Inhibition of Surface Cracks in White Paperboard during Creasing and Bending by Polyvinyl Alcohol/bio-based Polyurethane Composite Coatings

FU Zhihui; WU Shengjun; XIONG Chenxi; YANG Dewei; SONG Jingwen; Dai Guoqing; XIAO Man; JIANG Fatang; YAN Li

doi:10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.15.001

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Packaging Engineering ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (15) : 1-13. DOI: 10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.15.001

Inhibition of Surface Cracks in White Paperboard during Creasing and Bending by Polyvinyl Alcohol/bio-based Polyurethane Composite Coatings

FU Zhihui¹, WU Shengjun¹, XIONG Chenxi¹, YANG Dewei¹, SONG Jingwen¹, Dai Guoqing¹, XIAO Man², JIANG Fatang², YAN Li^1,*

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Abstract

The work aims to reduce surface cracking of white paperboard during creasing and bending, as well as the subsequent fracture risk of laminated aluminum and ink layers, and construct flexible coatings based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and bio-based polyurethane (PU) on the coated side of paperboard. With white paperboard as the substrate, PVA and PVA/PU coatings with thicknesses of approximately 1, 5, and 10 μm were prepared. The effects of bending angle, cycle number, coating composition, and coating thickness on the crack behavior and surface strain distribution in the crease zone were investigated by combining creasing-bending tests, polarized optical microscopy, and digital image correlation (DIC). The results showed that initial cracks appeared in the uncoated samples immediately after creasing, and the crack length, width, and area fraction continuously increased with increasing bending angle and cycle number. Both PVA and PVA/PU coatings significantly inhibited crack opening and propagation, while the PVA/PU coating exhibited superior performance under cyclic bending conditions. DIC results indicated that the coatings had a limited effect on strain within the bending angle range of 30°-120°, whereas under high-angle bending of 120°-150°, the coatings effectively reduced the maximum strain and strain concentration. These results demonstrated that flexible polymer coatings suppressed damage evolution in the crease zone mainly by enhancing surface continuity, alleviating local strain concentration, and increasing resistance to crack propagation. Polyvinyl alcohol/bio-based polyurethane composite coatings can effectively inhibit the initiation and propagation of surface cracks in white paperboard during creasing and bending, thereby reducing the risk of damage in the creased region.

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white paperboard / polyvinyl alcohol / bio-based polyurethane / creasing and bending / crack / digital image correlation technique

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FU Zhihui, WU Shengjun, XIONG Chenxi, YANG Dewei, SONG Jingwen, Dai Guoqing, XIAO Man, JIANG Fatang, YAN Li. Inhibition of Surface Cracks in White Paperboard during Creasing and Bending by Polyvinyl Alcohol/bio-based Polyurethane Composite Coatings[J]. Packaging Engineering. 2026, 47(15): 1-13 https://doi.org/10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.15.001

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