Aluminum Laminates in Beverage Packaging: Models and Experiences

Abstract

Aluminum laminates are among the main components of beverage packaging. These layered material systems are coupled to paperboard plies except in the cap opening area, where the human force limit sets a requirement on the material properties to allow open-ability and the mechanical characteristics are of particular interest. Experimental investigations have been carried out on this composite and on its components by either traditional or full-field measurement techniques. The interpretation of the collected data has been supported by the simulation of the performed tests considering either a homogenized material model or the individual laminate layers. However, different results may be recovered from similar samples due to physical factors like the material processing route and the embedded defectiveness. In turn, the conclusions may vary depending on the model assumptions. This contribution focuses on the physical effects and on the modeling of the large localized deformation induced by material singularities. This topic is discussed at the light of some experimental results.

Failure analysis of thin metal foils

“…1. They return the envelope of the uniaxial stress-strain curves obtained from plain material samples [7], and are consistent with those employed in former studies [3,8,15].…”

“…he present study is motivated by the spreading application of thin metal foils in different technological fields, for the production of flexible electronics, nano or micro-devices and beverages packaging [1][2][3]. The thinness of these laminates (few microns or less) makes them behave differently from the corresponding bulk materials.…”

Numerical simulation of non-standard tensile tests of thin metal foils

“…2, while the main model parameters are listed in Table 1. The realism of these assumptions was validated in a former contribution [3].…”

“…A growing number of technological applications are made of laminates constituted by thin metal foils coupled to polymer layers [1][2][3][4]. The performances of these material systems rely on the metal ply, which provides a significant contribution to the overall strength and stiffness of the composite, represents the conductive layer in flexible electronics [1], protects against light and oxygen penetration in beverage packaging [3].…”

Effect of polyethylene wax/soy protein-based dispersion barrier coating on the physical, mechanical, and barrier characteristics of paperboards

“…7,8 Several technologies have been employed to provide paperboard packaging resistance against moisture, gas, and grease including specialty chemical treatment, polymer extrusion coating, and lamination. [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] These functional coatings cannot be applied to paper and paperboard by conventional papermaking machines and mostly require specialized converting machines, which can apply the coatings using a hot melt, solvent or extrusion techniques, and then print and cut the paper and paperboard into the finished package. Thus, the application of aqueous barrier coatings to paper and paperboard using conventional paper coating machinery can lead to great savings in time and money.…”