This invention is concerned with packaging
materials and in particular with a method for
increasing the coefficient of friction of the surface
of packaging materials made from cellulosic fibres,
and especially the surface of paperboard products
such as linerboards and of kraft paper for making
paper sacks; it is also concerned with products
produced thereby.
A large proportion of the finished products of
industry are packed and despatched in boxes or
cartons made from a sheet materials which is derived
from a cellulosic fibrous material such as wood pulp
or recycled waste paper. This sheet material is
commonly referred to as cardboard or packaging board,
but is most frequently known in the trade as
linerboard. Linerboard generally consists of two or
more layers of cellulosic sheet material laminated
together. For example, a high quality linerboard may
consist of a relatively thick base layer made from
unbleached softwood kraft pulp to which is laminated
a thinner layer called a "liner" which is generally
made from a higher quality unbleached kraft pulp than
that used to form the base layer. The two layers are
separately manufactured on a conventional paper
making machine, which may be, for example, of the
Fourdrinier type. On this type of paper making
machine, a dilute suspension of cellulosic fibres
together with a mineral filler, if used, and chemical
additives which may be used to improve the retention
of the filler, is caused to flow in the form of a
broad curtain on to the upper surface of a travelling
wire mesh belt, through which water is withdrawn by
gravity and by suction, to leave a felt-like web of
cellulosic fibrous material on the surface of the
wire mesh belt, which web is dried by radiation
and/or convection to yield a sheet material. After
the linerboard has been formed by laminating together
two or more layers of cellulosic sheet material, the
resultant laminated web is cut into sheets of
appropriate size, and the sheets are creased and
folded to make boxes or cartons for the product which
is required to be packaged and transported.
Linerboard boxes filled with goods are generally
handled in large numbers in warehouses, stores and in
various means for conveying goods. A very common
practice is to stack a number of such boxes, from two
or three upwards to ten or more, on a pallet, and to
move the pallet, complete with its stack of boxes,
from one place to another on a particular site by
means of a fork-lift truck. In such practice
problems are caused if the coefficient of friction
between the surface of two adjacent boxes is too low.
In such a case, one box could easily slide over
another while the stack of boxes was being handled
and could become detached from the rest of the stack
with results which would be very detrimental to
efficient handling. The natural coefficient of
friction of the sheet materials from which
linerboards are generally made is relatively low, and
it has been found recently that there is a tendency
for linerboards to be produced with even lower
coefficients of friction. This trend may be
accounted for by the increasing use of greater
proportions of cellulosic fibres derived from
recycled waste paper in the stock used to form the
sheet materials which are laminated together to form
the linerboard. These cellulosic fibres tend to be
shorter than those derived from virgin wood pulp, and
recycled waste paper pulp tends to contain oily or
waxy substances which have been added to, or picked
up by, the paper which was recovered as waste. Both
of these factors tend to decrease the coefficient of
friction of a sheet material containing a high
proportion of the waste paper pulp, and it has
recently become more and more necessary to apply a
layer of a friction-increasing coating to the outer
surfaces of linerboards to decrease the tendency of
the finished boxes to slide over one another.
A similar problem may occur when kraft paper
sacks are used to contain particulate solid products
during transport and storage. Typically such paper
sacks are composed of two or more layers of kraft
paper, and if the outermost layer has a relatively
low coefficient of friction, there will be a tendency
for the filled sacks to slide over one another during
handling and transport.
In order easily to identify the contents of
linerboard boxes and kraft paper sacks it is
generally necessary to print some product identifying
text on to the surface of the packaging material
before it is made up into containers. The printing
process most usually employed for this purpose is the
flexographic process. It is a general requirement
that any coating which is applied to enhance the
coefficient of friction of the surface of the
packaging material must not affect the visual
appearance of the finished container. In fact it
must be virtually invisible to the human eye. The
coating must also not interfere with the printing of
identifying text by the flexographic process.
Coating compositions which are at present being
applied to cellulosic packaging materials such as
paperboard and kraft paper to increase the
coefficient of friction of its surface generally
consist predominantly of either colloidal silica or
alumina together with various organic additives.
Such coatings meet the requirements of enhancing the
coefficient of friction without impairing the visual
appearance of the packaging material or adversely
affecting the quality of printed text applied by the
flexographic process. These coating compositions,
however, suffer from the disadvantages that they are
relatively expensive, and, in the case of
compositions containing colloidal silica, may be
considered to be hazardous to health, especially when
dry.
US-A-2872094 (Leptien) describes a non-skid or
anti-slipping composition for cellulosic paper
container materials, including kraft bag stock and
paperboard. The composition consists essentially of
about 3 to 15% colloidal silica, about 3 to 15%
finely divided extender material, which may be a
finely divided clay, a non-ionic polyalkylene ether
wetting agent and an emulsified dimethyl polysiloxane
foam suppresser, the balance being water.
US-A-3689431 (Payne) describes a silica sol-containing
coating composition for imparting antislip
properties to a cellulosic sheet material which is
said to have no detrimental effects on the printing
and handling characteristics of the materials. The
composition initially comprises from 30 to 65% by
weight of a mixture of from 2 to 20, preferably from
4 to 6, parts by weight of colloidal silica to 1 part
by weight of a silica powder having an average
particle diameter within the range of from 4 to
120nm. The composition is diluted with water to from
0.5 to 1% by weight of silica, and applied as a
coating at a rate of from 0.05 to 0.5 pound of silica
per 1000 ft2 of surface of the cellulosic sheet
material (0.24g.m-2 - 2.4g.m-2).
US-A-5569318 (Jarand) describes an anti-slip
coating composition for the surface of a paper
product, which coating composition is designed to
overcome a problem which occurs when a conventional
anti-slip composition containing colloidal silica is
applied to the surface of a web of cellulosic sheet
material by spraying. Under these conditions the
sprayed coating composition will tend to settle, not
only on the sheet material web, where it is required,
but also on the surrounding work area, where it dries
and flakes off eventually to form a fine dust, which
is hazardous to health. The solution proposed to
this problem is to use a coating composition
comprising from 12 to 20% by weight of colloidal
silica solids, from 5 to 16.5% by weight of glycerin
and from 0.5 to 10% by weight of N,N-dimethyl
acetoacetamide, the balance being water.
JP-A-04-327297 describes an anti-slip
composition for cardboard boxes. Boxes treated with
the composition are said to retain their anti-slip
properties even after repeated shipments. The
composition comprises calcium sulphate whiskers which
have an average diameter in the range of from 1 to
5µm and an average length in the range of from 30 to
70µm. The calcium sulphate whiskers are combined
with colloidal silica, an alumina sol, water glass, a
resin emulsion or a water soluble resin.
It is an object of the present invention to
provide a coating composition for cellulose sheet
material such as linerboard or other packaging
material which will increase the coefficient of
friction of the surface of the material without
impairing its visual appearance or adversely
affecting the quality of printed text applied by the
flexographic process, and which will avoid the
disadvantages associated with the use of colloidal
silica or alumina.
According to the present invention there is
provided a method for increasing the coefficient of
static friction of a cellulosic sheet packaging
material, which method comprises the steps of:
(a) preparing an aqueous coating composition by
preparing a suspension in water of a finely divided
particulate mineral comprising material selected from
the group consisting of kaolin clay, calcined kaolin,
ground natural calcium carbonate, chemically
precipitated calcium carbonate and zeolites and an
adhesive, and (b) spraying the coating composition on to the
surface of a cellulosic sheet material to produce a
coating of the coating composition thereon.
The coating may have, eg after drying of the
coating, a coat weight per unit surface area coated
in the range of from 0.5g.m-2 to 3.0g.m-2.
The adhesive may form at least 4% by weight, eg
from 10% to 60% by weight, based on the dry weight of
the particulate inorganic material.
The cellulosic sheet material may be packaging
material. For example, it may comprise a kraft paper
material of the type which is used, often in two or
more layers or "plies", to form paper sacks, or it
may be a board material formed by laminating together
two or more cellulosic sheets to form a packaging
material of the type known variously as paper board,
cardboard or linerboard. The cellulosic sheet
material generally has at least one surface which is
capable of receiving a good quality print impression
in a printing process, which may be, for example, of
the flexographic type. The flexographic printing
process is a process of the relief type. In other
words it makes use of raised characters to form the
print image. In the specific case of flexographic
printing, the printing plate is of a flexible
material such as rubber, and a very fluid ink,
comprising a pigment dissolved in a water or alcohol
medium, is used with minimal print pressure.
The invention unexpectedly and beneficially
allows anti-slip (anti-skid) coatings to be applied
to cellulosic sheet materials such as packaging
materials effectively and more cheaply than in the
prior art.
In step (a) of the method according to the
invention, the particulate mineral material
preferably has a particle size distribution such that
at least 20% by weight consists of particles having
an equivalent spherical diameter smaller than 2µm.
In this specification it is to be understood that
particle size distribution is as measured by the well
known technique of sedimentation in a fully dispersed
condition in a dilute aqueous suspension using a
SEDIGRAPH™ 5100 machine supplied by Micromeritics
Corporation, USA. Most preferably the particulate
inorganic material comprises calcium carbonate, ie is
either a ground natural calcium carbonate, such as
ground chalk or marble, and/or a chemically
precipitated calcium carbonate.
The adhesive may comprise a hydrophilic
substance of the carbohydrate type, for example a
starch, a cellulose derivative, such as sodium
carboxymethyl cellulose or hydroxyethyl cellulose, or
a saccharide such as arabinogalactan. Alternatively
the adhesive may comprise a hydrophilic substance of
the polymer latex type, for example a latex of a
copolymer of two or three monomers selected from the
group consisting of styrene, butadiene, acrylonitrile
and acrylic acid, a polyvinyl acetate latex, a
polyvinyl alcohol latex or an ethylene vinyl acetate
latex. The adhesive may be a mixture of two or more
of the foregoing.
A lubricant, in an amount of up to 80% by weight
of the binder, eg glycerol forming up to 50% of the
binder, may be included in an adhesive or binder
composition.
In step (b) the aqueous coating composition
prepared in step (a) is preferably diluted, if
necessary, before spraying to a total solids content
in the range of from about 10% to about 20% by
weight. In any case, the water content of the
sprayable composition employed in step (b) preferably
is in the range 80% to 92% by weight.
The sprayable composition may include one or
more further additives to improve properties before,
during or after spraying of the composition.
For example, a surfactant may be included to
improve spraying of the composition and to prevent
coalescence of the particles in the droplets. The
surfactant may comprise a non-ionic surfactant.
Examples of suitable non-ionic surfactants include
one or more compounds selected from primary,
secondary and tertiary alcohol ethoxylates, alkyl
phenols, ethoxylated dialkyl phenols, block
copolymers comprising alkylene oxides,
alkylphenoxypolyethoxylalkanols and polyoxyethylated
acetylenic glycols. Alcohol ethoxylates are
preferred for use as the surfactant. Preferably, the
surfactant if non-ionic has a hydrophile/lipophile
balance (HLB) in the range 5 to 14, eg in the range 8
to 11. Examples of suitable commercially available
non-ionic surfactants are the products sold
respectively under the trade names TRITON X-100,
DOBANOL 91-6 and NEODOL 91-6.
The surfactant may form, based on the dry weight
of the particulate inorganic material, up to 5%
preferably from 0.1% to 2%, by weight.
A dye or colouring material may be added to the
composition to match the colour of the deposited
composition to that of the cellulosic sheet material.
The cellulosic sheet may comprise yellow or brown
packaging or board material and the composition may
include one or more additives giving a yellow or
brown colouration. A suitable additive for brown
sheet coating comprises a brown dye optionally
together with a black pigment, eg carbon black. An
example of a suitable brown dye is BASAZOL™ Brown
43L. The sprayable composition is preferably one in
which substantial sedimentation of the solid
components does not occur over a period of time, eg
at least one hour.
Preferably, the coefficient of friction of the
sheet material treated by the method of the invention
is raised by an increment of at least 0.1 in some
cases by from 0.2 or more, eg to a value of 0.50 or
more, in some cases 0.58 or more.
Preferably, the means employed to spray the
sprayable composition provides a spray of droplets
having an average size not greater than lmm, in many
cases not greater than 0.5mm. The sprayed droplets
are thereby fine droplets of the coating composition
which may suitably form a uniform coating on the
surface of the cellulosic sheet material.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be
described by way of example only with reference to
the following Examples.
EXAMPLE 1
Five anti-slip coating compositions for liner
board were prepared. Compositions 1 to 4 were in
accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention and each contained 100 parts by weight of
dry calcium carbonate pigment and 50 parts by weight
of a starch binder. The calcium carbonate pigments
were either produced by grinding a natural calcium
carbonate or by chemical precipitation and had
varying particle size distributions, which were
characterised by the percentage by weight of
particles which had an equivalent spherical diameter
smaller than 2
µm and 1
µm
, respectively. Details of
the calcium carbonate pigments are given in Table 1
below.
| Composition | Type of calcium carbonate | % by wt smaller than |
| | | 2µm | 1µm |
| 1 | Ground natural | 99 | 91 |
| 2 | Ground natural | 88 | 63 |
| 3 | Ground natural | 22 | 13 |
| 4 | Chemically precipitated | 99 | 97 |
Composition 5 was a control composition
representing a prior art formulation and consisting
of 31.5% by weight of a colloidal silica having a
mean particle diameter of 91nm, 13.5% by weight of an
organic carbohydrate binding agent and 55% by weight
of water.
Compositions 1 to 4 were diluted with water to
about 10% by weight of dry solids and Composition 5
was diluted to about 7% of dry solids, a value which
is given as being appropriate in many prior published
patent specifications relating to the use of anti-slip
coating compositions containing colloidal
silica. Each diluted suspension was sprayed on to
the surface of a sample of a linerboard of substance
weight 42 lb. per 1000 ft2 (205g.m-2) to give a coating
of dry weight in the range of from about 0.5 to about
2.5g.m-2.
The coatings were allowed to dry and the samples
of coated linerboard were then tested for static
coefficient of friction and for brightness or
percentage reflectance to light of wavelength 457nm.
The static coefficient of friction was measured
by means of a "Tensometric™ Micro 350" tensometer by
attaching a sample of coated linerboard to the
highly polished surface of a weighted stainless steel
block which is drawn across a second sample of the
coated linerboard which is attached to a glass bed
plate which in turn is securely located on the bed
plate of the tensometer. The stainless steel block
is drawn across the surface of the second coated
linerboard sample by means of a flexible steel wire
which passes around a substantially frictionless
pulley and is connected at its further end to the
cross head of the tensometer. The dimensions of the
block are 60mm x 45mm x 6mm and the weight of the
block and the wire together is 128 grams. The block
is also loaded with a 2kg weight placed on top of the
block. The cross head ascends at a constant rate of
100mm.min
-1 and the loaded block is drawn across the
surface of the linerboard sample at the same speed.
A load cell mounted in the cross head gives a
continuous read-out of the tension in the wire in
Newtons. A second digital read-out displays the
distance travelled by the block. The tension in the
wire is measured continuously during the movement of
the block and the data is automatically saved using a
personal computer. The static coefficient of
friction is a measure of the frictional force which
must be overcome to initiate movement, and this is
the coefficient of friction which is most often
quoted in the paperboard industry. The kinetic
coefficient of friction is derived by averaging over
a set time period the forces required to pull the
already moving block. The set time period is
conveniently from 10 to 40 seconds, measured from the
instant of initiation of movement, since during this
period the frictional forces are relatively constant.
From the average value obtained the coefficient of
friction of the surface of the coated linerboard is
calculated by means of the formula
µ = F/Mg
where
µ is the coefficient of friction F is the tension in the wire M is the total load on the coated linerboard
(2.128 kg), and g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.81m.s-2)
Technicians in the paperboard industry often
express the frictional properties of a paperboard
surface in terms of a "slide angle", q, which is
related to the static coefficient of friction by the
expression
static coefficient of friction = tan q
For each sample of coated linerboard the static
coefficient of friction was first measured when the
sample had been freshly coated and dried. Then in
order to investigate whether the coefficient of
friction would be maintained after repeated sliding
of one coated linerboard surface over another, the
friction testing procedure was performed a further
two times, and the static coefficient of friction
measured for the third slide was also recorded.
The brightness was measured by the procedure
laid down in International Standard No ISO 2470.
This test gave an indication as to the visual
appearance of the surface after the anti-slip coating
had been applied, and revealed whether the appearance
had been significantly changed by the application of
the coating.
The results are set forth in Table 2 below. For
comparison, corresponding results for the uncoated
base linerboard are also given in Table 2.
| Composition | Coat weight (g.m-2) | Static coefficient of friction on | % reflectance to light of wavelength 457 nm |
| | | 1st slide | 3rd slide |
| 1 (invention) | 0.76 | 0.433 | 0.309 | 14.3 |
| 1 (invention) | 0.97 | 0.679 | 0.277 | 14.6 |
| 1 (invention) | 1.45 | 0.673 | 0.449 | 14.2 |
| 1 (invention) | 1.83 | 0.741 | 0.556 | 14.4 |
| 2 (invention) | 1.61 | 0.571 | 0.356 | 14.6 |
| 2 (invention) | 1.79 | 0.643 | 0.443 | 14.8 |
| 2 (invention) | 2.32 | 0.727 | 0.529 | 14.5 |
| 3 (invention) | 0.90 | 0.608 | 0.588 | 15.3 |
| 3 (invention) | 1.65 | 0.603 | 0.591 | 15.0 |
| 3 (invention) | 1.88 | 0.601 | 0.611 | 15.4 |
| 3 (invention) | 2.05 | 0.578 | 0.563 | 14.6 |
| 4 (invention) | 1.30 | 0.611 | 0.446 | 14.3 |
| 4 (invention) | 1.64 | 0.555 | 0.365 | 14.5 |
| 4 (invention) | 1.81 | 0.644 | 0.369 | 14.4 |
| 4 (invention) | 1.97 | 0.597 | - | 14.5 |
| 5 (comparison) | 0.80 | 0.569 | - | 14.4 |
| 5 (comparison) | 1.24 | 0.441 | 0.338 | 14.2 |
| 5 (comparison) | 1.40 | 0.666 | - | 14.6 |
| 5 (comparison) | 1.83 | 0.671 | - | 14.6 |
| Uncoated | 0 | 0.445 | 0.320 | 14.5 |
These results show that Composition 1, which
contains a very finely ground natural calcium
carbonate, provides an anti-skid effect which is as
good as, if not slightly better than that provided by
the prior art Composition 5. The anti-skid effect
provided by the other composition in accordance with
an embodiment of the invention is at least comparable
with that provided by the prior art composition.
With the exception of Composition 3, which appeared
to give a small, but significant, increase in the
reflectance to light of wavelength 457nm, none of the
compositions had an appreciable effect on the visual
appearance of the coated linerboard.
Samples of the same base linerboard, coated with
each of the five compositions by the procedure
described above, were subjected to a flexographic
printing test using a "DYNAQUA"™ black water based
ink on an "IGT"™ F1 Flexographic Printer. The ink
was diluted before use with 10 parts by volume of
water added to 100 parts by volume of ink. The
printer was run with a load of 50 N on the engraved
cylinder and 100 N on the impression roller and a
printing speed on 0.5m.s-1. A solid black area was
printed on each sample and the optical density of the
printed and unprinted areas were measured for each
sample.
The results are set forth in Table 3 below.
Again, a sample of the uncoated base linerboard was
subjected to the same printing test, and the results
are also shown in Table 3.
| Composition | Coat weight (g.m-2) | Optical density |
| | | Printed | Unprinted |
| 1 (invention) | 0.89 | 1.26 | 0.54 |
| 2 (invention) | 1.32 | 1.25 | 0.53 |
| 3 (invention) | 1.37 | 1.26 | 0.53 |
| 4 (invention) | 1.95 | 1.26 | 0.54 |
| 5 (comparison) | 1.26 | 1.25 | 0.54 |
| Uncoated | 0 | 1.26 | 0.54 |
These results show that none of the coating
compositions has an appreciable effect on the quality
of a print image applied by the flexographic
technique.
EXAMPLE 2
Four anti-slip coating compositions for liner
board were prepared. Compositions 1 to 3 were in
accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention and each contained 100 parts by weight of
dry mineral pigment and 50 parts by weight of a
binder composition consisting of 60% by weight of
starch and 40% by weight of glycerol. The mineral
pigments had the following properties:
Composition 6: A mixture consisting of 50% by weight
of a calcined clay having a particle size
distribution such that 90% by weight consisted of
particles having an equivalent spherical diameter
smaller than 2µm and 50% by weight of a hydrous
kaolin clay having a particle size distribution such
that 96% by weight consisted of particles having an
equivalent spherical diameter smaller than 2µm.
Composition 7: A ground marble having a particle
size distribution such that 88% by weight consisted
of particles having an equivalent spherical diameter
smaller than 2µm.
Composition 8: A ground marble having a particle
size distribution such that 80% by weight consisted
of particles having an equivalent spherical diameter
smaller than 2µm.
Each aqueous coating composition was diluted
with water to a solids content in the range of from
16.5 to 19.0% by weight and was sprayed on to a
sample of a test linerboard to give coat weights in
the range of from about 0.5 to about 4.5g.m-2. Test
linerboard is so called because the product was
historically designed to meet a specific test value.
It consists of a base layer of high quality waste
paper pulp and a thin top layer comprising virgin
unbleached kraft pulp.
Composition 9 was a control composition similar
to Composition 5 in Example 1 above and consisted of
31.5% by weight of a colloidal silica having a mean
particle diameter of 91nm, 13.5% by weight of an
organic carbohydrate binding agent and 55% by weight
of water. This composition was diluted to about 7%
of dry solids before spraying.
Each sample of coated linerboard was allowed to
dry and was then tested for static coefficient of
friction when the sample was freshly coated and
dried, ie on the first slide, and for percentage
reflectance to light of wavelength 457nm. by the
procedures described in Example 1 above.
The results are set forth in Table 4 below. For
comparison, corresponding results for the uncoated
base linerboard are also given in Table 4.
| Composition | Coat weight (g.m-2) | Static coefficient of friction on 1st slide | % reflectance to light of 457nm wavelength |
| 6 (invention) | 1.47 | 0.609 | 19.7 |
| 6 (invention) | 2.36 | 0.650 | 22.0 |
| 6 (invention) | 2.99 | 0.723 | 27.5 |
| 6 (invention) | 4.41 | 0.736 | 32.4 |
| 7 (invention) | 0.88 | 0.565 | 15.4 |
| 7 (invention) | 1.22 | 0.624 | 15.6 |
| 7 (invention) | 1.55 | 0.632 | 16.6 |
| 7 (invention) | 3.01 | 0.742 | 18.0 |
| 8 (invention) | 0.92 | 0.548 | 15.6 |
| 8 (invention) | 2.02 | 0.824 | 17.5 |
| 8 (invention) | 3.01 | 0.844 | 19.2 |
| 8 (invention) | 4.05 | 0.922 | 20.5 |
| 9 (comparison) | 1.77 | 0.726 | 14.9 |
| 9 (comparison) | 2.07 | 0.720 | 15.0 |
| 9 (comparison) | 2.82 | 0.720 | 15.0 |
| 9 (comparison) | 4.59 | 0.692 | 15.4 |
| Uncoated | 0 | 0.434 | 15.0 |
These results show that the two compositions
which contain calcium carbonate pigments,
Compositions 7 and 8 give a good increase in the
coefficient of friction of the surface of the
linerboard, provided that the coat weight is in
excess of about 1.5 to 2.0g.m-2. The increase in
reflectance to light of wavelength 457nm with these
two compositions is only slight and insufficient to
cause a noticeable change in the visual appearance of
the coated linerboard. Composition 6, which contains
a pigment which is a mixture of calcined and
uncalcined kaolin clays, also gives a useful increase
in coefficient of friction, but in this case there is
a greater increase in reflectance to light of
wavelength 457nm from the coated surface, and this
results in a detectable difference in the visual
appearance of the coated linerboard.
EXAMPLE 3
Five anti-slip coating compositions for liner
board were prepared. Compositions 10 to 13 were in
accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention and each contained 100 parts by weight of a
dry mineral pigment which was a ground natural marble
having a particle size distribution such that 88% by
weight consisted of particles having an equivalent
spherical diameter smaller than 2µm and 63% by weight
consisted of particles having an equivalent spherical
diameter smaller than 1µm. Each composition used a
different adhesive system details of which are as
follows:
Composition 10: 20 parts by weight of a soft
rotogravure grade, alkali swellable acrylic latex,
which is available from BASF under the trade name
"ACRONAL S553V".
Composition 11: 50 parts by weight of a hot water
starch adhesive which is sold under the trade name
"EMOX TSC"
Composition 12: 50 parts by weight of a sodium
carboxymethyl cellulose adhesive.
Composition 13: 50 parts by weight of a
polyacrylamide adhesive, which is available from the
Calgon Corporation under the trade name "TRP-1044".
Each aqueous coating composition was diluted
with water to a solids content in the range of from
10 to 12% by weight and was sprayed on to a sample of
a linerboard having a dry substance weight of 42
pounds per 1000 ft2 (205g.m-2) to give coat weights in
the range of from about 0.3 to about 2.0g.m-2.
Composition 14 was a control composition similar
to Compositions 5 and 9 in Examples 1 and 2 above and
consisted of 31.5% by weight of a colloidal silica
having a mean particle diameter of 91nm, 13.5% by
weight of an organic carbohydrate binding agent and
55% by weight of water. This composition was diluted
to about 7% of dry solids before spraying.
Each sample of coated linerboard was allowed to
dry and the coefficient of friction of the coated
surface was first measured by the procedure described
in Example 1 above when the sample was freshly coated
and dried. Then the friction testing procedure was
performed a further two times, and the coefficient of
friction measured for the third slide was also
recorded. The percentage reflectance to light of
wavelength 457nm. was also measured by the procedure
laid down in International Standard No ISO 2470.
The results are set forth in Table 5 below. For
comparison, corresponding results for the uncoated
base linerboard are also given in Table 5.
| Composition | Coat weight (g.m-2) | Static coefficient of friction on | % reflectance to light of wavelength 457 nm |
| | | 1st slide | 3rd slide |
| 10 (invention) | 0.57 | 0.622 | 0.534 | 14.7 |
| 10 (invention) | 0.88 | 0.554 | 0.489 | 16.0 |
| 10 (invention) | 1.03 | 0.552 | 0.503 | 15.8 |
| 10 (invention) | 1.68 | 0.732 | 0.555 | 16.8 |
| 11 (invention) | 0.87 | 0.673 | 0.525 | 14.8 |
| 11 (invention) | 1.05 | 0.632 | 0.478 | 14.8 |
| 11 (invention) | 1.48 | 0.762 | 0.561 | 14.6 |
| 11 (invention) | 1.95 | 0.613 | 0.484 | 14.7 |
| 12 (invention) | 0.88 | 0.571 | 0.503 | 14.6 |
| 12 (invention) | 0.98 | 0.554 | 0.469 | 14.5 |
| 12 (invention) | 1.18 | 0.520 | 0.417 | 14.6 |
| 12 (invention) | 1.45 | 0.613 | 0.472 | 14.6 |
| 13 (invention) | 1.00 | 0.605 | 0.450 | 15.0 |
| 13 (invention) | 1.13 | 0.523 | 0.442 | 14.5 |
| 13 (invention) | 1.30 | 0.606 | 0.462 | 15.0 |
| 13 (invention) | 1.46 | 0.619 | 0.496 | 15.3 |
| 14 (comparison) | 0.41 | 0.461 | 0.486 | 14.5 |
| 14 (comparison) | 0.62 | 0.621 | 0.585 | 14.7 |
| 14 (comparison) | 0.71 | 0.694 | 0.643 | 14.4 |
| 14 (comparison) | 0.98 | 0.640 | 0.552 | 14.5 |
| Uncoated | 0 | 0.433 | 0.355 | 14.8 |
These results show that coating compositions
containing a fine ground natural calcium carbonate as
the particulate mineral and either a latex or starch
adhesive, will provide a good increase in the
coefficient of friction of the coated linerboard
surface, and the level of the coefficient of fiction
will be well retained after the third slide, provided
that the coat weight of these composition applied is
at least about 1.5g.m-2. These compositions have an
insignificant effect on the reflectance to light of
457nm wavelength, and therefore on the visual
appearance of the surface.
EXAMPLE 4
Three anti-slip coating compositions for liner
board were prepared. Compositions 15 and 16 were in
accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention and each contained 100 parts by weight of a
dry mineral pigment and 20 parts by weight of a soft
styrene/butadiene latex adhesive, which is often used
in paper coating compositions for preparing coated
paper for use in rotogravure printing, and is
marketed by GenCorp under the trade name "GENFLO
5170". The mineral pigments used in the two
compositions were:
Composition 15: a ground natural marble having
a particle size distribution such that 88% by weight
consisted of particles having an equivalent spherical
diameter smaller than 2µm and 63% by weight consisted
of particles having an equivalent spherical diameter
smaller than 1µm
Composition 16: a ground natural marble having
a particle size distribution such that 61% by weight
consisted of particles having an equivalent spherical
diameter smaller than 2µm and 40% by weight consisted
of particles having an equivalent spherical diameter
smaller than 1µm.
Each aqueous coating composition was diluted
with water to a solids content of about 10% by weight
and was sprayed on to a sample of a linerboard which
was formed from virgin pulp alone and which had a dry
substance weight of 33 pounds per 1000 ft2 (161g.m-2)
to give coat weights in the range of from about 0.2
to about 1.5g.m-2.
Composition 17 was a control composition similar
to Compositions 5, 9 and 14 in Examples 1 to 3 above
and consisted of 31.5% by weight of a colloidal
silica having a mean particle diameter of 91nm, 13.5%
by weight of an organic carbohydrate binding agent
and 55% by weight of water. This composition was
diluted to about 7% of dry solids before spraying.
Each sample of coated linerboard was allowed to
dry and the coefficient of friction of the coated
surface was measured by the procedure described in
Example 1 above when the sample was freshly coated
and dried. The percentage reflectance to light of
wavelength 457nm. was also measured by the procedure
laid down in International Standard No ISO 2470.
The results are set forth in Table 6 below. For
comparison, corresponding results for the uncoated
base linerboard are also given in Table 6.
| Composition | Coat weight (g.m-2) | Static coefficient of friction | % reflectance to light of wavelength 457nm |
| 15 (invention) | 0.28 | 0.660 | 16.6 |
| 15 (invention) | 0.79 | 0.710 | 16.9 |
| 15 (invention) | 0.89 | 0.724 | 17.0 |
| 15 (invention) | 1.41 | 0.740 | 18.6 |
| 16 (invention) | 0.42 | 0.603 | 16.6 |
| 16 (invention) | 0.75 | 0.638 | 16.8 |
| 16 (invention) | 1.02 | 0.643 | 17.7 |
| 16 (invention) | 1.11 | 0.713 | 17.6 |
| 17 (comparison) | 0.44 | 0.726 | 16.2 |
| 17 (comparison) | 0.58 | 0.706 | 16.2 |
| 17 (comparison) | 0.66 | 0.733 | 16.0 |
| 17 (comparison) | 0.79 | 0.744 | 16.1 |
| Uncoated | 0 | 0.502 | 16.3 |
These results show that the coating compositions
which contained a finer ground natural calcium
carbonate mineral (Composition 15) provided a better
increase in the coefficient of friction of the coated
linerboard surface than the composition containing a
less fine calcium carbonate mineral (Composition 16).
These compositions had an insignificant effect on the
reflectance to light of 457nm wavelength, and
therefore on the visual appearance of the surface.
EXAMPLE 5
Three anti-slip coating compositions for liner
board were prepared. Compositions 18 to 20 were in
accordance with the present invention and each
contained 100 parts by weight of the same fine ground
natural calcium carbonate mineral as was described in
connection with Composition 16 in Example 4 above and
different quantities of the same latex adhesive as
was described in Example 4. The amounts of the latex
adhesive used in each of the compositions were:
- Composition 18:
- 20 parts by weight
- Composition 19:
- 35 parts by weight
- Composition 20:
- 50 parts by weight
Each aqueous coating composition was diluted
with water to a solids content of about 10% by weight
and was sprayed on to a sample of the same linerboard
as was described in Example 4 to give dry coatings
having weights in the range of from 0.35 to 1.3g.m-2.
Each sample of coated linerboard was allowed to
dry and the coefficient of friction of the coated
surface was measured by the procedure described in
Example 1 above when the sample was freshly coated
and dried. The percentage reflectance to light of
wavelength 457nm. was also measured by the procedure
laid down in International Standard No ISO 2470.
The results are set forth in Table 7 below. For
comparison, corresponding results for control
Composition 17 from Example 4 and for the uncoated
base linerboard are also given in Table 7.
| Composition | Coat weight (g.m-2) | Static coefficient of friction | % reflectance to light of wavelength 457nm |
| 18 (invention) | 0.42 | 0.603 | 16.6 |
| 18 (invention) | 0.75 | 0.638 | 16.8 |
| 18 (invention) | 1.02 | 0.643 | 17.7 |
| 18 (invention) | 1.11 | 0.713 | 17.6 |
| 19 (invention) | 0.38 | 0.577 | 16.4 |
| 19 (invention) | 0.92 | 0.618 | 16.6 |
| 19 (invention) | 1.15 | 0.647 | 16.7 |
| 19 (invention) | 1.28 | 0.677 | 16.9 |
| 20 (invention) | 0.87 | 0.620 | 16.5 |
| 20 (invention) | 0.92 | 0.621 | 16.3 |
| 20 (invention) | 1.12 | 0.666 | 16.6 |
| 20 (invention) | 1.18 | 0.706 | 16.7 |
| 17 (comparison) | 0.44 | 0.726 | 16.2 |
| 17 (comparison) | 0.58 | 0.706 | 16.2 |
| 17 (comparison) | 0.66 | 0.733 | 16.0 |
| 17 (comparison) | 0.79 | 0.744 | 16.1 |
| Uncoated | 0 | 0.502 | 16.3 |
These results show that the increase in the
coefficient of friction provided by the coating
compositions in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention is not greatly affected by the proportion
of latex adhesive used in the coating composition,
provided that this proportion is within the range of
from 10 to 60% by weight, based on the weight of dry
calcium carbonate mineral.
EXAMPLE 6
Two anti-slip coating compositions for liner
board were prepared. Compositions 21 and 22 were in
accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention and each contained 100 parts by weight of
the same fine ground natural calcium carbonate
mineral as was described in connection with
Composition 16 in Example 4 above and different
quantities of an adhesive which was supplied by Larex
Inc. and comprised an arabinogalactan sugar derived
from wood gum. The amounts of the arabinogalactan
adhesive used in each of the compositions were:
- Composition 21:
- 28 parts by weight
- Composition 22:
- 50 parts by weight
Each aqueous coating composition was diluted
with water to a solids content of about 10% by weight
and was sprayed on to a sample of the same linerboard
as was described in Example 4 to give dry coatings
having weights in the range of from 0.6 to 1.6g.m-2.
Each sample of coated linerboard was allowed to
dry and the coefficient of friction of the coated
surface was measured by the procedure described in
Example 1 above when the sample was freshly coated
and dried. The percentage reflectance to light of
wavelength 457nm. was also measured by the procedure
laid down in International Standard No ISO 2470.
The results are set forth in Table 8 below. For
comparison, corresponding results for control
Composition 17 from Example 4 and for the uncoated
base linerboard are also given in Table 8.
| Composition | Coat weight (g.m-2) | Static coefficient of friction | % reflectance to light of wavelength 457nm |
| 21 (invention) | 0.87 | 0.734 | 16.4 |
| 21 (invention) | 0.91 | 0.764 | 16.7 |
| 21 (invention) | 1.07 | 0.765 | 16.8 |
| 21 (invention) | 1.43 | 0.780 | 16.8 |
| 22 (invention) | 0.67 | 0.704 | 16.5 |
| 22 (invention) | 0.98 | 0.753 | 16.4 |
| 22 (invention) | 1.22 | 0.767 | 16.4 |
| 22 (invention) | 1.60 | 0.803 | 16.1 |
| 17 (comparison) | 0.44 | 0.726 | 16.2 |
| 17 (comparison) | 0.58 | 0.706 | 16.2 |
| 17 (comparison) | 0.66 | 0.733 | 16.0 |
| 17(comparison) | 0.79 | 0.744 | 16.1 |
| Uncoated | 0 | 0.502 | 16.3 |
These results show that again the increase in
the coefficient of friction provided by the coating
compositions in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention is not greatly affected by the proportion
of the adhesive used in the coating composition,
provided that this proportion is within the range of
from 10 to 60% by weight, based on the weight of dry
calcium carbonate mineral. The arabinogalactan
adhesive used in these experiments was found to have
a dispersing, or deflocculating, effect on the
particles of the calcium carbonate mineral, and, as a
result, the compositions containing this adhesive
showed a lesser tendency to gel or increase in
viscosity on storage. Also, because the
arabinogalactan adhesive was brown in colour, the
coating compositions containing it, when dry, had a
reduced whitening effect on the linerboard, with the
result that the coating was even less detectable by
the naked eye.
EXAMPLE 7
An anti-slip coating compositions for liner
board, Composition 23, in accordance with the an
embodiment of present invention, contained 80 parts
by weight of the same fine ground natural calcium
carbonate mineral as was described in connection with
Composition 16 in Example 4 above, 20 parts by weight
of the calcined clay which was described under
Composition 6 in Example 2 above and 50 parts by
weight of the arabinogalactan adhesive which was used
in Example 6 above.
This coating composition was diluted with water
to a solids content of about 10% by weight and was
sprayed on to a sample of the same linerboard as was
described in Example 4 to give dry coatings having
weights in the range of from 0.8 to 1.0g.m-2.
Each sample of coated linerboard was allowed to
dry and the coefficient of friction of the coated
surface was first measured by the procedure described
in Example 1 above when the sample was freshly coated
and dried. Then the friction testing procedure was
performed a further two times, and the coefficient of
friction measured for the third slide was also
recorded. The percentage reflectance to light of
wavelength 457nm. was also measured by the procedure
laid down in International Standard No ISO 2470.
The results are set forth in Table 9 below. For
comparison, corresponding results for the uncoated
base linerboard are also given in Table 9.
| Composition | Coat weight (g.m-2) | Static coefficient of friction on | % reflectance to light of wavelength 457nm |
| | | 1st slide | 3rd slide |
| 23 (invention) | 0.84 | 0.757 | 0.642 | 16.7 |
| 23 (invention) | 0.91 | 0.760 | 0.662 | 16.6 |
| 23 (invention) | 0.94 | 0.736 | 0.656 | 16.4 |
| 23 (invention) | 0.95 | 0.773 | 0.689 | 16.6 |
| 17 (comparison) | 0.44 | 0.726 | 0.707 | 16.2 |
| 17 (comparison) | 0.58 | 0.706 | 0.708 | 16.2 |
| 17 (comparison) | 0.66 | 0.733 | 0.730 | 16.0 |
| 17 (comparison) | 0.79 | 0.744 | 0.740 | 16.1 |
| Uncoated | 0 | 0.502 | 0.450 | 16.3 |
These results show that the increase in the
coefficient of friction provided by the coating
composition in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention is comparable with that provided by the
prior art composition even at low coat weights. The
level of the coefficient of friction was also well
retained after the third slide.
EXAMPLE 8
Because of the relatively high cost of
adhesives of the latex type, an attempt was made to
provide anti-slip coating compositions for liner
board which had greatly reduced quantities of a
latex-type adhesive, or which made use of an
alternative, and less costly, type of adhesive.
Compositions 24 and 25 were each in accordance with
an embodiment of the present invention and each
contained 100 parts by weight of the same fine ground
natural calcium carbonate as was described in
connection with Composition 15 in Example 4 above.
The formulations of the two compositions are given in
Table 10 below:
| Ingredient | Parts by weight |
| | Composition 24 | Composition 25 |
| Calcium carbonate | 100 | 100 |
| Latex adhesive | 10 | 0 |
| Arabinogalactan | 2 | 4 |
| Lignosulphonate (brown colourant) | 3 | 3 |
The latex adhesive was the same as that
described in Example 4, ie that marketed by GenCorp
under the trade name "GENFLO 5170". The
arabinogalactan adhesive was the same as that
described in Example 6. The lignosulphonate was of
the cross linked type.
Each coating composition was diluted with water
to a solids content of about 10% by weight and was
sprayed on to samples of the same linerboard as was
described in Example 1 to give dry coatings having
weights in the range of from 0.2 to 0.7 g.m-2.
Each sample of coated linerboard was allowed to
dry and the coefficient of friction of the coated
surface was first measured by the procedure described
in Example 1 above when the sample was freshly coated
and dried. Then the friction testing procedure was
performed a further two times, and the coefficient of
friction measured for the second and third slides
were also recorded. The average coefficient of
friction for the three slides was then calculated.
The percentage reflectance to light of wavelength 457
nm. was also measured by the procedure laid down in
International Standard No ISO 2470.
The results are set forth in Table 11 below.
For comparison, corresponding results for the
uncoated base linerboard are also given in Table 11
| Composition | Coat weight (g.m-2) | Static coefficient of friction (average of 3 slides) | % reflectance to light of wavelength 457 nm |
| 24 (invention) | 0.45 | 0.509 | 15.7 |
| 24 (invention) | 0.54 | 0.602 | 16.2 |
| 24 (invention) | 0.57 | 0.596 | 15.8 |
| 24 (invention) | 0.62 | 0.641 | 15.8 |
| 25 (invention) | 0.34 | 0.571 | 15.2 |
| 25 (invention) | 0.40 | 0.592 | 15.8 |
| 25 (invention) | 0.58 | 0.627 | 15.7 |
| 25 (invention) | 0.65 | 0.632 | 16.0 |
| Uncoated | 0 | 0.385 | 14.8 |
These results show that the proportion of
adhesive in the coating composition can be reduced,
with consequent saving in the cost of the
composition, without unduly impairing the increase in
the coefficient of friction obtainable over that of
the uncoated liner board. The increase in
brightness, or lightening of colour, of the treated
liner board is also kept to a value such that the
dried coating is virtually invisible to the naked
eye.
EXAMPLE 9
During a trial at a commercial paper mill it was
discovered that, if apparatus capable of applying the
coating composition to a web of liner board in the
form of a spray of fine droplets was not available at
the mill, but the coating composition was applied as
larger droplets, eg greater than lmm in size, the
coated liner board assumed a mottled appearance after
drying with areas of lighter colour appearing where
individual droplets of coating composition had dried.
In order to solve this problem, compositions in
accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention were prepared which contained (i) a
surfactant, or (ii) a combination of a surfactant and
a dark coloured pigment. Compositions 26 and 27 each
contained 100 parts by weight of the same fine ground
natural calcium carbonate as was described in
connection with Composition 15 in Example 4 above.
The formulations of the two compositions are given in
Table 12 below:
| Ingredient | Parts by weight |
| | Composition 26 | Composition 27 |
| Calcium carbonate | 100 | 100 |
| Arabinogalactan | 4 | 4 |
| Lignosulphonate | 3 | 3 |
| Surfactant | 1 | 2.1 |
| Brown dye | 0 | 1.1 |
| Carbon black | 0 | 0.7 |
The arabinogalactan adhesive was the same as
that described in Example 6. The lignosulphonate was
of the cross linked type and was first dissolved in
warm water to form a 20% by weight aqueous solution
before being added to the coating composition. The
surfactant was a non-ionic alcohol ethoxylate of the
general formula R(OCH2CH2)8OH, where R is a
hydrocarbon radical having from 9 to 11 carbon atoms,
and having an HLB number of 13.7. It was used in the
form in which it is made available in commerce. The
carbon black, which consisted of particles having an
average diameter about 20nm, and which is marketed by
Columbian Chemicals under the trade name "ACTION A5
PFE", was added to the coating composition in the
form of a 20% by weight aqueous slurry. The brown
dye was "BASAZOL Brown 43L" and was used in the form
in which it is made available in commerce.
Each coating composition was diluted with water
to a solids content of about 10% by weight and was
sprayed on to samples of the same linerboard as was
described in Example 1 to give dry coatings having
weights in the range of from 0.1 to 0.9 g.m-2. A
further sample of Composition 25 was prepared as
described in Example 8, and this was also diluted
with water to a solids content of about 10% by weight
and sprayed on to samples of the liner board in the
same way.
Each sample of coated linerboard was allowed to
dry and the coefficient of friction of the coated
surface was first measured by the procedure described
in Example 1 above when the sample was freshly coated
and dried. Then the friction testing procedure was
performed a further two times, and the coefficient of
friction measured for the second and third slides
were also recorded. The average coefficient of
friction for the three slides was then calculated.
The percentage reflectance to light of wavelength 457
nm. was also measured by the procedure laid down in
International Standard No ISO 2470.
The results are set forth in Table 13 below.
For comparison, corresponding results for the
uncoated base linerboard are also given in Table 13.
| Composition | Coat weight (g.m-2) | Static coefficient of friction (average of 3 slides) | % reflectance to light of wavelength 457 nm |
| 25 (invention) | 0.227 | 0.585 | 15.2 |
| 25 (invention) | 0.477 | 0.615 | 16.1 |
| 25 (invention) | 0.617 | 0.637 | 16.1 |
| 25 (invention) | 0.852 | 0.646 | 16.5 |
| 26 (invention) | 0.102 | 0.633 | 15.9 |
| 26 (invention) | 0.257 | 0.640 | 16.0 |
| 26 (invention) | 0.612 | 0.680 | 17.4 |
| 26 (invention) | 0.807 | 0.683 | 18.0 |
| 27 (invention) | 0.197 | 0.587 | 14.9 |
| 27 (invention) | 0.222 | 0.611 | 15.0 |
| 27 (invention) | 0.382 | 0.656 | 15.5 |
| 27 (invention) | 0.422 | 0.630 | 15.7 |
| Uncoated | 0 | 0.469 | 14.8 |
These results show that the addition of a
surfactant to the coating composition (Composition
26), while it made it possible to spray the
composition more evenly over the surface of the liner
board, did not have a significant effect on the
increase in the coefficient of friction. On the
other hand, with this composition, a small but
significant increase in the brightness of the coated
liner board was observed. When a dark coloured
pigment mixture was also added to the coating
composition (Composition 27), the brightness of the
coated liner board was reduced to a level which was
closer to that of the uncoated board.