Ultrasonic welding of 100% lignocellulosic papers

Arnaud Regazzi (1, 2) , Jérémie Viguié (3) , Barthelemy Harthong (2) , Pierre J. J. Dumont (4) , Didier Imbault (1, 2) , Robert Peyroux (1, 2) , Martine Rueff (5) , Quentin Charlier (1, 2) , David Guérin (3) , Laurence Leroy (3) , Mohammed Krouit (3) , Michel Petit-Conil (3)

1 3SR - Laboratoire sols, solides, structures - risques [Grenoble]
2 CoMHet - Mécanique et Couplages Multiphysiques des Milieux Hétérogènes
3 CTP - Centre Technique du Papier
4 LaMCoS - Laboratoire de Mécanique des Contacts et des Structures [Villeurbanne]
5 LGP2 - Laboratoire Génie des procédés papetiers

Paper-based packaging materials are generally assembled using adhesives formulated with oil-based polymers. These adhesives make the recyclability of the materials more complex and may be the source of material contamination by mineral oil. In view of developing an adhesive-free process, the potential of ultra-sonic compression was investigated in this study. 100% lignocellulosic papers were assembled using an ultrasonic welder dedicated to thermoplastic polymers. For papers containing lignin, the measured peeling strengths were equivalent to those achieved by hot-melt gluing, provided that the water content of papers was well adjusted. At the interface between bonded papers, the fiber network was dense and rather continuous. SEM examinations, 3D X-ray microtomography images, and temperature measurements suggested that the development of adhesion originated to a large extent from a thermoplastic welding mechanism: wood fiber polymers passed their glass transition temperatures, creeped and formed a matrix that coated fibers. Thus, ultrasonic welding appears as an efficient adhesive-free technique for assembling papers that are used in a broad range of packaging applications.

Domaines: Matériaux

Arnaud Regazzi, Jérémie Viguié, Barthelemy Harthong, Pierre J. J. Dumont, Didier Imbault, et al.. Ultrasonic welding of 100% lignocellulosic papers. Journal of Materials Science, 2019, 54 (19), ⟨10.1007/s10853-019-03763-7⟩. ⟨hal-02171690⟩