Peel Testing for Construction Adhesives in Disposable Hygiene

Adhesives play many important roles in disposable hygiene products. These range from enabling construction using a variety of substrates and elastic strands to indicating wetness. When focusing specifically on construction adhesives—those that bond multiple substrates in place—the adhesive’s ability to resist peel is very important.

Peel adhesion is the force required to separate two substrates bonded together by adhesive. Sufficient peel strength is required to ensure that there is a good bond between substrates in a disposable article. In the worst cases, without sufficient peel, a hygiene product’s ends or edges can open. This may allow the core to come out of the product, or features such as ears may come off in use.

Peel testing measures the amount of force required to separate a laminate bonded by adhesive at a specified crosshead speed. This is completed using a “T” peel configuration. In addition to determining the force required, peel testing also identifies the failure mode. For example, peel testing can help determine if the failure is: 

• Adhesive (the adhesive remains on one of the substrates) 
• Cohesive (the adhesive separates with part remaining on each of the substrates) 
• Substrate destruction (the adhesive bond is stronger than the substrates) 

If the failure is adhesive or cohesive, there are opportunities for increasing the peel strength, if needed, by modifying the adhesive. If the failure is substrate destruction, modifying the adhesive will not help achieve an improvement in the product. In the case of substrate destruction, a higher peel force can only be achieved by changing the strength of the substrates. It’s important to understand how the disposable product will be used and what forces it will endure in use. These factors will ensure the right adhesive is chosen to meet the need.

All of Bostik’s disposable hygiene adhesives undergo a series of tests to measure performance and ensure quality. Our adhesive experts are also specially trained to provide product manufacturers with recommendations for optimizing performance and improving profitability through specialty services such as product audits.  

Request product audit information.