Core forming support of a paper reel

Abstract

A core intended to support a reel of paper, particularly toilet paper, is formed by winding at least one web of cellulose wadding. The core is formed by winding at least one web of cellulose wadding having at least 0.51 g of water-soluble material per gram of cellulose wadding, the water-soluble material being designed to make the web of cellulose wadding more rigid and easier to disintegrate. Thus configured, the core that has both mechanical strength fit for the intended purpose and is far easier to disintegrate than a core mad of cardboard such that it can be disposed of directly in a toilet bowl without the risk of blocking the waste pipe.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a core, comprising the following steps: a) supplying a first band of cellulose fiber comprising at least one ply, b) supplying a second band of cellulose fiber comprising at least one ply, c) depositing a water-soluble material on the first band, the water-soluble material being in the wet state, d) joining and pressing the first band with the second band, the assembly obtained constituting a third band in which the plies are joined by the water-soluble material, e) drying the third band with heat, f) helically winding the dried third band on itself or with a fourth band, with the insertion of an adhesive material, in the form of a hollow tube, g) cutting a section of said tube to form the core.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a band of cellulose fiber is joined to the third band to form a new band, and the operation is repeated until a band of cellulose fiber having the desired basis weight is obtained.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the helically winding step includes winding the third band with the fourth band, and wherein the fourth band is identical to the third band or comprises at least two plies, the two plies being joined together by the water-soluble material.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Other advantages and features will appear more readily from the description that follows of an example embodiment according to the invention, with reference to the drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross section of a band of cellulose fiber constituting a core in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, and

(3) FIG. 2 schematically shows an installation suitable for forming the band of cellulose fiber in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(4) According to an embodiment of the invention, the water-soluble material is based on starch or polyvinyl alcohol.

(5) The starch comprises natural products of plant origin such as wheat, corn, potato or rice starch, tapioca, sorghum and others, consisting of high molecular weight polymers or polyholosides. In the context of the present invention, starch also includes products derived from natural starch, converted by physical treatment, for example heating, physicochemical treatment or biological treatment, for example enzymatic treatment, of the derivative or modified starches such as cationic, anionic, amphoteric, nonionic or cross-linked starches and products resulting from the hydrolysis of starch such as maltodextrins.

(6) The band of cellulose fiber comprises a plurality of plies or layers of cellulose fiber, each ply having a basis weight of about 15 to about 80 g/m.sup.2 and preferably about 20 to about 40 g/m.sup.2.

(7) FIG. 1 schematically shows the structure of an example band of cellulose fiber intended to form the core of the invention.

(8) This structure consists of the stack of 4 plies Cn: C1 to C4, of cellulose fiber joined together by a water-soluble material forming an adhesive in 3 adhesive layers Cn: C1 to C3.

(9) Each of the cellulose fiber plies Cn has a basis weight of 34 g/m.sup.2.

(10) In this example, each of the water-soluble adhesive layers Cn was formed partly from a mixture of aqueous adhesive based on polyvinyl alcohol and polyethylene glycol such as SWIFT L998/4 sold by FORBO, and potato starch such as AMYLOGUM CLS sold by AVEBE, and partly exclusively using potato starch such as AMYLOGUM CLS.

(11) More generally, for the water-soluble material, in addition to starch, a small quantity, less than 2%, of a water-soluble adhesive is optionally used.

(12) The weight of adhesive and starch in each of the layers Cn is given in the table below for three example quantities of water-soluble material per gram of cellulose fiber: 0.58; 0.91; and 1.13 g/g.

(13) TABLE-US-00001 g. Starch/ Layer g. cellulose applied Basis Core fiber on each weight Basis mass Compression (4 plies Layer Layer Layer side of one weight (40- measurement (N) tissue C1 C2 C3 band C5 band Core 50 mm) flat on 136 g/m.sup.2) g/m.sup.2 g/m.sup.2 g/m.sup.2 and C4 g/m.sup.2 g/m.sup.2 g 13 mm 15 mm edge 0.58 Adhesive: Adhesive: Adhesive: Adhesive: 215 445 2.78 7.9 8.7 325 (79 g/m.sup.2 0 0.75 0.75 0 +/ +/ +/ Starch) Starch: Starch: Starch: Starch: 0.5 0.5 65 0 14.2 14.4 25.2 0.91 Adhesive: Adhesive: Adhesive: Adhesive: 260 520 3.27 12.7 13.8 550 (124 g/m.sup.2 0 0.75 0.75 0 +/ +/ +/ Starch) Starch: Starch: Starch: Starch: 0.4 0.4 40 0 14.2 14.4 47.7 1.13 Adhesive: Adhesive: Adhesive: Adhesive: 290 590 3.72 14.7 15.9 454 (154 g/m.sup.2 0 0.75 0.75 0 +/ +/ +/ Starch) Starch: Starch: Starch: Starch: 1.9 2.0 65 0 14.2 14.4 62.7 Cardboard 280 365 5.17 5.64 272.8 core one +/ +/ +/ strand 0.43 0.50 9.6

(14) Subsequently, each of the outer sides of this band was coated with a starch solution without added adhesive, of the same type as that used in the adhesive layers Cn to form the layers C4 and C5.

(15) The band was then helically wound on a cylinder, using a technique which may be known from the prior art, with another similarly obtained band, to form a core called a two-strand core, each band forming one strand.

(16) The core thus prepared was subjected to a series of tests to evaluate its mechanical strength and its disintegration capacity.

(17) Similar tests were conducted on a commercial cardboard core, having the same thickness and the same length as the core of the invention, and having been formed from a single band having a basis weight of about 280 g/m.sup.2.

(18) Compression Test:

(19) The flat and edge compressive strengths of the core are measured using the following method.

(20) The core to be tested is first cut in a cylindrical portion bounded by two opposite faces, perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder, said portion having a length of 50 mm in the direction parallel to the axis.

(21) This cylindrical portion is then positioned between the two metal plates of a dynamometer, the plates being parallel to one another and initially separated by a distance slightly greater than the length of the cylindrical portion, in the case of the edge compression measurement, or to its diameter, in the case of the flat compression measurement.

(22) In measuring the edge compressive strength, the cylindrical portion is positioned so that the cylinder axis is perpendicular to the plane formed by one or the other of the plates.

(23) The resistance offered by the core is measured up to its maximum, that is to say just before the core is irreversibly damaged.

(24) In measuring the flat compressive strength, the cylindrical portion is positioned so that the cylinder axis is parallel to the plane formed by one or the other of the plates.

(25) The cylindrical portion is then pressed between the two plates, with measurements for two compression distances: 13 mm/min and 15 mm, at which the force is recorded.

(26) The table shows that the core of the invention had a flat compressive strength greater than that of a similar cardboard core.

(27) Since the main stresses applied to the core during its production and distribution cycle are essentially applied flat, the core of the invention can be considered to fully meet the requirements in this respect.

(28) The edge compressive strength of the core of the invention is also greater than that of a similar cardboard core. With regard to storage stresses, the core of the invention is also fully satisfactory.

(29) Disintegration Test:

(30) The disintegration capacity of the core is measured according to standard NF Q34-020 with stirring.

(31) It was found that the core of the invention disintegrated completely at least 5 times faster than a similar cardboard core formed from a single band having a basis weight of 280 g/m.sup.2, whether with or without stirring.

(32) It was also observed that the core began to disintegrate in the water at least three times faster than a similar cardboard core obtained by winding a single band of cardboard having a basis weight of 280 g/m.sup.2.

(33) In the context of the present invention, similar core means a core having substantially the same diameter and the same length as the core of the invention.

(34) Disposal Test:

(35) A core was placed in a household disposal system formed of a toilet bowl connected to a pipe network having a total length of 18 m.

(36) Using a conventional water flush system discharging into the bowl, a quantity of water was poured in order to discharge the core from the bowl and move it the entire 18 m length of pipe.

(37) The quantity of water required for this disposal was measured both for a core of the invention and for a similar cardboard core formed from a single band having a basis weight of 280 g/m.sup.2.

(38) In the case of the core of the invention, about 15 l of water were required to discharge the core from the bowl and through the 18 m of pipe.

(39) In the case of the similar cardboard core, the core did not traverse the entire 18 m of pipe even after having poured more than 501 of water.

(40) FIG. 2 schematically shows an installation for forming the band of cellulose fiber constituting the core of the invention.

(41) A first band 10 of tissue paper comprising a single ply is fed from a first reel 10A to a sizing station. The station comprises an engraved roller 1 immersed in a size solution 2 based on aqueous adhesive and starch contained in a storage tank 3, the roller 1 subsequently transferring the size solution 2 to an applicator roll 4.

(42) During the passage of the first band 10, the applicator roll 4 is contacted with one of the outer surfaces of the band 10 in order to deposit an adhesive layer on the outer face.

(43) Once the adhesive is applied, the first band 10 is pressed with a second band 20 of one-ply tissue paper fed from a second reel 20A, so that the adhesive layer is imprisoned between the two bands 10 and 20. The pressing station consists of a smooth steel roll 5 and an elastomer roll 6 having a Shore A hardness of about 95, which are separated in order to create a pinching zone 7 through which the assembly of the first and second bands 10 and 20 travels.

(44) This causes the formation of a third band 30 at the discharge end of the pressing station, the third band comprising two outer plies of tissue paper and one inner adhesive layer.

(45) The third band 30 is then hot dried at 140 C. by passage through a calendering station 8 formed of two heated rolls, and finally wound in the form of a third reel 30A.

(46) Depending on the number of plies that the band of tissue paper must finally have, it may optionally be necessary to use this third reel 30A instead of the first 10A and/or second 20A reel, and again to repeat the steps mentioned above. Thus, the above operation can be repeated as often as necessary in order to obtain a band of tissue paper having exactly the desired number of plies.

(47) Subsequently, and using an additional coating station (not shown), each of the outer faces of the band obtained is coated with one or more layers based on starch, thereby giving it improved stiffness.

(48) The band thus starched constitutes the base material used for the formation of the core. This type of core is generally formed by helically winding one or more bands around a shaft. The resulting hollow tube is then cut into sections of equal length, each of the sections forming a core of the invention.

(49) Instead of the method described above, it is also feasible to simultaneously wind a plurality of bands of tissue paper using a winding device comprising as many feed stations as bands to be wound, the number of bands corresponding to the number of layers of cellulose fiber to be incorporated in the core.

(50) Depending on the mechanical strength, especially compressive strength, to be obtained for this core, and its ability to disintegrate more or less easily and rapidly, it is feasible to vary the number of layers of tissue paper used to form each of the bands and the total amount of starch with which each of the bands is impregnated.

(51) In particular, one ideal solution is to use between 2 and 24 layers of tissue paper, and more specifically between 3 and 8 layers of tissue paper.

(52) Furthermore, the band is impregnated with starch-based water-soluble material in a concentration of at least 0.51 g of starch per gram of cellulose fiber.