

combination is 0.02 %, providing an unpolarized illumination beam.

The standard spectral conditions for specular gloss measurements are for the illuminator

to approximate the spectral flux distribution of CIE standard illuminant C and for the receiver

spectral responsivity to approximate the CIE spectral luminous efficiency function, both shown

in Fig. 3.2. The spectral flux distribution of the illuminator, with no filter, for the spectral range

of 380 nm to 1070 nm was measured using a calibrated scanning spectroradiometer [13]. A

freshly pressed polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sample [14] was placed in the sample holder at an illumination angle of 45° and a viewing angle of approximately 0°. The spectral reflectance

of PTFE is non-selective in the visible region. The lamp current was set to 6.3 A to achieve a Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) of 2856 K + 10 K with a coverage factor k^l. A colortemperature conversion filter was placed in the illuminator to achieve the spectral flux

distribution of CIE standard illuminant C (CCT = 6774 K). The spectral flux distribution of the

illuminator was measured as before, and a CCT of 6740 K ± 30 K with a coverage factor k ^ 2

was calculated.

The dimensions of the source and receiver apertures are predetermined by the specular

geometry, focal length of the collimator lens in the system, test material, and the correlation with

visual ranking. Table 3.1 lists the standard aperture sizes and accepTable tolerances, and the

measured values for the NIST apertures. The hnear dimensions of the apertures were measured

and the angular dimensions were calculated. All of the apertures are within the ASTM

tolerances. The angle of incidence (9 for any ray within the illumination beam with illumination

angle 6q is given by

cos Or, + sin ^„ • tan (2 ^ ,

,

(1 + tan- a + tan- py''

where a and /3 are the angles from the illuminator axis parallel and perpendicular to the plane of

incidence, respectively.

10
300 400 500 600 700 800

Wavelength [nm]

Figure 3.2. Spectral distributions of CIE standard illuminant C (dashed line) and

the CIE spectral luminous efficiency function (solid line)

3.2.2 Goniometer The angular scales of the sample Table and receiver were checked for

accuracy and repeatability from 0° to ± 85°. The illumination angles on the sample Table were

calibrated using a set of isosceles prisms made by the NIST Optical Shop. These prisms have

nominal base angles of 20°, 60°, and 85° with maximum deviations of 0.05°, corresponding to the standard geometries. The prisms were calibrated by the Manufacturing Engineering

Laboratory at NIST using a precision electronic autocollimator with an expanded uncertainty

(A=2) of 0.005° [15]. For the calibration of the illumination angles, one of the calibrated prisms

was mounted in the sample holder. The sample Table was then rotated to achieve retroreflection.

This procedure was repeated for the three prisms, resulting in a maximum uncertainty for the

angular scale of the sample Table of 0.05°. The repeatability of the angular scale for the sample

Table is 0.05°. To calibrate the receiver angular scale, a front surface mirror replaced the prism

and the reflection was centered in the receiver aperture by rotating the receiver arm. The

maximum uncertainty for the receiver arm angular scale is 0.05° and the repeatability is 0.05°.

3.2.3 Receiver The photopic receiver consists of a temperature controlled silicon photodiode

with a photopic filter and a computer controlled variable gain current-to-voltage amplifier. The

gain setting of the amplifier is the power of ten by which the current is multiplied to convert it to voltage. For low gloss samples, the measured luminous flux is much lower than the luminous

flux from the high specular gloss primary standard. In this case, several amplifier gain settings are required to cover the dynamic range. From eq (2.25), the rado of the amplifier gains is the

required quantity. The gain settings of the amplifier were calibrated using a reference constant

current source as the input of the amplifier and a voltmeter was used to measure the output

signal. At each gain setting, the current was set to obtain a range of voltages from 10 V to 0.1 V

in twenty equally spaced steps and the output signal was measured at each current. This protocol

yielded current settings that were common to successive gain settings. The average value of the

11
gain ratio and relative standard deviation of these overlapping settings for successive gains are

listed in Table 3.2. The gain ratios are not exactly equal to 10, and it is best to measure signals

between the ranges of 0.5 V to 12 V.

Table 3.2. Average gain ratio and relative standard deviation for successive

amplifier gain ratios

Gain ratio Average value Relative standard deviation [%]

A6/A5 9.999 0.002

A7/A6 9.998 0.002

A8/A7 9.997 0.002

A9/A8 10.017 0.003

A10/A9 9.952 0.003

The linearity of the photodiode-amplifier combination was measured using the NIST

automated beam conjoiner [16]. This facility uses the beam addition method with a set of filters in the path of the two branches of the beam to vary the radiant flux at the receiver by three

decades. The linearity of the photodiode-ampHfier combination was checked at gain settings

from 5 to 9. The maximum radiant flux at the receiver is controlled by a set of neutral-density

filters in front of the receiver. Figure 3.3 shows a plot of the relative responsivity (ratio of the

measured signal to the actual flux) as a function of current for the gain settings listed in the

legend. The measured relative responsivity of the photodiode-amplifier combination is linear to within 0.2 % for gain settings of 5 to 8. Larger deviations are observed at gain 9 due to the small

current at this setting.

The absolute spectral responsivity of the filter and receiver package was measured in the

NIST Spectral Comparator Facility [17], and approximates that of the CIE spectral luminous

efficiency function. The measured spectral distribution was normalized to one at 560 nm to compare with the theoretical distribution. The responsivity spatial uniformity of the detector was

not determined since an averaging sphere is used in front of the detector. Figure 3.4 shows a comparison of the spectral products of the illuminator and receiver and of the CIE standard

illuminant C spectral flux distribution and the spectral luminous efficiency function.

12
o

CI. GO

(U .>; 4—

>

C«<^

1.020

1.015

1.010

1.005

1.000

0.995 ^ 0.990

0.985

0.980

5 7

A 8 • 9

1

0.00001 0.001 0.1 10 1000 100000

Current [nA]

Figure 3.3. Relative responsivity (ratio of the measured signal to the actual flux)

of the photodiode-amplifier combination as a function of current for

the listed gain settings

300 400 500 600

Wavelength [nm]

700 800

Figure 3.4. Actual and ideal spectral products of the illuminator and receiver

13
3.3 Operation

The lamp current is adjusted to 6.3 A and allowed to warm up for at least an hour. An

image of the lamp filament is formed at the receiver aperture by adjusting the positions of ihc

lamp and collimating lens. The zero position of the sample Table is set by placing a mirror in ihc

sample holder and adjusting the rotation stage so that the illumination beam is retrorcflecled back

onto the illuminator iris. The zero position of the receiver arm is adjusted by centering the

illumination beam on the front of the receiver aperture. These positions are recorded by the

computer program to set the rotation stages to zero. The sample holder is designed so that the

front surface of the sample is on the axis of rotation of the sample Table. The sample is manually centered in the horizontal and vertical directions.

From Eq. (2.8), measurements of the specular gloss of a test sample require

measurements of the reflected luminous fluxes from the test sample and the standard under the

same experimental conditions. Measurements of the sample under test are bracketed with the

primary standard measurements to correct for any instrumental drift. The specular gloss of the

test sample is then calculated from the ratio of the measured luminous flux reflected from the

sample to the average of the measured luminous fluxes reflected from the primary standard. If a polarizer is used, measurements are performed with parallel and peipendicular polarization with

respect to the plane of incidence and the average of these two measurements yields the specular

gloss value for unpolarized light. The dark signal is measured with the source blocked at the

same geometry for the measurements, and the dark signal is subtracted from the measured signal

from the standard and sample under test. The final gloss values are given by the average of at least three independent scans.

The specular gloss scale is checked before all calibrations by measuring check standards

with gloss values similar to that of the sample under test. The check standards are black glass

tiles with different gloss values.

3.4 Uncertainty Analysis

This section describes the components of uncertainty, their evaluation, and the resulting

uncertainty for specular gloss measurements. Throughout this document, uncertainty statements

follow the NIST policy given by Taylor and Kuyatt [18], which recommends the use of an expanded uncertainty with a coverage factor ^ = 2 for the uncertainties of all NIST calibrations.

The NIST reference goniophotometer was designed so that the various sources of uncertainty were minimized. The residual uncertainties were characterized to produce specular gloss with a minimum relative expanded uncertainty {k = 2) of 0.3 %.

3.4.1 Basic Definitions The specular gloss of a test sample is not measured directly but is determined from reflected luminous fluxes through the measurement equation. In general, the

value of a measurand, y, is obtained from n other quantities x, through a functional relation, f. given by

y = f(xi,X2,--;Xj,--;X„). (3.2)

The standard uncertainty of an input quantity is the estimated standard deviation associated w ith this quantity and is denoted by u{xi). The standard uncertainties may be obtained using eitlier a

14
Type A evaluation of uncertainty, which is based on statistical analysis, or a Type B evaluation

of uncertainty, which is based on other means. The relative standard uncertainty is given by

u{xi)lxi. The relative combined standard uncertainty Wc(y)/v is given by the root-sum-square of

the standard uncertainties associated with each quantity x„ assuming that these uncertainties are uncorrelated. The mathematical expression for the relative combined standard uncertainty is

where (l/v)(5/75x,) is the relative sensitivity coefficient. The expanded uncertainty f/is given by

huciy), where k is the coverage factor and is chosen on the basis of the desired level of

confidence to be associated with the interval defined by U.

3.4.2 Specular Gloss The components of uncertainty associated with gloss measurements are divided into those arising from experimentally measured quantities and those arising from

deviations from standard recommendations. The experimentally measured quantities include the source stability, responsivity of the detector, photodiode linearity, accuracy of the digital

voltmeter, amplifier gain ratio, and signal noise. Deviations of the reference instrument from the

standard conditions include deviations from the specified spectral flux distribution of the

illuminator, spectral responsivity of the receiver, unpolarized influx, illumination angle, and

angular distribution of the influx. The resulting uncertainty from deviations from the standard

conditions depends on the nature of the sample under test and the primary standard.

The appropriate measurement equation for the first set of uncertainties is eq (2.16) and

for the second set, Eqs. (2.20) to (2.23). This uncertainty analysis was applied to representative

measurements using a highly polished black glass as the test sample and a highly poHshed wedge

of BaK50 glass as the primary standard.

The components of uncertainty arising from the illuminator are uncertainties from the

stability, polarization, and angular distribution of the influx. The relative standard uncertainty in source stability is caused by random effects and is 0.01 % from a Type A evaluation. The

uncertainty arising from the polarization of the illuminator is caused by a systematic effect with a Type B evaluation and depends on the reflecting properties of the sample. The correction factors

for deviations from an unpolarized illumination beam were calculated from Eq. (2.21) using the

degrees of polarization determined in the previous section and are listed in Table 3.3 for the three

standard geometries. The uncertainty arising from the angular distribution of the influx is caused

by a systematic effect with a Type B evaluation and depends on the reflecting properties of the

sample. The correction factor for deviations from the specified angular distribution of the influx

in Table 3.1 was calculated from eqs (2.22) and (3.1). The correction factors for the three

standard geometries are listed in Table 3.3.

The uncertainties arising from the goniometer are the uncertainties in the angular

positioning of the sample and receiver arm. These uncertainties are caused by a systematic effect

with a Type B evaluation and depend on the reflecting properties of the sample. The angular

setting uncertainty of 0.05° is smaller than the accuracy of 0.1° specified by ASTM D523. The

correction factors for deviations of the illumination angle from eq (2.23) for the three standard

geometries are listed in Table 3.3.

(3.3)

15
The components of uncertainty arising from the receiver are uncertainties from the digital

voltmeter (DVM), signal noise, amplifier gain ratio, and photodiode linearity. The uncertainty

from the DVM is caused by a systematic effect with a Type B evaluation, assuming a normal

probability distribution. Using the manufacturer's specifications, the relative uncertainty

resulting from the DVM is 0.002 %. Signal noise of the instrument results in an uncertainty

caused by a random effect with a Type A evaluation. A typical relative standard deviation for a gloss measurement is 0.01 %. The uncertainties arising from the photodiode linearity and the

amplifier gain ratio are caused by systematic effects with a Type A evaluation. The maximum

relative standard deviation from linearity of the photodiode, for signals in the range of 0.1 V to 12 V, is 0.1 %. The relafive standard deviafions for successive gain settings are listed in Table

3.2. The maximum relative standard deviation is 0.003 %. The same gain is used when the

standard and sample have similar gloss values; otherwise the gain ratios are applied in the

calculations.

The repeatability of the sample positioning results in an uncertainty caused by a random

effect with a Type B evaluation. Assuming a rectangular probability distribution with a maximum deviafion of 0.2 gloss units, the relative standard uncertainty is 0.1 %.

Deviations from the spectral condidon are important for low-gloss samples with spectral

features. The spectral conditions of the illuminator and receiver are in close agreement with the

recommended CIE standard illuminant C and CIE spectral luminous efficiency function. The

difference between the instrument and the standard conditions results in an uncertainty caused by

a systematic effect with a Type B evaluadon. The correcfion factors for deviations from the

standard recommendations for the three standard geometries, from eq (2.20), are listed in

Table 3.3.

Table 3.3. Correction factors for deviations from the standard conditions for a black glass calibrated with the primary specular gloss standard

Correction factors

Standard geometry

Deviation 20° 60° 85°

Polarizer, Cp 0.999890 1.000137 1.000222

Depolarizer, Cp 0.999999 1.000001 0.999995

Angular distribution, Cd 0.999999 0.999975 0.999993

Illumination angle, Ca 0.999996 0.999875 0.999940

Spectral product, Cs 1.000012 1.000006 0.999997

Since all of the correcfion factors listed in Table 3.3 are nearly unity, no correction factor

is applied and the variations from unity are considered to be uncertainties. The relati\ e standard

uncertainty from each component of uncertainty is listed in Tables 3.4a and 3.4b for sampledependent and sample-independent components, respectively. The relatixe expanded

uncertainties given in Table 3.5 are calculated from the root-sum-square of the uncertainties

16
listed in Tables 3.4a and 3.4b. The ISO 2813 standard specifies that gloss should be reported to the nearest full gloss unit. Therefore, the calibration of the reference instrument and primary

standard should have an uncertainty of less than one gloss unit. The NIST reference

goniophotometer has an expanded {k = 2) relative uncertainty of 0.3 % for calibrating a highly

polished black glass.

Table 3.4a. Components of uncertainty which depend on the scattering

properties of the materials, and the resulting relative standard

uncertainties. The values are based on a BaK50 primary gloss

standard and a highly polished black glass test sample

Component of

uncertainty

Effect Type

Relative standard uncertainty [%]

Sta

20°

ndard geome

60°

try

85°

Polarizer S B 0.01 0.01 0.02

Depolarizer s B 0.0001 0.000

1

0.0005

Angular distribution s B 0.0001 0.003 0.0007

Illumination angle s B 0.0004 0.005 0.006

Spectral product s B 0.001 0.0006 0.0003

Table 3.4b. Components of uncertainty which are independent of the scattering

properties of the materials, and the resulting relative standard

uncertainties

Relative standard uncertainty [%]

Component of uncertainty Effect Type Standard geometry

20° 60° 85°

Primary gloss standard S B 0.1 0.06 0.005

Source stability R A 0.01

DVM S B 0.002

Signal noise R A 0.01

Photodiode linearity S A 0.1

Amplifier gain ratio S A 0.003

Repeatability R A 0.1

17
Table 3.5. Relative expanded uncertainties of specular gloss measured by the

NIST reference goniophotometer {k = 2) for the 20^ 60^ and 85^

standard geometries.

Standard geometry Relative expanded uncertainty [%]

20° 0.35

60° 0.31

85° 0.29

4. Primary Gloss Standard

The selection criteria for the new NIST primary specular gloss standard are described,

along with the index of refraction, specular gloss, and luminous reflectance properties of the

standard. Finally, the new primary standard is compared to other gloss standards.

4.1 Description

The theoretical standard for specular gloss measurements is specified to be a highly

polished plane black glass with an index of refraction at the wavelength of the sodium D line,

589.3 nm, of «d = 1.567 and is assigned a specular gloss value of 100 for each of the three

standard geometries. The specular reflectances of unpolarized light for this index of refraction are calculated using the Fresnel equations and are listed in Table 2.2. Since there is no black

glass with exactly «d = 1.567, other materials are used as primary standards and their gloss

values are computed from the Fresnel reflectances. The primary specular gloss standard

previously used at NIST in the 1970's was a commercial Carrara black glass with }io = 1.527 [6].

A recent evaluation of this type of glass and its constituents was performed, and no match to any

commercially available optical glass could be determined.

In general, there are a number of disadvantages to using black glass as a primary specular

gloss standard. The surface of black glass is inhomogeneous, ages poorly, and is easily

damaged, and thus requires frequent repolishing and recalibration. Polished black glass has been

reported to be unsTable due to surface chemical contamination, resulting in variations of 0.3 %

to 0.5 % in the index of refraction over a period of three to four years [19]. These variations

correspond to changes of about 2 % and 1 % in the specular gloss values for the 20° and 60°

standard geometries, respectively. Optical polishing with cerium oxide can restore the original

gloss value. The uniformity of the index of refraction has been investigated [20], and varies across the surface by approximately 0.5 %.

The ISO 2813 documentary standard suggests an alternative to black glass - a clear glass

with roughened edges and back surface, with the back surface painted black to absorb any

transmitted light. A difficulty with such a primary standard is finding a black paint that provides

a good match to the index of refracdon of the clear glass. Otherwise, some scattered light from

the back surface will enter the receiver and cause an error in the measured luminous flux. An

alternative to the black paint is to cut the clear glass at an angle so that back reflections are not

18
incident on the receiver, but this option is not feasible for small, porTable instruments commonly

used in industry.

The disadvantages of the previous primary standards for specular gloss described above

motivated a search for a new primary standard at NIST [21]. The following selection criteria were used: First, the standard should be a commercially available, high-purity optical glass with

high chemical and mechanical durability. Second, the index of refraction 7?d should be as close

to 1.567 as possible to conform to the documentary standards. Third, the material should be

homogenous and have dispersion characteristics similar to black glass. An optical quality

barium crown glass BaK50 was selected as the new NIST primary standard since it possesses

high chemical and mechanical durability and no = 1.5677. In addition, the index of refraction

6 2 homogeneity of this glass is within 5x10' over an area of 70 mm , which is better than the

black glass. Three pieces of BaK50 with dimensions of 98 mm by 98 mm by 20 mm were

purchased, and the NIST Optical Shop fabricated saOmples with a 6° wedge at the back surface.

This angle is sufficient to reflect the light incident on the back surface out of the field of view of

the receiver for all of the standard geometries, as shown in Fig. 4. 1 . The front and back surfaces were polished to a roughness of 0.6 nm to 1.0 nm. A black felt material was placed at the back

and edges of the samples to eliminate reflections from the surrounding black anodized holder.

Illuminator Iris

; BaK50 Wedge

i

Receiver Iris

Figure 4.1. Schematic diagram of the new NIST primary standard showing the

incoming and reflected beam at aspecular geometry (not to scale)

4.2 Characterization

The specular gloss value of the primary standard is determined relative to the theoretical

gloss standard from the ratio of the luminous reflectance to the Fresnel reflectance of the

theoretical standard, as shown in eq (2.10). The luminous flux reflected from the primary

standard is used to determine the specular gloss of the test sample, from eq (2.8). There are two

methods for determining the luminous reflectance of the primary standard, one from

measurements of the index of refraction over the visible wavelength range, the other from direct

measurements of this reflectance.

19
4.2.1 Index of Refraction The index of refraction of BaK50 was measured on a prism-shaped

sample prepared from the same melt as the wedge samples. The minimum deviation technique

[22] was used to determine the index of refraction at five different wavelengths, including

589.3 nm, with a standard uncertainty of 4 x 10"^ (k = 2). The indexes of refraction as a function

of wavelength are given in Table 4.1. The data was fitted with a cubic spline over the range of

data and linearly extrapolated to give the dispersion curve for wavelengths from 380 nm to 780

nm at 10 nm intervals, shown in Fig. 4.2. The calculated specular reflectances p^{6, /Id) and

specular gloss value 0^(0} of the new NIST primaiy standard at Au = 589.3 nm are listed in

Table 4.2 for the standard geometries.

Table 4.1. Index of refraction n of BaK50 glass as a function of wavelength

Wavelength [nm] n

435.8 1.5800

480.0 1.5753

546.1 1.5702

589.3 1.5677

643.9 1.5654

X

c:>

1.600

1.590

1.580

^ 1.570 ^ 1.560

1.550 J I I I L J I L. I I I

300 400 500 600

Wavelength [nm]

700 800

Figure 4.2. Fitted refractive index, n{A), for BaK50 glass as a function of

wavelength

20
Table 4.2. Calculated specular reflectance Ps{6,Ad) and specular gloss value Gs{0)

of the new primary standard BaK50 at Ad = 589.3 nm for each

standard geometry

Standard geometry Ps(0, Ad) Gsi0)

20° 0.049172 100.19

60° 0.100167 100.11

85° 0.619204 100.01

4.2.2 Luminous Reflectance There are two methods to determine the luminous reflectance of

the primary standard. The first calculates the luminous reflectance from the index of refraction

as a function of wavelength, while the second measures the luminous reflectance directly. The

luminous reflectances and specular gloss values from these two methods are listed in Table 4.3,

with the details of the calculations and measurements given below.

Table 4.3. Average luminous reflectance fK,s{0) and specular gloss value Gs(0)

for the new primary standard BaK50 for each standard geometry and

method of calculation or measurement

Standard geometry

20° 60° 85°

Method A'.s(<9) Gs{0) Gsi0)

Index of

refraction

0.049464 100.8 0.100510 100.5 0.619375 100.0

Luminous

reflectance

0.049587 101.0 0.100743 100.7

For the first method, the index of refraction as a function of wavelength, from Table 4.1

and Fig. 4.2, is used in eqs (2.11) to (2.13) to calculate ps.id, A) for each of the standard

geometries from 380 nm to 780 nm every 10 nm. The luminous reflectance pv,s{0) is calculated

from Eq. (2.14) using p^id. A), CIE standard illuminant C for S{A), and the CIE spectral luminous

efficiency function. Finally, the specular gloss value Gs(d) for the primary standard is given by

eq (2.10) but with pw,J,6) in place of p^.

The second method measures luminous reflectance by an absolute technique using the

NIST reference goniophotometer. For a fixed specular geometry, the following steps are followed for absolute luminous reflectance measurements. The sample is manually removed

from the path of the influx beam, the receiver is rotated into the beam path, and the net

illumination signal is measured. The sample is then placed in the beam path, the sample Table

and receiver arm are rotated to the desired geometry, and the net reflected signal is measured.

The net illumination signal is measured again, and the two values are averaged to obtain the final

illumination signal. The luminous reflectance is calculated from the ratio of the net reflected

21
signal to the net illumination signal. From the measured luminous reflectance of tlic primary

standard, the specular gloss value was calculated as described in the previous paragraph. 1 he

85° geometry was not measured due to limitations in the instrument. The relative expanded

uncertainty (A'=2) for the luminous reflectance of BaK50 at the specular geometries of 20" and

60° is 0.22 %. The random effects, which include the source stability and detector noise, result

in a relative expanded uncertainty {k=2) of 0.1 % for both geometries. The systematic effects,

which include the DVM accuracy, amplifier gain, detector linearity, source polarization, angular

scale and spectral product, result in a relative expanded uncertainty {k^2) of 0.2 % for both

geometries.

4.3 Comparison of Specular Gloss Standards

The specular gloss values of the new primary standard are nearly 100 for all three

standard geometries as a consequence of ;7d being close to the theoretical value of 1.567.

Comparing Tables 4.2 and 4.3, the specular gloss values calculated from the luminous

reflectance are greater than those calculated using only wd for the 20° and 60° standard

geometries, and are approximately equal for the 85° standard geometry. Finally, the luminous

reflectances and corresponding specular gloss values obtained from each of the two methods,

from Table 4.3, agree well with each other, the maximum difference in 0^(0) being only 0.2. The uncertainty analysis shows that the calculated gloss value following the two different

luminous reflectance procedures agree within the uncertainties.

The dispersion characteristics of BaK50 were compared to those of black glass and

quartz gloss standards. Three different types of highly polished black glasses were investigated - the gloss standard previously used at NIST and two currently used in industry. Neither black

glass nor quartz are a good match for «d = 1.567. The refractive indexes for the black glass

samples were measured using an Abbe refractometer at three different wavelengths and fit with a cubic spline over the range of data and linearly extrapolated to give the dispersion curves, from

380 nm to 780 nm at 10 nm intervals, shown in Fig. 4.3. The uncertainty of these measurements

is 0.05 % (^2). The refractive indexes for quartz listed in Ref [23] was fitted using a cubic

spline function over the range of the data and linearly extrapolated to give the dispersion curve

for wavelengths from 380 nm to 780 nm at 10 nm interval shown in Fig. 4.3. The normalized

dispersion curves of BaK50, black glass, and quartz standards are shown in Fig. 4.4. The index

of refraction is normalized at a wavelength of 560 nm and plotted as a function of wavelength.

The average of the dispersion curves for the black glass samples is plotted. The relative

dispersion characteristic of BaK50 closely resembles that of the black glass samples, while

quartz has a different characteristic. The international and national standards define the specular

gloss value for the theoretical and working standards based upon a single refractive index. ;?d- but the instruments are specified for luminous reflectance measurements. This ambiguity leads

to a situation where the gloss value of the sample under test depends on the dispersi\e

characteristics of the secondary-working standard, such as black glass. This is particularK

important for instruments whose spectral characteristics are in poor agreement with those

specified by the documentary standards. Ideally, the calibration of a test sample should not be

affected by the properties of the working standard. This ambiguity produces differences in practical gloss measurements of up to 0.5 % since this recommendation ignores the dispersion

characteristic of the material represented by changes in refractive index as a function of

wavelength.

22
1.60

g 1.55

g 1.50

3 1-45

1.40

ooooooo

ooooooooooooocooooooooooooooooooooo

300 400 500 600

Wavelength [nm]

700 800

X Average Black Glass NIST Old Standard o BaK50 Quartz

Figure 4.3. Fitted refractive index, for average black glass working

standards, NIST old standard (Carrara black glass), BaK50, and

quartz as a function of wavelength

1.015

1.010

1.005

= 1.000

0.995

0.990 300 400 500 (lOO

Wavelength [nm]

700 800

o BaK50 X Average of blk glass Quartz

Figure 4.4. Normalized refractive index for BaK50, average of black glass

working standards, and quartz as a function of wavelength

Acknowledgments

The success of the measurement service for specular gloss was aided by the efforts of

Albert Parr and Sally S. Bruce.

23
References

I] NIST Calibration Services Users Guide, NIST Special Publication 250.

2] R. S. Hunter and R. W. Harold, The Measurement of Appearance, 2"'' Ed., John Wiley

and Sons, Inc., New York (1987).

3] International Standard ISO 2813, Paint and Varnishes-Measurements of Specular Gloss

of Nonmetallic Paint Films at 20°, 60°, and 85° (International Organization for

Standardization 1978).

4] Standard Test Method for Specular Gloss, ASTM D523, American Society for Testing

and Materials, West Conshohocken, PA (1995).

5] Commission International de TEclairage: International Lighting Vocabulary,

Colorimetry, 2"^^ ed., Publ. No. 15.2 (1986).

6] J. J. Hsia, The NBS 20-, 60-, and 85- Degree Specular Gloss Scales, NIST Tech. Note

594-10 (1975).

7] F. E. Nicodemus, J. C. Richmond, J. J. Hsia, I. W. Ginsburg, and T. Limperis.

Geometrical Considerations and Nomenclature for Reflectance, U.S. NBS Monograph

160 (1977).

8] W. Budde, The Calibration of Gloss Reference Standards, Metrologia 1 6, 89-93 ( 1 980).

9] M. E. Nadal and E. A. Thompson, NIST Reference Goniophotometer for Geometrical

Appearance Measurements, Journal Coatings Technology, 73, 73-80 (2001).

TO] R. S. Hunter, Gloss Investigations Using Reflected Images of a Target Patters, Journal of

Research, 16, 359 (1936).

II] R. S. Hunter, Methods of Determining Gloss, NBS Research paper RP 958, Journal of

Research, 18, No. 77, 281 (1937).

12] I. Nimeroff, Analysis of Goniophotometric Reflective Curves, Journal of Research, 48,

No. 5,441 (1952).

13] Y. Ohno, Photometric Calibrations, NIST SP 250-37 (1997).

14] P. Y. Barnes and J. J. Hsia, 45°/0° Reflectance Factor of Pressed Polytetrafluoroethylene

(PTFE) Powder, NIST Technical Note 1413 (1995).

15] T. Doiron and J. Stoup, Uncertainty and Dimensional Calibrations, J. Res. Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol. 102, 647 (1997).

16] R. D. Saunders and J. B. Shumaker, Automated Radiometric Linearity Tester, Appl. Opt.

23,3504 (1984).

17] T. C. Larson, S. S. Bruce, and A. C. Parr, Spectroradiometric Detector Measurements,

NIST SP 250-41 (1998).

18] B. N. Taylor and C. E. Kuyatt, Guidelines for Evaluating and Expressing the Uncertainty

of NIST Measurements Results, NIST Tech. Note 1297 (1994).

19] J. Zwinkels and M. Noel, Specular Gloss Measurement Services at the National Research

Council of Canada, Surface Coatings International 12, 512 (1995).

20] B. Wolfang and C. X. Dodd, Stability Problems in Gloss Measurements, Journal of

Coating Tech. 552, 44-48, (1980).

21] M. E. Nadal and E. A. Thompson, New Primary Standard for Specular Gloss

Measurements, Journal of Coatings Technology, 72, No. 91 1 (2000).

22] G. E. Fishter, Refractometry, Applied Optics and Optical Engineering. \'ol. IV,

Academic Press, New York (1967) p. 363-382.

23] I. H. Malitson, Interspecimen Comparison of the Refractive Index of Fused Silica.

Journal of the Optical Society of America 55, 1205-1209 (1965).

24
Appendix A

REPORT OF CALIBRATION

38090S Specular Gloss

for

Specular Gloss Plates

Submitted by:

Any Company, Inc. Attn.: Ms. Jane Doe

123 Calibration Street

Measurement City, MD 20800-1234

(See your Purchase Order No. 12345, dated month Day, Year)

1. Description of Calibration Items

Twelve specular gloss plates, 10.8 cm square, manufactured by Hunter Associates Laboratory,

Inc., with serial numbers SG-01, SG-02, SG-03, SG-04, SG-05, SG-06, SG-07, SG-08, SG-09,

SG-10, SG-1 1, and SG-12, submitted by Any Company, Inc.

2. Description of Calibration

Specular gloss is a measure of the specular luminous reflectance of an item under geometrical

and spectral conditions specified by the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) D523

[1] and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 2813 [2] documentary

standards.

The calibration items were measured using the NIST Reference Goniophotometer for Specular

Gloss. This instrument was originally developed at NIST [3] in 1970 and recently updated,

automated, and characterized [4] to comply with the requirements in the documentary standards.

An achromatic condenser lens system images radiant flux from a quartz-tungsten-halogen

incandescent lamp onto the source aperture. The beam emerging from the aperture is collimated

by a lens, passes through a polarization scrambler, a color filter, and an iris with a clear diameter

of 3 cm, and is incident upon the sample holder. The radiant flux reflected by the item in the

sample holder is collected by the receiver iris and focused by a lens onto the receiver aperture at the port of an integrating sphere. The integrating sphere has a diameter of 30.5 cm and is packed

Calibration Date: Month Day, year

NIST Test No.: Division number/Test Folder Number-Year Page 1 of 5
REPORT OF CALIBRATION

38090S Specular Gloss Specular Gloss Plates

Any Company, Inc. Serial Nos.: SG-01, SG-02, SG-03, SG-04,

SG-05, SG-06, SG-07, SG-OH,

SG-09, SG-10, SG-1 1, SG-12

with pressed polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). A Si photodiode with a photopic filter is attached

to the sphere and produces a signal proportional to the radiant flux in the sphere, and hence to the

radiant flux reflected by the item in the sample holder. The sample holder and receiver are located on independent, aligned rotation stages used to select the angles of illumination and

viewing.

Measuring the specular gloss of a cahbration item is a relative measurement and therefore

requires comparison to a standard with a calibrated specular gloss. The standard is the NIST

primary specular gloss standard [5], a wedged piece of BaK50 glass.

The calibration items and primary gloss standard were cleaned with an air bulb and sequentially

mounted in the sample holder so that their front surface was aligned with the axis of rotation of

the rotation stage and the illumination beam was centered on the front surface. The calibration

items were aligned in the direction of illumination, as indicated on the back of the sample.

Measurements of the calibration items were bracketed with measurements of the primary

specular gloss standard to correct for any instrumental drift.

The documentary standards specify the geometrical conditions of measurement for three

geometries, designated by illumination angles of 20°, 60°, and 85°. For all three geometries, the

angle from the center of the collimating lens of the illuminator to the source aperture was 0.75°

in the plane of illumination and 3° perpendicular to this plane. For the 20° geometry, the angle

from the center of the converging lens of the receiver to the receiver aperture was 1 .8° in the

plane of illumination and 3.6° perpendicular to this plane. For the 60° and 85° geometries, these

angles were 4.4° and 1 1 .7° and 4° and 6°, respectively. The documentary standards also specify

the spectral conditions. The spectral power distribution of the illuminator was that of CIE

standard illuminant C and the spectral responsivity was that of the CIE spectral luminous

efficiency function Vx. Both the geometrical and spectral conditions of the NIST Reference

Goniophotometer for Specular Gloss fell within the tolerances given in the documentary

standards.

3. Results of Calibration

The specular gloss G is given by

G(^J = 100- ^-^^"^ •-, (3.1)

where 6o is the angle of illumination (20°, 60°, or 85°), Ao is the wavelength of the sodium D-line

(589.3 nm), ps is the reflectance of the NIST primary gloss standard, po is the reflectance of the

theoretical standard («d = 1 .567), and / and Is are the currents from the receiver when measunng

the calibration item and primary standard, respectively.

Calibration Date: Month Day, year

NIST Test No.: Division number/Test Folder Number-Year Page 2of 5
REPORT OF CALIBRATION

38090S Specular Gloss

Any Company, Inc.

Specular Gloss Plates

Serial Nos.: SG-01, SG-02, SG-03, SG-04,

SG-05, SG-06, SG-07, SG-08,

SG-09, SG-10, SG-11,SG-12

The final specular gloss is obtained by averaging the values from multiple measurements. The

certified 20", 60°, and 85°specular gloss values for the calibration items are given in Tables 1 to

3, respectively.

Uncertainties were calculated according to the procedures outlined in [6]. Sources of uncertainty

due to random effects are source stability, detector noise, and item uniformity. The uncertainty

contribution caused by these effects was evaluated from the standard deviation of repeat

measurements of each item.

Sources of uncertainty due to systematic effects included those that depend on the scattering

properties of the calibration item (polarization, divergence and spectral power distribution of the

illuminator, illumination angle, and spectral responsivity of the receiver) and those that are independent of the scattering properties (detector linearity, amplifier gain ratio, and voltmeter

accuracy). The uncertainties from these effects were evaluated as part of the characterization of

the NIST Reference Goniophotometer for Specular Gloss, taking into account the spectral

reflectance properties of the calibration items. All uncertainty components were assumed to have normal probability distributions.

The resulting uncertainty contributions to specular gloss values due to systematic and random

effects are also given in Tables 1 to 3. The expanded uncertainty was obtained from the root- sum-square of the uncertainty contributions multiplied by a coverage factor k=2. The expanded

uncertainties in specular gloss are also given in Tables 1 to 3.

4. General Information

1) The calibration items were measured in the "as received" condition after cleaning using an

2) This calibration report may not be reproduced except in full without the written consent of

this Laboratory.

air bulb.

Prepared by: Approved by:

Maria E. Nadal

Optical Technology Division

Physics Laboratory

(301)975-4632

National Institute of

Standards and Technology

(301) 975-3797

Gerald T. Fraser

For the Director,

Calibration Date: Month Day, year

NIST Test No.: Division number/Test Folder Number-Year Page 3 of 5
REPORT OF CALIBRATION

38090S Specular Gloss

Any Company, Inc.

Specular Gloss Plates

Serial Nos.: SG-01, SG-02, SG-03, SG-04,

SG-05, SG-06, SG-07, SG-08,

SG-09, SG-10, SG-ll, S(;-I2

References:

[1] "Standard Test Method for Specular Gloss, ASTM D523," American Society for Testing

and Materials, West Conshohocken, PA (1995).

[2] International Standard ISO 281 3, "Paint and Varnishes-Measurements of Specular Gloss of

Nonmetallic Paint Films at 20°, 60°, and 85°" (International Organization for

Standardization 1978).

[3] Hsia, J. J., "The NBS 20-, 60-, and 85- Degree Specular Gloss Scales," NIST Tech. Note

594-10(1975).

[4] Nadal, M. E. and Thompson, E. A., "NIST Reference Goniophotometer for Reflection

Gloss Measurements," Journal Coatings Technology, vol. 73, 73-80, June 2001.

[5] Nadal, M. E. and Thompson, E. A., "New Primary Standard for Specular Gloss

Measurements," Journal of Coatings Technology, Vol. 72, December 2000.

[6] B. N. Taylor and C. E. Kuyatt, "Guidehnes for Evaluating and Expressing the Uncertainty

of NIST Measurement Results," NIST Technical Note 1297 (1994).

Calibration Date: Month Day, year

NIST Test No.: Division number/Test Folder Number-Year Page 4of 5
REPORT OF CALIBRATION

38090S Specular Gloss Specular Gloss Plates

Any Company, Inc. Serial Nos.: SG-01, SG-02, SG-03, SG-04,

SG-05, SG-06, SG-07, SG-08,

SG-09, SG-10, SG-11, SG-12

Table 1 . 20° specular gloss, uncertainty contributions, and expanded uncertainties (k = 2) for the

calibration items.

Item

Serial

Number

Specular

Gloss

Uncertainty Contribution Expanded

Uncertainty

Random Systematic

SG-01 9.00 0.35 0.13 0.75

SG-02 12.00 0.18 0.13 0.44

SG-03 42.12 0.13 0.13 0.37

SG-04 64.35 0.29 0.13 0.64

Table 2. 60° specular gloss, uncertainty contributions, and expanded uncertainties (k = 2) for the

calibration items.

Item

Serial

Number

Specular

Gloss

Uncertainty Contribution Expanded

Uncertainty

ik = 2) Random Systematic

SG-05 5.87 0.35 0.11 0.73

SG-06 13.33 0.37 0.11 0.77

SG-07 38.65 0.11 0.11 0.31

SG-08 90.41 0.03 0.11 0.23

Table 3. 85° specular gloss, uncertainty contributions, and expanded uncertainties (k = 2) for the

calibration items.

Item

Serial

Number

Specular

Gloss

Uncertainty Contribution Expanded

Uncertainty

(A- 2)

Random Systematic

SG-09 8.47 0.55 0.10 1.12

SG-10 43.26 0.48 0.10 0.98

SG-11 58.32 0.25 0.10 0.54

SG-12 85.41 0.30 0.10 0.63

Calibration Date: Month Day, year

NIST Test No.: Division number Test Folder Number-Year Page 5of 5
Appendix B

NIST Reference Goniophotometer for Specular Gloss Measurements

Maria E. Nadal and E. Ambler Thompson

Optical Technology Division

National Institute of Standard and Technology

Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8442

ABSTRACT

A new reference goniophotometer for specular gloss measurements has been assembled and

characterized, and will provide calibrations with an expanded uncertainty {k = 2) of 0.3 gloss

units.

Keywords: appearance attributes; gloss; gonio-apparent; goniophotometer; specular gloss;

specular reflectance.

1
I. Introduction

The current global economy has increased international competition and the need to improve the quality of many manufactured products. Appearance measurements are used to detennine the quality and acceptability of a variety of products from textiles to machine finishes.

Since the manufacture and marketing of these products is international in scope, the methods,

instruments, and standards for the measurement of appearance must be precise, reproducible, and

internationally standardized as well.

The appearance of an object is the result of a complex interaction of the light incident on

the object, the optical characteristics of the object, and human perception. The scientific basis

for the measurement of appearance attributes has been under investigation for the better part of a century and was standardized by the Commission hitemationale de I'Eclairage (CIE) [1]. The

visual response of human observers to wavelengths of light for the spectral region of 360 nm to 830 nm is tabulated as the CIE standard observer. The CIE has defined a series of standard

spectral distribudons that are known as the CIE Standard Illuminants.

Appearance attributes of an object are roughly divided into chromatic and geometric.

The chromatic attributes are those that vary the spectral distribution of the reflected light (color).

The geometric attributes are those that vary the spadal or angular distribution of the reflected

light (gloss and haze).

This paper describes the reference goniophotometer at the Nadonal Insdtute of Standard

and Technology (NIST). This instrument complies with the geometrical and spectral conditions

specified by the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) D523 [2] and the Intemadonal

Organization for Standardization (ISO) 2813 [3] documentary standards for the measurement of

specular gloss of non-metallic surfaces at fixed specular geometries of 20°, 60°, and 85°. Gloss

measurements for other industrial applications using different geometries can also be

accommodated. This goniophotometer is also capable of characterizing the distribution of

unabsorbed incident radiation by reflection or transmission from a material at incident angels

from 0° to 85° in compliance with ASTM El 67 [4]. Figure 1 shows a plot of the luminous

reflectance as a function of the observadon angle for a set of black glasses with different values

of gloss.

This goniophotometer was originally developed at NIST [5] in the 1970's by scientists

active in the development of the ASTM standard test method, and has recently been updated,

automated, and characterized. The instrument was revived to meet industrial needs, such as the

paint and automotive industries, for accurate gloss measurements and direct traceability to national standards.

The outline of this paper is as follows. Section II presents the gloss definition and the

measurement equadons. The instrument design is presented in Sec. Ill and the characterizadon

of this instrument is described in Sec. IV. The uncertainty analysis is discussed in Sec. V.

Finally, the conclusions are detailed in Sec. VI.

II. Gloss Definition and Measurement Equations

This section details the basic definitions and the relevant measurement equations to determine specular gloss. The approach utilized in this paper is based upon the concepts

presented in Refs. [5-7].

Gloss is the perception by an observer of the shiny appearance of a surface. This

perception changes whenever there is a change in the relative position or spectral distribution of

the source, the sample, and the observer. Different standard geometries are used to determine the

specular gloss of materials. Table 1 lists examples of these geometries and their applications.

2
These geometries were selected based on their ability to produce optimum discrimmaiion

between samples and to correlate with visual rankings.

The measurement of specular gloss compares the specular luminous reflectance from a

test specimen to that from a standard surface under the same experimental conditions. The

incident beam is a collimated white light source that simulates CIE standard Illuminant C and ihc

amount of radiation in the reflected beam is measured with a photopic receptor. The theoretical

standard for specular gloss measurements is a highly polished plane black glass with a refractive

index for the sodium D line no = 1.567. To set the specular gloss scale, the specular gloss of this theoretical standard has an assigned value of 100 for each of the three standard specular

geometries of 20°, 60°, and 85°. For primary standards with a refractive index different from n^ = 1.567, the specular gloss is computed from the refractive index and the Fresnel equations.

Recommendations for specular gloss standards and a new NIST primary gloss standard are described in Ref. [8].

Measuring the specular gloss of a test sample involves the ratio of the luminous

reflectances of the test sample and primary standard. The specular gloss of a test sample at a nominal angle do is given by

Pv t (^0

)

G^(0o) ^ G,{do) ^^'W , (1)

where Gs{0o) is the specular gloss of the primary standard and fK,i{do) and /?v.s('9o) are the

specular luminous reflectances of the test sample and primary standard, respectively.

Furthermore, the specular gloss of the primary standard is given by

where Go(do) is the specular gloss of the theoretical standard and Psido, /Id) and poiOo, ^d) are the

specular reflectances of the primary and theoretical standards, respectively, at a wavelength Ad =

589.3 nm. Combining Eqs. (1) and (2), the specular gloss of the sample under test is given by

G,i0o) = Go{Oo) (3)

/^o(^O'^d) Pv^si^o)

For each of the three standard geometries (20°, 60°, and 85°), the specular gloss of the

theoretical standard is defined as Go{0o) = 100. The specular reflectance p from the surface of a nonmetallic sample depends on the incident angle ^defined relative to the normal of the sample,

the wavelength A, and polarization a (p or s) of the incident radiation. The specular reflectance

as a function of these variables is given by the Fresnel equations,

n~(A) cosd

p(0,A,p) =

p{6,A,s) =

4^r{A) sin" 6

n' (A)- cos 0 + ^Jn~ (A) -sin' 6

cos 6 - ^n'(A)-sin~ 0

and (4)

(5)

cos6' + -J«"(/l)-sin" 9

The specular reflectance for unpolarized light is calculated from the average of Eqs. (4) and (5).

The specular reflectances for unpolarized light for the theoretical standard yOD((%, Ad) with no =

1.567 are calculated from Eqs. (4) and (5) and are listed in Table 2. For the case of the new

primary gloss standard [8], the specular reflectances are calculated from the measured n^ =

1.5677 ± 0.0004 and Eqs. (4) and (5).

3
The experimentally measured quantity is the ratio of the luminous fluxes reflected from

the test sample and primary standard, 0v,t,r and ^v, s, r respectively,

Pv,t(<9o) ^^v.s,i ^v.t.r ^

/l^v,s,i Rs A^t -^s Pv,s(^0) ^v,t,i ^v,s,r ^v,U A

where R is the responsivity of the receptor, N is the measured signal, A is the amphfier gain

factor, and the subscripts s and t denote standard and test sample, respectively. Therefore,

combining Eqs. (3) and (6), the specular gloss of a test sample in terms of the measured

quantities reduces to

Poi^O.^D) 1>v.M A,

The stability of the incident flux and responsivity are determined from the characterization of the

instrument.

In terms of spectral and geometrical quantities, the luminous reflectance ycv of a sample at a nominal angle do is given by

^\d0 jd/L • S{0, i, cr) • ^((9, A, cr) • V{0, i, a)

2] Jd (9 JdA S(0, A, cr) V{0, A , cr) a where S is the incident spectral flux distribution, V is the relative response function, and p is the

reflectance of the sample. These variables depend on the angle of incidence 0, wavelength A,

and polarization cr of the incident beam . In practice, the luminous reflectances of the standard

and test sample are not measured separately. Rather, the ratio of these reflectances is measured

and is given by

m ^ Y\d0\dA-SiO,A,cr)-p,i0,A,(j) V{6,A,(j)

Pv.s (^0 ) Y^\dO\dAS{0,A,G)- {6, A, cr) • ¥{6, A, a)

a Then, the specular gloss of a test sample is given by

Z Jd^ jd/L • S{0,A.(j) p^{O.A.G) V{e,A.(T)

Gt(^o)

^ = 100-^^^^^-^^ (10)

Po('90'/^d) l.\de\dA-S{e,A,cj)- p^{e,A,(j)-V{e,A,cr)

o

Following the standard recommendations, the incident spectral flux distribution S(A,) is specified to be CIE standard Illuminant C Sc(?^) and the relative response function V(?i) is specified to be the CIE 1931 2° observer spectral luminous efficiency function V?,. In addition,

the incident beam of light is specified to be collimated and unpolarized at a nominal incident

angle Gq. The specular gloss of the sample under test for the ideal case is given by

Deviations of the reference instrument from the ideal case include deviations from the

specified spectral flux distribution of the source, spectral responsivity of the receptor,

unpolarized and perfectly collimated incident beam, and nominal incident angle. The correction

factors for the specular gloss of the sample under test as determined with the reference

instrument are obtained using Eqs. (10) and (11). The correction factors are the ratio of the

specular gloss for the ideal case to the specular gloss for the reference instrument

4
C = ^^. (12,

The correction factor for deviations from the ideal spectral flux distribution is given by

fdA • 5,- (i) • A {6, ,A)-V^iA) fd/L • S{A) i0„A) V(A)

C ^- ^ (13)

^ JdA • S, (A) A(Oo U) jd/l • S{A) {0, , A) V(A)

The correction factor for deviations from an unpolarized incident beam is given by

\dA S, (A) • p^ {6, ,A)-V, (A) Z I^^ • ^) • A (^o ^ ^) " K. U)

—J. . _£I (14j

" ldA-S,iA)-p^{0„A)-V,{A) Y.\dA-S,(A,cr)-p,(0,,A,a)-V^iA)'

The correction factor for deviations from a perfectly collimated incident beam is given by

\dA-S^iA)-p,(d„A)-V,{A) \d0\dA-S,{0,A)-p^iO,A)-V,iA) c=4 4—7 ^ —• n5)

\dA (A) A (^0 , ^) • (^) jd^ ]dA S, ((9, A) p, {d,A)- V, (A)

The correction factor for deviations from the nominal incident angle is given by

\dA-S^{A)-p^{0„A)-VAA) \dA-S,iA)-p^{0.A)-V,{A)

^~

\dA-S,{A)-p^{e,,A)-V,{A) \dA-S^{A)-p^{e,A)-V,{A)'

Therefore, the specular gloss for the ideal case in terms of the correction factors is given by

^t,id(^o) = G^t -Q -^p -Q -Q- (1^)

The final measurement equation, including the correction factors and the experimentally

measured quantities, is given by

P,{eQ,A^) Oy.s,! R, N, A,

Po(^O'^d) ^v,t,i A A

III. Instrument Design

The reference goniophotometer is a monoplane gonio-instrument with a fixed source arm

and a rotating sample table and receptor arm. The sample table and the receptor arm can be

rotated independently of each other in the plane of incidence. A schematic diagram of the

goniophotometer in reflectance mode is shown in Fig. 2 and a detailed description of the

instrument is given below.

The source system consists of a lamp unit, a set of condenser lenses, a precision source

aperture, a collimating lens, and a color filter. The light source is a quratz-tungsten-halogen

lamp rated at 100 W. A constant dc current is run through the lamp from a computer controlled

power supply. An image of the lamp filament is formed on the source aperture with the

achromatic condenser lens system. This source aperture is the field stop for this optical system.

The dimensions of the source aperture are within the tolerances of the documentary standard

specifications as shown in Table 3. A second lens (focal length 192 mm) collimates the beam

into an approximate 3 cm diameter beam at the sample holder. A color filter is used so that the

spectral flux distribution of the source-filter combination closely resembles that of CIE Standard

Illuminant C. A glass-laminated polarizer is used to provide linearly polarized light or a scrambler is used to provide unpolarized light in the incident beam.

The goniometer positions the sample and receptor for bi-directional reflectance and

transmittance measurements. This goniometer consists of two rotation stages, which are computer controlled. The sample table is 480 mm in diameter and holds rectangular samples

5
with dimensions up to 110 mm by 200 mm and thickness up to 35 mm. In addition, a sampler

holder with vacuum suction is used for non-rigid samples such as paper. The optical components

for the receptor arm are enclosed in a light-tight baffle tube with an iris diaphragm at the

entrance. The collector lens (focal length 508 mm) is behind this iris diaphragm and focuses the

reflected beam at the receptor aperture. Table 3 lists the recommended dimensions of the

receptor aperture with specified tolerances and the micasured dimensions for the NIST apertures.

This aperture is located at the entrance of the sphere to restrict the field of view of the receptor.

The receptor package consists of a 30.5 cm diameter sphere packed with pressed

polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and a photopic receptor. The photopic receptor is a temperature

controlled silicon photodiode and a filter with a computer controlled variable gain current to voltage amplifier. The photodiode-filter combination approximates Yx. The amplified output

from the receptor is measured by a 6 1/2-digit voltmeter and sent to a computer.

Measurements of the sample under test are bracketed with primary specular gloss

standard measurements in order to correct for any instrumental drift. The specular gloss of the

test sample is then calculated from the ratio of the measured luminous flux reflected from the

sample to the average of the measured luminous flux reflected from the primary gloss standard.

If a polarizer is used, measurements are performed with parallel and perpendicular polarization

with respect to the incident plane and the average of these two measurements yields the

reflectance for unpolarized radiation.

IV. Characterization of Instrument

This instrument has been carefully characterized and calibrated to ensure proper

operation and to verify agreement with the documentary standard specifications for specular

gloss measurements - ASTM D523 and ISO 2813. These documentary standards specify the

incident beam to be a collimated unpolarized beam, the specular angles, the source and receptor

apertures, and the spectral flux distribution of the source and spectral response of the receptor.

Details of the characterization of the instrument are given below.

The lamp is burned in at 100 W for 24 h and then at the operational current of 6.3 A for an additional 48 h prior to performing measurements. The stability of the source was

investigated by measuring the flux incident on a Si photodiode at the sample location for a period

of 30 min. A typical relative standard deviation over ten minutes is 0.01 %.

The degree of polarization of the source unit was measured by rotating a polarizer and

measuring the maximum and minimum transmitted signals. The difference of the signals was

divided by the sum to obtain the degree of polarization of the source. This ratio is approximately

9 %. Because the light source is not completely unpolarized, a glass-laminated polarizer or scrambler is used in the beam path just before the sample. The averaging sphere on the receptor arm in front of the photopic receptor randomizes any additional polarization imparted by the

sample. The leakage of the glass-laminated polarizer for radiafion polarized perpendicular to the

intended direction of polarization on the source unit is 1 .4 %. The degree of polarization of the

source-scrambler combination is 0.02 %, providing a good beam of unpolarized incident

radiation. The divergence of the source was determined experimentally by measuring the source

size at specific distances. In the plane of measurement, the half-angle divergence of the source is 0.3°.

The recommended spectral condition for specular gloss measurements is for the source to simulate the spectral distribution of CIE standard Illuminant C and for the receptor response to simulate the CIE 1931 2° luminous efficiency function. The spectral distributions of these

standards are shown in Fig. 3.

6
A color filter was designed so that the spectral flux distribution ol" the source- fi her

combination will closely resemble that of CIE Standard Illuminant C. The Correlated Color

Temperature (CCT) and the spectral flux distribution of the source for the spectral range of 380

nm to 1070 nm were measured using a calibrated scanning spectroradiometer [9]. A freshly

pressed polytetrafluoreethylene (PTFE) sample [10] was placed in the sample holder at an

incident angle of 45° and an observation angle of -0°. The spectral reflectance of PTFE is nonselective in the visible region. Therefore, the PTFE sample has no significant effect on the

measured CCT of the source. The lamp current is set at 6.3 A to achieve a CCT of 2856 K ± 10

K with a coverage factor of ^ = 2. A color-temperature conversion filter was designed to simulate the spectral flux distribution of CIE standard Illuminant C (CCT = 6774 K), achieving a CCT of 6740 K ± 30 K with a coverage factor of A: = 2. The absolute spectral responsivity of the filter and receptor package was measured in the

NIST Receptor Comparator Facility [11], and approximates that of the CIE 1931 T standard

observer. The measured spectral distribution was normalized to one at 560 nm to compare w ilh the theorefical distribution. The responsivity spafial uniformity of the receptor was not

determined since an integrating sphere is used in front of the receptor. Figure 4 shows a comparison of the spectral products of the source and receptor and of the CIE standard

Illuminant C and the 1931 2° luminous efficiency function.

The angular scales of the sample table and receptor were checked for accuracy and

repeatability from 0° to ± 85°. The incident angles on the sample table are calibrated using a set of isosceles prisms made by the NIST optical shop. These prisms have nominal base angles of

20°, 60°, and 85° with maximum deviations of 0.05°. These angles correspond to the standard

geometries for evaluation of the specular gloss of nonmetallic paint samples. The prisms were

calibrated by the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory at NIST using a precision electronic

autocollimator with an expanded uncertainty {k = 2) of 0.005° [12]. For the calibration of the

incident angles, one of the calibrated prisms was mounted in the sample holder. The sample

table was then rotated so that the back reflection was retro-reflected. This procedure was

repeated for the three prisms, the resulting maximum uncertainty for the angular scale of the

sample table is 0.05°. The repeatability of the angular scale for the sample table is 0.005°. Then,

to calibrate the receptor angular scale, a front surface mirror replaced the prism and the reflection

was centered in the receptor aperture by rotating the receptor arm. The maximum uncertainty for

the receptor arm angular scale is 0.05° and the repeatability is 0.001°.

The dimensions of the source and receptor apertures are predetermined by the specular

geometry, focal length of the collimator lens in the system, test material, and the correlation with

visual ranking. Table 3 lists the standard recommended aperture sizes and acceptable tolerances

and measured values for the NIST apertures. The linear dimensions of the apertures were measured and the angular dimensions were calculated. All of the apertures are within the ASTM

tolerances.

The photopic receptor consists of a temperature controlled silicon photodiode w ith a photopic filter and a computer controlled variable gain current to voltage amplifier. The gain

setting of the amplifier is the power of ten by which the current is multiplied to con\ ert it to voltage. For low gloss samples, the measured signal is much lower than the signal from the high

specular gloss primary standard. In this case, several amplifier gain settings are required to cover the dynamic range. From Eq. (7), the ratio of the gain is the required quantity'. The gain

settings of the amplifier were calibrated using a reference constant current source as the input of

the amplifier and a voltmeter was used to measure the output signal. At each gain setting, the

current was set to obtain a range of voltages from 10 V to 0.1 V in twenty equally spaced steps

and the output signal was measured at each current. This protocol yielded current settings that

7
were common to successive gain settings. The average value of the gain ratio and relative

standard deviation of these overlapping settings for successive gains are listed in Table 4. The

gain ratios are not exactly equal to 10, and for better results, it is best to measure signals between

the ranges ofO.5 Vto 12 V.

The linearity of the photodiode-amplifier combination was measured using the NIST

automated beam conjoiner [13]. This facility uses the beam addition method with a set of filters in the path of the two branches of the beam to vary the radiant flux at the receptor by three

decades. The linearity of the photodiode-amplifier combination was checked at gain settings

from 5 to 9. The maximum radiant flux at the receptor is controlled by a set of neutral-density

filters in front of the receptor. Figure 5 shows a plot of the relative responsivity (ratio of the

measured signal to the actual flux) as a function of current for the gain settings listed in the

legend. The measured relative responsivity of the photodiode-amplifier combination is linear

within 0.2 % for gain settings of 5 to 8. Larger deviations are observed at gain 9 due to the small

current at this setting.

V. Uncertainty Analysis

This section describes the components of uncertainty, their evaluation, and the resulting

uncertainty for specular gloss measurements. The uncertainty analysis described below follows

the guidelines given in Ref [14]. The NIST reference goniophotometer was designed so that the

various sources of uncertainty were minimized and the residual uncertainties were characterized

to produce specular gloss with a minimum relative expanded uncertainty {k = 2) of 0.4 %.

The specular gloss of a test sample is not measured directly. In fact, specular gloss is determined from quantities such as incident and reflected fluxes through the measurement

equation. In general, the value of a measurand, y, is obtained from n other quantities x, through a functional relation,/, given by

The standard uncertainty of an input quantity is the estimated standard deviation

associated with this quantity and is denoted by u{Xi). The standard uncertainties are classified by

the effect of their source and the method of evaluation. The effect is either random or systematic. The method of evaluation is either Type A, which is based on statistical analysis, or Type B, which is based on other means. The relative standard uncertainty is given by w(x,)/a7.

The relative combined standard uncertainty WcCv) is given by the root-sum-square of the standard

uncertainties associated with each quantity x,, assuming that these uncertainties are uncorrelated

for multiplicative functional relationships. The mathematical expression for the relative

combined standard uncertainty is

where ( l/y){df/dxi) is the relative sensitivity coefficient. The expanded uncertainty U is given by

k-Uc(y), where k is the coverage factor and is chosen on the basis of the desired level of

confidence to be associated with the interval defined by U. For the purpose of this paper, k = 2

will be used, which defines an interval with a level of confidence of 95 %.

The components of uncertainty associated with gloss measurements are divided into

those arising from experimentally measured quantities and those from deviations from standard

recommendations. The appropriate measurement equation for the first case is Eq. (7) and for the

latter case Eqs. (13) to (17) are applicable. The resulting uncertainty from deviations from the

standard recommendations depends on the nature of the sample under test and the primary

standard. This uncertainty analysis was applied to representative measurements of a highly

(19)

(20)

8
polished black glass as the test sample and to a highly polished wedge of BaK50 as the primary

standard.

The component of uncertainty arising from the specular reflectance of the primary gloss

standard is uncertainty in the refractive index measurements. The uncerlainlies from the

refractive index measurements are a systematic effect with a Type B evaluation. The relative

uncertainty resulting from the refractive index measurements is 0.1 %, 0.06 %, and 0.005 % for the 20°, 60°, and 85° geometries, respectively.

The components of uncertainty arising from the source are uncertainties from the stability,

polarization, and divergence of the source. The source stability results in an uncertainty from a random effect with a Type A evaluation. The relative standard uncertainty due to instability of

the source is 0.001 % for a measurement time of 10 min. The uncertainty arising from the

polarization of the source is a systematic effect with a Type B evaluation and depends on the

scattering properties of the material. The correction factor for deviations from an unpolarized

incident beam were calculated from Eq. (14) using the degrees of polarization determined in the

previous section. The correction factors for the three standard geometries are listed in Table 5. The uncertainty arising from divergence of the source is a systematic effect with a Type B

evaluation and depends on the scattering properties of the material. The correction factor for

deviations from a perfectly collimated incident beam were calculated from Eq. (15) using the

divergence determined in the previous section. The correction factors for the three standard

geometries are listed in Table 5. The uncertainties arising from the goniometer are the uncertainties of the angular scales.

This uncertainty is a systematic effect with a Type B evaluation and depends on the scattering

properties of the sample. The angular setting uncertainty of 0.05° is smaller than the 0.1°

recommended accuracy by the ASTM D523. The correction factors from deviations of the

nominal incident angle from Eq. (16) for the three standard geometries are listed in Table 5. The components of uncertainty arising from the detection system are uncertainties from

the digital voltmeter (DVM), signal noise, amplifier gain ratio, and photodiode linearity. The

uncertainty from the DVM is a systematic effect with a Type B evaluation, assuming a normal

probability distribution. Using the manufacturer's specifications, the relative uncertainty'

resulting from the DVM is 0.002 %. Signal noise of the instrument results in an uncertainty

from a random effect with a Type A evaluation. A typical relative standard deviation for a gloss

measurement is 0.01 %. The uncertainties arising from the photodiode linearit\' and the

amplifier gain ratio are systematic effects with a Type A evaluation. The maximum relati\'e

standard deviation from linearity of the photodiode, for signals in the range of 0.1 V to 12 V. is 0.09 %. The relative standard deviations for successive gain settings are listed in Table 4. The

maximum relative standard deviation is 0.002 %.

The repeatability of the sample positioning results in an uncertainty from a random effect

with a Type B evaluation. Assuming a rectangular probability distribution with a maximum

deviation of 0.2 gloss units, the relative standard uncertainty is 0.1 %.

Deviations from the spectral condition are important for low-gloss materials with strong

colors. The spectral conditions of the source and receptor are in close agreement with the

recommended CIE Standard Illuminant C and CIE 1931 2° luminous efficiency function. The

difference between the instrument and the standard recommendations results in a systematic

effect with a Type B evaluation. The correction factors for deviations from the standard

recommendations for the three standard geometries, from Eq. (13), are listed in Table 5. Since all of the correction factors listed in Table 5 are nearly unity, no correction factor is applied and the variations from unity are considered to be uncertainties. The relati\ e standard

uncertainty from each component of uncertainty is listed in Tables 6a and 6b for sample9
dependent and -independent components, respectively. The relative expanded uncertainties

given in Table 7 are calculated from the root-sum-square of the uncertainties listed in Tables 6a

and 6b. The ISO 2813 standard specifies that gloss should be reported to the nearest full gloss

unit. Therefore, the calibration of the reference instrument and primary standard should have an

uncertainty of less than 1 gloss unit. The NIST reference goniophotometer has an expanded (k =

2) relative uncertainty of 0.3 % for calibrating a highly polished black glass. If the specular

gloss of successive measurements on the same sample do not agree to within 0.3 %, the

instrument is assumed to have failed during the measurements and the sample is measured again.

VI. Conclusions

The appearance attributes of surfaces indicate the acceptability and quahty of a large

number of manufactured products. Specular gloss is the second most utilized attribute, after

color to evaluate products such as automotive coatings, textiles, and papers. The reference

goniophotometer described in this paper complies with the standard recommendations for

specular gloss at 20°, 60°, and 85° geometries for non-metallic paint samples from low to high

gloss levels, as described in the ISO 2813 and ASTM D523 documentary standards. In addition,

this reference instrument is capable of performing bi-directional reflectance and transmission

measurements at angles from 0° to 85° for both incident and viewing angles in compliance with

the ASTM E 167 documentary standard. This instrument has been carefully characterized and

calibrated to ensure proper operation and to verify agreement with the standard

recommendations. The relative expanded uncertainty (k = 2) of the NIST goniophotometer for

specular gloss is 0.3 % at all three standard geometries. The accuracy of specular gloss

measurements depends not only on the properties of the instrument but also to a considerable

extent on those of the primary gloss standard. A new primary gloss standard was developed at NIST and details on this standard characterization are the subject of another paper [8]. The new

gloss standard and the NIST reference goniophotometer provide an accurate calibration facility

for specular gloss.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express special thanks to Edward Early for many useful discussions and the

collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology researchers who are working on the Measurement Science for Optical Reflectance and Scattering Project.

References

[I] Commission International de I'Eclairage: International Lighting Vocabulary,

Colorimetry, 2"^^ ed., Publ. No. 15.2 (1986).

[2] ASTM D523, "Standard Test Method for Specular Gloss," in ASTM standards on Color

and Appearance Measurement, 5"" ed., (ASTM, Philadelphia, PA, 1996).

[3] International Standard ISO 2813, "Paint and Varnishes-Measurements of Specular Gloss

of Nonmetallic Paint Films at 20°, 60°, and 85°" (International Organization for

Standardization 1978).

[4] ASTM El 67, "Standard Practice for Goniophotometry of Objects and Materials," in

ASTM standards on Color and Appearance Measurement, 5* ed., (ASTM, Philadelphia,

PA, 1996).

10
[5] Hsia, J. J., "The NBS 20-, 60-, and 85- Degree Specular Gloss Scales," NIST Tech. Note

594-10 (1975).

[6] Nicodemus, F. E., Richmond, J. C, Hsia, J. J., Ginsburg, 1. W., and Limperis, T.,

"Geometrical Considerations and Nomenclature for Reflectance," U.S. NBS Monograph

160 (1977).

[7] Budde, W., "The Calibration of Gloss Reference Standards," Metrologia 16, 89-93

(1980).

[8] Nadal, M. E. and Thompson, E. A., "New Primary Standard for Specular Gloss

Measurements," submitted to JCT.

[9] Ohno, Y., "Photometric Calibrations," NIST SP 250-37 (1997).

[10] Barnes, P. Y. and Hsia, J. J., "45°/0° Reflectance Factor of Pressed

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) Powder," NIST Technical Note 1413 (1995).

[11] Larson, T. C, Bruce, S. S., and Parr, A. C, "Spectroradiometric Receptor

Measurements," NIST SP 250-41 (1998).

[12] Doiron, T. and Stoup, J., "Uncertainty and Dimensional Calibrations," J. Res. Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol. 102, 647 (1997).

[13] Saunders, R. D. and Shumaker, J. B., "Automated Radiometric Linearity Tester," Appl.

Opt. 23, 3504(1984).

[14] Taylor, B. N. and Kuyatt, C. E., "Guidelines for Evaluating and Expressing the

Uncertainty of NIST Measurements Results," NIST Tech. Note 1297 (1994).

11
List of Figures

1. Luminous reflectance as a function of the observation angles for a set of black glasses

with different levels of gloss an indicated in the legend.

2. A schematic diagram of the NIST reference goniophotometer.

3. Spectral flux distribution of the CIE Standard llluminant C and CIE 1931 2° luminous

efficiency function.

4. Actual and ideal spectral products of the source and receptor.

5. Relative responsivity (ratio of the measured signal to the actual flux) of the photodiodeamplifier combination as a function of current for the listed gain settings.

12
Figure 1

0.40

Observation Angle [°]

13
Figure 2

14
Figure 3

300 400 500 600 700 800

Wavelength [nm]

15
Figure 4

16
Figure 5

1.020

1.015

1.010

1.005

1.000

o

g 0.995

I 0.990 ^ 0.985

0.980

5 7

A 8 • 9

0.00001 0.001 0.1 10 1000 100000

Current [nA]

17
List of Tables

1. Standard geometries for specular gloss measurements and their applications.

2. Specular reflectance yOtj(6', /Id) of the theoretical gloss standard for each incident angle of

the standard geometries at wavelength X,d = 589.3 nm.

3. ASTM specifications and the NIST measured values for source and receptor apertures, with

tolerances and uncertainties, respectively.

4. Average gain ratio and relative standard deviation for successive amplifier gain ratios.

5. Correction factors for deviations from the standard recommendations of an unpolarized

source, a perfectly collimated incident beam, nominal incident angle of 20°, 60°, and 85°,

and spectral conditions.

6. a. Components of uncertainty that depend on the scattering properties of the materials and

the resulting relative standard uncertainties. The values are based on a BaK50 primary

gloss standard and a highly polished black glass test sample.

b. Components of uncertainty that are independent of the scattering properties of the

materials and the resulting relative standard uncertainties.

7. Relative expanded uncertainties of specular gloss measured by the NIST reference

goniophotometer {k = 2) for the 20°, 60°, and 85° geometries.

18
Table 1Specular Angle Applications

20° High gloss of plastic film, appliance and

automotive finishes

30° High gloss of image-reflecting surfaces

45° Porcelain enamels and plastics

60°

All ranges of gloss for paint and

nlastirs

75° Coated waxes and paper

85° Low gloss of flat matte paints and

camouflage coatings

Table 2

Incident Angle PoiO, Ad)

20° 0.049078

60° 0.100056

85° 0.619148

Table 3

Apertures In plane (°) Perpendicular to the plane(°)

Source

20° receptor

60° receptor

85° receptor

ASTM Spec. NIST Apertures ASTM Spec. NIST Apertures

0.75 ±0.25 0.75 ±0.01

1.8 ± 0.05 1.82 ±0.01

4.4 ±0.1 4.44 ±0.02

4.0 ±0.3 4.03 ±0.01

3.0(max.) ± 0.5 3.01 ±0.01

3.6 ±0.1 3.64 ±0.02

11.7 ±0.2 11.72 ±0.01

6.0 ±0.3 6.02 ±0.01

Table 4

Gain ratio Average value Relafive standard deviation [%]

G6/G5 9.999 0.002

G7/G6 9.998 0.002

Gs/Gv 9.997 0.002

G9/G8 10.017 0.003

G10/G9 9.952 0.003

19
Table 5

Deviation

Correction factors

20 60 o c o 85

Source-polarizer, Cp 0.999890 1.000137 1.000222

Source-depolarizer,

Cp

0.999999 1.000001 0.999995

Divergence, Cd 0.999999 0.999806 0.999999

Nominal angle, Ca 0.999996 0.999875 0.999940

Spectral Condition, Cs 1.000012 1.000006 0.999997

Table 6a

Component of

Uncertainty

Effe

ct

Type

Relative standard uncertainty

[%]

20° 60° 85°

Source-polarizer S B 0.01 0.01 0.02

Source-depolarizer S B 0.0001 0.0001 0.0005

Source divergence s B 0.0001 0.02 0.0001

Nominal angle s B 0.0004 0.01 0.006

Spectral condition s B 0.001 0.0006 0.0003

Table 6b

Component of Uncertainty Effect Type

Relative standard uncertainty [%]

20° 60° 85°

Primary gloss standard S B 0.1 0.06 0.005

Source stability R A 0.01

DVM S B 0.002

Signal noise R A 0.01

Photodiode linearity S A 0.09

Amplifier gain ratio S A 0.002

Repeatability R B 0.1

Table 7

Geometry [°] Relative expanded uncertainty [%]

20 0.34

60 0.30

85 0.27
Appendix C

New Primary Standard for Specular Gloss Measurements

Mana E. Nadal and E. Ambler Thompson

Optical Technology Division

National Institute of Standard and Technology

Gaithersburg, MD 20899

ABSTRACT

The measurement of specular gloss consists of comparing the luminous reflectance from a specimen to that from a calibrated gloss standard, under the same geometric conditions. The

specifications for the gloss standard are discussed. A new primary gloss standard using BaK50

barium crown glass has been developed. Different calibration procedures are detailed, and the

new standard is compared with other primary standards.

Keywords: specular gloss; gloss standard; glossmeter; goniophotometer.

1
I. Introduction

Specular gloss is the perception by an observer of the mirror-like appearance of a surface.

This appearance cannot be measured; only the specific reflectance characteristics of the surface

are measured. Gloss is a commercially important attribute of many materials such as paints,

papers, plastics, and textiles, and is affected by the production, storage and use of these materials

products. Several documentary standards describe the proper measurement conditions to determine specular gloss for specific surfaces. Particularly, the International Organization for

Standards ISO 2813 [1] and the American Society for Testing Materials ASTM D523 [2]

describe the measurement procedure that best correlates with visual ranking of specular gloss for

nonmetallic samples. These standards specify the geometrical and spectral conditions of

measurement. The incident beam, either collimated or converging, has a spectral flux

distribution of Commission International de TEclairage (CIE) [3] Illuminant C and incident

angles of 20°, 60°, or 85°. These angles are referred to as the standard geometries. The reflected

beam is measured with a detector having the CIE luminous efficiency function Vx. [3] Figure 1 shows a graphical representation of CIE illuminant C and the luminous efficiency function. The

angular dimensions of the apertures for the source and detector are also specified for each

incident angle.

For practical reasons, the specular gloss of a sample is measured relative to that of a primary

standard, whose specular gloss is in turn determined relative to that of the theoretical standard

[4]. This theoretical standard is specified to be a highly polished plane black glass with an index

of refraction at the wavelength of the sodium D line, 589.3 nm, of nr> = 1.567. The specular

reflectance of unpolarized light for this index of refraction is calculated using the Fresnel

equations, and assigned a specular gloss value of 100 for each of the three standard geometries.

Since there is no black glass with exactly ^ 1.567, national metrology institutes use primary standards to realize their scales of specular gloss. Two such primary standards have

been in use, Carrara black glass [5] and quartz [6]. A new primary standard for specular gloss

developed by the National Institute of Standards and Teclinology (NIST) using barium crown

glass BaK50 [7] is reported here, which has several advantages over other primary standards.

This new primary standard and the recently refurbished NIST reference goniophotometer [8] will

provide accurate specular gloss measurements. The theory of specular gloss standards and

measurements is presented first, followed by a discussion of other primary standard materials.

The selection criteria for the new NIST primary standard are described, along with the index of

refraction, specular gloss, and luminous reflectance properties of the standard. Finally, the new

primary standard is compared to other standards.

II. Theory

Determining the specular gloss of a test sample involves measuring the luminous reflectance

of the sample and a primary standard and determining the specular gloss value of the primary

standard relative to that of the theoretical standard. The equations describing these

measurements are presented in this section.

For unpolarized light, the specular reflectance p from the surface of a dielectric sample

depends on the incident angle 6 relative to the normal of the sample and the wavelength A. The

specular reflectance as a function of these variables is given by the Fresnel equations, namely

sin- {0 + 0') tan- {0 + 0')

where 0' is the angle of refraction given by

(1)

2
^' = arcsin(sin(6')//7(/L)). (2) In general, the luminous flux Ov is given by

0^,^K^-lSiA)-V,{A)dA, (3)

where Km = 683 Im/W is the maximum spectral luminous efficacy for photopic vision, SiA) is the

spectral flux distribution, and V/XA) is the spectral luminous efficiency function. The luminous

flux incident on a sample Oj is given by Eq. (3), while the luminous flux reflected by a sample

Or is given by

^,=K^^- lsiA)-pi0,A)-V,{A)-dA . (4)

Therefore, the luminous reflectance yc»v(^ of a sample is given by the ratio of Eq. (4) to Eq. (3),

\S{A)-p{0,A)-V,{A)-dA

Pv (^) =

f

• (5)

jSiA)-V,iA)-dA

The specular gloss of a sample under test, Gt{0), is given by

G.(^) = G,(^)-^^, (6)

where Gs{d) is the specular gloss of the primary standard and pv,t(0} and Pxs(0) are the specular

luminous reflectances of the test sample and primary standard, respectively. Furthermore, the

specular gloss of the primary standard is given by

where Go(6) is the specular gloss of the theoretical standard and ps{6. Ad) and po(0, Ao) are the

specular reflectances of the primary and theoretical standards, respectively, at wavelength

/Id=589.3 nm. Combining Eqs. (6) and (7), the specular gloss of the sample under test is given

by

GAO) = G,(0).^.^^^^. (8)

p^je) p,{O.A^)

From the documentary standards, the index of refraction of the theoretical standard at wavelength Ad is w(Ad) = 1.567, from which the specular reflectance po(0. Ad) is calculated using

Eqs. (1) and (2). These specular reflectances are listed in Table 1 for the angles of incidence

specified in the documentary standards. For each angle of incidence, the specular gloss of the

theoretical standard is defined as Go(0) = 100. Thus, for example, a specular reflectance po{60°.

Ad) = 0.100056 corresponds to a specular gloss value of 100. Similarly, the specular reflectance

of the primary standard ps(d, Ad) is determined from its «(/Id) using Eqs. (1) and (2). These

values for the new primary standard are presented in Section IV. B.

At this point, three of the five quantities on the right-hand-side of Eq. (8) are known. The

other two quantities are the luminous reflectances of the primary standard and test sample, which

are generally not measured separately. Rather, the ratio of these reflectances is measured, given

by the ratio of the luminous fluxes reflected from the test sample and primary standard, Or.t and

Or,s, respectively. Therefore,

PvA (^) ^TA (^) \SiA) p,(0,A)- (A) dA

p^JO) (Dr,s(^) jS{A)-p,i6,A)-V;,{A)-dA

'

Using the definition for Go{0) and Eq. (9), Eq. (8) becomes

(9)

3
G,ia) = m.^.^^^^ . ,10)

This equation expresses the gloss value of the test sample as a function of the measured reflected

luminous fluxes for the test sample and primary standard and the specular reflectances of the

primary and theoretical standards.

From the discussion above, the specular gloss value of the primary standard is determined

using monochromatic radiant flux, from Eqs. (1), (2), and (7), while the luminous flux reflected

from the primary standard is used to calibrate the specular gloss of the test sample, from Eq.

(10). This ambiguity produces differences in practical gloss measurements of up to 0.5 % since

this recommendation ignores the dispersion characteristic of the material represented by changes

in refractive index as a function of wavelength. It has been suggested in Ref [9] that this

ambiguity be removed by defining the specular gloss of the primary standard from its luminous

reflectance, given by Eq. (5). There are two methods for determining the luminous reflectance of

the primary standard, one from measurements of the index of refraction over the wavelength

range of visible light, the other from direct measurements of this reflectance. Results from both

methods are presented below.

III. Other Primary Standards

The primary specular gloss standard previously used at NIST was a commercial Carrara black

glass with «D = 1.527 [5]. A recent evaluation of this type of glass and its constituents was

performed, and no match to any commercially available optical glass could be determined. The

National Research Council (NRC) of Canada investigated the stability of highly polished black

glasses used as specular gloss standards [10]. They found that surface chemical contamination

of these standards results in variations of 0.3 % to 0.5 % in the index of refraction over a time

period of three to four years. These variations correspond to changes of about 2 % and 1 % in

the specular gloss values for the 20° and 60° standard geometries, respectively. Repolishing the

surface with cerium oxide recovered the original specular gloss values of these standards. They

also investigated the uniformity of the index of refraction, which varied across the surface by

approximately 0.5 %, and concluded that these variations were a result of inhomogeneities in the

glass. In general, there are a number of disadvantages to using black glass as a primary specular

gloss standard, primarily inhomogeneity and aging of the glass, as well as easy damage to the

front surface, requiring frequent repolishing and recalibration. The ISO 2813 suggests an

alternative to black glass - a clear glass with roughened edges and back surface, with the back

surface painted black to absorb any transmitted light. A difficulty with such a primary standard

is finding a black paint that provides a good match to the index of refraction of the clear glass.

Otherwise, some scattered light from the back surface will enter the detector and cause an error

in the measured flux. An alternative to the black paint is to cut the clear glass at an angle so that

back reflections are not incident on the detector, but this option is not feasible for small, portable

instruments commonly used in industry. In 1980, NRC developed wedged quartz samples as

their primary standards. Quartz was selected because of its high optical quality, stability, and

durability. However, it does not have the same dispersion characteristics as the crown black

glass standards used previously at NIST and commonly in industry.

IV. New Primary Standard

A. Description

The disadvantages of the previous primary standards for specular gloss described above

motivated a search for a new primary standard. A good standard should be smooth, stable.

4
cleanable, durable, uniform, and homogeneous with known optical properties. The selection

criteria for the new primary standard were threefold. First, the standard would be a commercially available, high-purity optical glass with high chemical and mechanical durability.

Second, the index of refraction «d should be as close to 1.567 as possible to conform to the

documentary standards. Third, the material should be homogenous and have dispersion

characteristics similar to black glass.

An optical quality barium crown glass BaK50 was selected as the new NIST primary

standard since it possesses high chemical and mechanical durability and no = 1.5677. In addition, this glass has a better homogeneity of the index of refraction than does black glass.

The manufacturer's specifications are as follows: no bubbles, index of refraction homogeneity

within 5 X 10'^ over an area of 70 mm~. Three pieces of BaK50 with dimensions of 98 mm by 98

mm by 20 mm were purchased, and the NIST optical shop fabricated these pieces into samples

with a 6° wedge at the back surface. This angle is sufficient to reflect the light incident on the

back surface out of the field of view of the detector for all of the standard geometries, as shown

in Figure 2. The front and back surfaces were polished to a roughness of 0.6 nm to 1.0 nm and

the edges were roughened. A black felt material was placed at the back and edges of the samples

to eliminate reflections from the surrounding black anodized holder.

B. Properties

1. Index of Refraction

According to the documentary standards, primary standards for specular gloss are calibrated

from measurements of the index of refraction. The index of refraction of BaK50 was measured on a prism-shaped sample prepared from the same melt as the wedge samples. The minimum

deviation technique [11] was used to detennine the index of refraction at five different

wavelengths with a standard uncertainty of 4 x 10 ". The index of refraction as a function of

wavelength is given in Table 2. The data was inter/extrapolated using a cubic spline to give the

dispersion curve for wavelengths from 380 imi to 780 nm at 10 nm interval shown in Figure 3. 2. Specular Reflectance

Specular gloss values for the primary standard were determined from the index of

refraction «d, as specified in the documentary standards. From Table 2, no = 1.5677 at wavelength /l= 589.3 nm, and using Eq. (1) the specular reflectance for each standard geometry

was calculated. These reflectances and their corresponding gloss values, from Eq. (7) and Table

1, are listed in Table 3. 3. Luminous Reflectance

The discussion at the end of Section II suggested that the specular gloss value of the

primary standard be defined from its luminous reflectance, and noted that there are two methods

for determining this reflectance. The first calculates the luminous reflectance from the index of

refraction as a function of wavelength, while the second measures the luminous reflectance

directly. The luminous reflectances and specular gloss values from these different methods are hsted in Table 4, with the details of the calculations and measurements given below.

For the first method, the index of refraction as a function of wavelength, from Table 2

and Fig. 3, is used in Eqs. (1) and (2) to calculate ps{ 6, A) for each of the standard geometries

from 380 nm to 780 nm every 10 nm. The luminous reflectance fK,s{0) is calculated from Eq. (5)

using p,iO, A), CIE Illuminant C for S{A), and the CIE 1931 2° Observer for VxiA). Finally, the

specular gloss value Gsi0) for the primary standard is given by Eq. (7) but with fK,s{0) in place of

PsiO, Ad). The relative expanded uncertainty (^2) for the luminous reflectance is <0.002 %.

The second method measures luminous reflectance by an absolute technique using the NIST

reference goniophotometer [8]. For a fixed specular geometry, the following steps are followed

for absolute luminous reflectance measurements. The sample is manually removed from the path

5
of the incident beam, the detector is rotated into the beam path, and the net incident signal is measured. The sample is then placed into the beam path, the sample table and detector arm are rotated to the desired geometry, and the net reflected signal is measured. The net incident signal

is measured again, and the two values are averaged to obtain the final incident signal. The

luminous reflectance is calculated from the ratio of the net reflected signal to the net incident

signal. From the measured luminous reflectance of the primary standard, the specular gloss

value was calculated as described in the previous paragraph and these quantities are listed in

Table 4. The listed values represent the average values for two NIST BaK50 samples. The third

sample requires additional polishing. The 85° geometry was not measured due to limitations in

the source aperture and the signal to noise level. The relative expanded uncertainty (^-=2) for the

luminous reflectance of BaK50 at the specular geometries of 20° and 60° is 0.22 %. The random

effects, which include the source stability and detector noise, result in a relative expanded

uncertainty {k=2) of 0.1 % for both geometries. The systematic effects, which include the DVM

accuracy, amplifier gain, detector linearity, source polarization, angular scale and spectral

product, result in a relative expanded uncertainty (^=2) of 0.2 % for both geometries.

Several important conclusions can be drawn from the results presented in Tables 3 and 4. The

specular gloss value of this standard is nearly 100 for all three standard geometries, as shown in

Table 3, a consequence of ;?d of the new primary standard being close to the theoretical value of

1.567. Comparing Tables 3 and 4, the specular gloss values calculated from the luminous

reflectance are greater than those calculated using only no for the 20° and 60° standard

geometries, and are approximately equal for the 85° standard geometry. Finally, the luminous

reflectances and corresponding specular gloss values obtained from each of the two methods,

from Table 4, agree well with each other, the maximum difference in 0^(0) being only 0.2. The

uncertainty analysis shows that the calculated gloss value following the two different procedures

agree within the uncertainties.

V. Comparisons of Specular Gloss Standards

The dispersion characteristics of BaK50 were compared to those of black glass and quartz

gloss standards. Three different types of highly polished black glasses were investigated - the

gloss standard previously used at NIST and two currently used in industry. Neither black glass or quartz are a good match for no = 1.567. The refractive indexes for the black glass samples were

measured using an Abbe refractometer at three different wavelengths and fit with a cubic spline

function to give the dispersion curves, from 380 nm to 780 nm at 10 nm intervals, shown in Fig.

4. The uncertainty of these measurements is 0.0005. The refractive indexes for quartz listed in

Ref [12] was inter/extrapolated using a cubic spline to give the dispersion curve for wavelengths

from 380 nm to 780 nm at 10 nm interval shown in Figure 4. The normalized dispersion curves of BaK50, black glass, and quartz standards are shown in

Figure 5. The index of refraction is normalized at a wavelength of 560 nm and plotted as a function of wavelength. The average of the dispersion curves for the black glass samples is plotted. The relative dispersion characteristic of BaK50 closely resembles that of the black glass

samples studied in this paper, while quartz has a different characteristic. The international and

national standards define the specular gloss value for the theoretical and working standards based

upon a single refractive index, «d, but the instruments are specified for polychromatic radiation

and broad spectral range detectors. This ambiguity leads to a situation where the gloss value of

the sample under test depends on the dispersive characteristics of the secondary-working

standard, such as black glass. This is particularly important for instruments whose spectral

characteristics are in poor agreement with those specified by the documentary standards. Ideally,

the calibration of a test sample should not be affected by the properties of the working standard.

6
VI. Conclusions

The new NIST primary standard for specular gloss has three important advantages over

other materials used as primary standards. First, BaK50 is a commercially available high-purity

glass with good homogeneity. Second, since no of BaKSO is close to the value of 1 .567 specified

for the theoretical standard, the specular gloss values for this glass differ from 1 00 by less than

0.2 for all three standard geometries. Third, the relative dispersion of BaKSO is similar to that of

black glass, which is important for calibrating samples with instruments whose spectral

characteristics are not in good agreement with those specified by the documentary standards.

This new standard and the NIST reference goniophotometer provide a facility for specular gloss

measurements of the best possible accuracy.

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to express special thanks to Edward Early for many useful discussions and the

collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology researchers who are working on the measurement science for optical reflectance and scattering project.

7
References

[I] International Standard ISO 2813, "Paint and Varnishes-Measurements of Specular Gloss

of Nonmetallic Paint Films at 20°, 60°, and 85°" (International Organization for

Standardization 1978).

[2] "Standard Test Method for Specular Gloss, ASTM D532," American Society for Testing

and Materials, West Conshohocken, PA (1995).

[3] Commission International de I'Eclairage: International Lighting Vocabulary, CIE Publ.

No. 15.2 (1987).

[4] R. S. Hunter and R. W. Harold, The Measurement of Appearance, 2"^^ Ed., John Wiley &

Sons, New York, N. Y. ( 1 987).

[5] J. J. Hsia, "The NBS 20-, 60-, and 85- Degree Specular Gloss Scales," NIST Tech. Note

594-10 (1975).

[6] J. Zwinkels and M. Noel, "Specular Gloss Measurement Services at the National

Research Council of Canada," Surface Coatings International 12, 512 (1995).

[7] Certain commercial equipment, instruments or materials are identified in this paper to specify adequately the experimental procedure. Such identification does not imply

recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology,

nor does it imply that the materials or equipment identified are necessarily the best

available for the puipose.

[8] M. Nadal and A. Thompson, "NIST Reference Goniophotometer for Geometrical

Appearance Measurements," submitted to the Journal of Coatings Technology.

[9] B. Wolfang and C.X. Dodd, "Stability Problems in Gloss Measurements," Journal of

Coating Tech. 552, 44-48, (1980).

[10] W. Budde, "The Calibration of Gloss Reference Standards," Metrologia 16, 89-93

(1980).

[II] G. E. Fishter, "Refractometty," in the Applied Optics and Optical Engineering, Vol. IV,

edited by R. Kingslake (Academic Press, New York, 1967), p. 363-382.

[12] I. H. Malitson, "Interspecimen Comparison of the Refractive Index of Fused Silica,"

Journal of the Optical Society of America 55, 1205-1209 (1965).

8
List of Tables

Table 1 Specular reflectance Pq{0, Ad) of the theoretical gloss standard for each standard

geometry

Table 2 Index of refraction n of BaK50 glass as a function of wavelength

Table 3 Calculated specular reflectance pJ^O, Xr>) and specular gloss value GJ,6) of the

new primary standard at Ad = 589.3 nm for each standard geometry

Table 4 Average luminous reflectance Pw,f.{d) and specular gloss value Gs{d) for the New

Primary Standard for each standard geometry and method of calculation or measurement.

9
Table 1 Standard Geometiy p^){ 0, Ad)

20° 0.049078

60° 0.100056

85° 0.619148

Table 2

Wavelength [nm] n

435.8 1.5800

480.0 1.5753

546.1 . 1.5702

589.3 • 1.5677

643.9 1.5654

Table 3

Standard Geometry p^{9, X^,) Gs{0)

20° 0.049172 100.19

60° 0.100167 100.11

85° 0.619204 100.01

Table 4

Standard Geometry

20° 60° 85°

Method p.AO) G,{0) A,s(<9) cm

Index of

refraction

0.049464 100.8 0.100510 100.5 0.619375 100.0

Luminous

reflectance

0.049587 101.0 0.100743 100.7

10
List of Figures

Figure 1 Graphical representation of the spectral power distribution of the CIE llluminant

C and the luminous efficiency function.

Figure 4.1 Schematic diagram of the new NIST primary standard showing the incoming and

reflected beam at 60° specular geometry. The wedge deflects the reflection from

the back surface away from the detector.

Figure 3 Fitted refractive index, for new primary standard as a function of

wavelength

Figure 4 Fitted refractive index, for Carrara black glass, quartz, and black glass

working standards as a function of wavelength.

Figure 5 Normalized index of refraction as a function of wavelength for the samples

indicated in the legend.

11
Figure 1

U4—

»

C

o 5

a.

is C3 o .2

n. 3

C/2 -5

140

120

100

80

60

H 40

20

300 400 500 600

Wavelength [nm]

700 800

Figure 2

Source

BaK50 Wedge

Detector

12
Figure 3

1.600

1.590

X

<D 1.580

i 1.570 ^ 1.560

••••

1.550 J I I L J I I U

300 400 500 600 700 800

Wavelength [nm]

Figure 4

1.60

1.58

1.56 g 1.54

-aB 1.52

1.50 I 1.48

Pi 1.46

1.44

1.42

1.40 300

ooooooi°°oooo6

oooooooooooooo

- - T OOOOOOOCXJOOOOO

400 500 600

Wavelength [nm] 700 800

X Average Black Glass NIST Old Standard O BaK50 Quartz

13
ure 5

X

o

-ocl-H

o

a

o

1.015

1.010

1.005

1.000

0.995

0.990

300

A

**''^^^^JI

J \ L 400 500 600 700 800

Wavelength [nm]

o BaK50 )K Average of blk glass Quartz

14

I

(