Influence of paper properties on adhesive strength of starch gluing

The effect of paper properties on the strength of starch gluing for Kraft sack papers has been investigated. We analyzed the effect of surface roughness, wettability and glue penetration. Surface roughness was found not to be related to gluing strength, also surface wetting measured by contact angle showed only a weak relation. Liquid penetration measured by ultrasound (ULP) was found to have a substantial correlation to gluing strength. Comparing ULP liquid penetration speed with actual glue uptake during the gluing process we found that they are only moderately connected. We are attributing this to the fact that the penetration and spreading of the glue on the paper is driven by applying an external pressure during the gluing process, which is not the case for the liquid penetration measurement. Investigating how asymmetrical glue penetration affects gluing strength we found that the relationship was low. The best indication for gluing strength turned out to be the surface wetting/substrate swelling parameter from the ultrasonic liquid penetration measurement. We conclude that the main parameter capturing gluing strength combines the influence of fiber wetting and penetration of the glue into the fibers.