Cracking at the fold in double layer coated paper: the influence of latex and starch composition, TAPPI Journal February 2019

ABSTRACT: Cracking at the fold of publication and packaging paper grades is a serious problem that can lead to rejection of product. Recent work has revealed some basic mechanisms and the influence of various parameters on the extent of crack area, but no studies are reported using coating layers with known mechanical properties, especially for double-coated systems.

In this study, coating layers with different and known mechanical properties were used to characterize crack formation during folding. The coating formulations were applied on two different basis weight papers, and the coated papers were folded. The binder systems in these formulations were different combinations of a styrene-butadiene latex and mixtures of latex and starch for two different pigment volume concentrations (PVC). Both types of papers were coated with single and double layers. The folded area was scanned with a high-resolution scanner while the samples were kept at their folded angle. The scanned images were analyzed within a constant area. The crack areas were reported for different types of papers, binder system and PVC values.

As PVC, starch content, and paper basis weight increased, the crack area increased. Double layer coated papers with high PVC and high starch content at the top layer had more cracks in comparison with a single layer coated paper, but when the PVC of the top layer was low, cracking area decreased. No measurable cracking was observed when the top layer was formulated with a 100% latex layer. 

Application: By understanding how the mechanical properties of two coating layers interact to generate cracking, coatings can be designed to minimize the cracking issue.  This work suggests that cracking could also be mini-mized if, during converting, a latex rich overcoat was applied to regions that are folded.

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