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TPO COATED PP FABRICS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS

Dr. Milind Khandwe

Technical Director
ENTREMONDE POLYECOATERS LTD.,
Plot No. 29, M.I.D.C. Road 'C', Street No.13,
Satpur, NASHIK - 422 007 (INDIA)
eplnsk@dataone.in

INTRODUCTION

Olefin polymers are most chemical resistant inert material

available in their commercial category for industrial applications. The
last era dominated uses of olefin polymer in commodity applications
eliminating traditional metals and non metals. The future is poised for
domination of thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) in engineering polymer
applications. Among a few converters all over the world, Entremonde
has commercialized and patented 1,2 TPO coating on polypropylene
fabric (PP). The TPO coated PP fabrics have many advantage over
PVC, PU and rubber coated fabrics.

Use of coated fabrics in manufacture of protective covers,

storage systems, agriculture coverings and pond linings has a long
history. The products mainly categorized as PVC coated fabrics, PU
coated fabrics, acrylic polymer coated fabric, wax coated fabrics
(canvas) and rubber-coated fabrics. The common usage of coated
fabrics are for example (i) Tarpaulins (ii) Vehicle covers or truck
tarpaulins (iii) Tents (iv) Agriculture coverings and fumigation sheets
(v) Awnings (vi) Canopies, Tents, Covers etc. In all
the types of coated fabrics, fabric component impart desired
mechanical property, i.e. Breaking strength, tearing strength, bursting
strength, dimensional stability etc. There are number of types of
yarns used for manufacturing a fabric, they are polyester, nylon
(polyamide), cotton, regenerated cellulose etc. There are number of
types of processes that are used in manufacturing a fabric, they are
weaving, knitting and random laying of fibers to make a non-woven.
The mechanical properties desired in coated fabrics are decided by
various properties of fabric used viz. weight, type of yarn, structure
whether monofilament, multifilament or texturised, twists, polymer
material property like crystallinity, chemical and thermal resistance
etc. One can choose a fabric material from almost unlimited options

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available for the purpose of coating as per the end usage
requirement.

The coating formulations are based on main polymer categories

viz. PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), PE and other Poly olefins, PU
(Polyurethane), Acrylics, Rubber (natural or synthetic) and waxes.
Cotton fabric coated with wax formulations are called canvas, is a
most common and primitive form of coated fabric. With the invention
of new materials and their formulations the number of options
available are plenty. The most common are PVC and rubber based
formulation where a number of additives are used to prepare a
suitable fluid to coat on a fabric. The categories of additives are –
fillers, pigments and dyes, solvents, plasticizers and functional
additives are used in almost all types of polymers to formulate a
compound having desired property. The coatings impart or modify
surface properties, barrier and aesthetics of a coated fabric for the
required function or end use.

There are number of processes used for coating a fabric but the
main categories are two (i) Solution coating including plastisols in the
case of PVC (ii) Hot melt coating viz. calendar coating including cold
calendaring in the case of rubbers. These processes are generally
followed by heating or cooling. The process of coating can be used
on one or both the sides of fabric. Surface properties of the coatings
can further be modified using physical treatment like embossing,
chemical treatment like lacquering, printing, metallizing or film or foil
lamination.

There are number of ways to fabricate an article out of coated

fabric for protective cover application. Since individual application
demand specific size and shape whereas coated fabrics are
manufactured in standard width and lengths, depending on the
process of manufacturing joining two or more pieces are required.
The standard processes are joining with adhesives, stitching, heat
welding, HF/RF welding etc. Use of fixtures of desired shape or size
viz. eyelets, grommets, D rings, brackets, webbings, ropes are known
and are quite common.

The biggest problem is, disposal of waste, generated after the

use of coated fabrics. Recycling of coated fabrics is not an easy or a
common task. In almost all of the cases the family of the polymer
used in manufacturing a fiber and coating compound are
heterogeneous hence their physical mixing to regenerate in the form
of recyclable goods, is not possible even by applying high
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temperature or pressure. The second option, though not environment
friendly remain to dissolve, but again common solvent or mixture of
solvents cannot dissolve entire coated fabric for recycling purpose.
There are solvents available to partly dissolve a coating but it is not
an economical and environmentally friendly process, because of
volatility of solvents. The only option remains is to safely incinerate
the waste, which has long-term economic effects, if all the
precautions are taken from environmental point of view.

Defining ‘thermoplastic polyolefin” (TPO) is difficult3.

“Thermoplastic” is a generic term in polymer science; it encompasses
a class of polymers that, as mentioned above, soften when heated in
a reversible process. The term “olefin” is even more generic being an
old chemical name for any molecule containing carbon-carbon double
bonds (the modern name for this family of molecules is alkenes). Any
polymer formed by chemically linking up many olefin molecules is
termed “polyolefin.” According to the latest draft ASTM standard for
TPOs, the composition is very non-specific. The standard states that
TPOs must contain more than 95% by mass of TPO polymer. The
polymer itself is not defined within the standard, which states only
that the sheet shall contain the “appropriate” polymers. Because of
this loose definition, there is an endless list of chemicals that would
fall under this standard (e.g. polyethylene, polypropylene, and
isobutylene, as well as their derivatives). Ideally, manufacturers
would specify the exact polymer in terms of marketing and labeling.
One point is clear, however: unlike plasticized thermoplastics, TPOs
do not contain plasticizers. Therefore, the problem of plasticizer loss
associated with some plasticized polymers is eliminated.

The product described in the present paper are composites of

PP fabrics coated / laminated with thermoplastic polyolefin elastomer
which is a special grade of TPO compound made out of reactor
modified elastomeric thermoplastic polyolefin.

The TPO and PP are basically inert towards chemical and

microorganism attack. The finished products have good resistance
towards oxygen and ozone and are flexible at very low temperature
i.e. -60ºC. The products are odourless and do not give out toxic
gases on burning.

The product are lighter than PU or PVC or rubber coated

fabrics since polyolefin are lower in density than PU, PVC or rubbers
formulations. The coating as well as fabric are homologous polymers

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hence are melt recyclable, which is not possible in the case of
conventional polymer coated fabrics.

The coated fabrics are available in variety of colors. The dope

dyed PP yarn can be produced in excellent uniform bright colors,
which are UV stable. TPO coating contains light stable pigments.
The properties can be custom designed by altering thickness,
strength, flexibility, colors and grain design. In few special cases fire
retardancy can also be archived.

The fabrics are available in both side as well as one side coated
versions, weldable by thermo fusion welding machine. The fabrics
are suitable in a number of applications. To name a few there are:

- Flexible storage tanks for liquids.

- High altitude Tents and light weight sport field covers.
- Roofing membranes
- Ground sheets, agriculture covers and pond lines for algae
farming
- Biogas generator covers.
- Lightweight swimming pool covers.
- Awnings and canopies.
- Automobile interiors.

TYPICAL PROPERTIES OF TPO COATED PP FABRICS

Properties Test Standards Typical Range

Total Weight (gm/m2) IS: 7016 Pt-I 120 to 350
Total Thickness (mm) IS: 7016 Pt-I 0.15 to 0.75
Breaking strength in kg IS: 7016 Pt-II 75 to 165
(Warp & Weft)
Tearing strength in kg BS: 3424 7A 5 to 65
(Warp & Weft)
Temperature Resistance IS: 7016 Pt-X Up to - 60 Deg.C
Water proofness IS: 7016 Pt-VII Passes
Resistance to Flex IS: 7016 Pt-IV No Cracking
Fungus resistance AATCC Method 30, Passes
1998
Weather resistance - Good
Hydrolysis resistance - Good
Resistance to UV - Good

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PROCESSING:

The methods of processing are common to processing of

coated textiles. As it is understood that the Olefin polymers cannot
be coated by conventional spreader knife technique, the extrusion
calendering is the best suitable technique used in processing of these
materials.

In principle it is basically a continuous extrusion unit consisting

of different arrangement of rollers adjustable to a fixed nip opening.
The coated fabric is produced by “in situ” pressure laminating the
calendered sheet. In this process the care is taken to avoid thermal
shocks to the sensitive materials to avoid deterioration of mechanical
properties. It is worth mentioning here that the whole system is olefin
polymer based and sensitive to the processing temperature. A PP
fabric if processed under warp tension at temperature above its Tm
the tenacity is greatly affected. Calendering processes have
advantage in terms of uniformity and flawlessness of coating however
the initial investment cost is high. Following are description of
common calendering process used for TPO coating.

Inverted L calender - These calenders have additional rolls to

resurface the TPO sheet before lamination. In this process four rolls
provide three metering stations (nips)

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Inclined Z calender - This is typical equipment is used in processing
rubbers; an elastomeric TPO can easily be processed with this type
of arrangement.

The calender equipments producing coated fabrics are further

equipped with Auxiliary equipments which impart processing ease for
further handling of material. The auxiliaries are very important for
processing of TPO coated PP fabrics.

The fabric pretreatments, formulation of TPO compound with

functional additives both processability point of view as well as
enhancement of final product properties are few other important
parameters considered for processing of these specialty fabrics.

A typical calendar coating line is shown in the following figure.

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APPLICATIONS OF TPO COATED PP FABRICS

The TPO coated membranes with various textiles have become

headline products for many applications. The textiles i.e. scrims of
polyester, polyamide are most popular but used for PP textile is
relatively new.

The TPO based products often marketed as “PVC free”, “halide

free”, “Green product” to show benefits over rubber and PVC coated
fabric.

The other slogan is “heat resistance like EPDM and weldability

like PVC” also describes benefits of these products in various
applications.

Following described are some specific applications of the TPO

coated PP fabrics

GROUND SHEET

Ground Sheet is an essential item used by all soldiers in ground

forces. This is an item of their personal kit. The Ground Sheet are
used as sleeping mat, temporary shelters, to collect water from
stream in remote area or as a hammock. The conventional products
are rubber, canvas or cotton based, and have inherent problems
since natural products are susceptible to degradation in many ways.
Cotton fabric being a natural fiber has many disadvantages, like
rough use and daily use makes it very vulnerable to microbial attack,
when it is wet it does not dry up as quickly as polypropylene. The
rubber compound degrades
because of unsaturated sites
available in its structure. The
problem of oozing is quite
common in rubber-coated fabrics.
Therefore in older version of
ground sheets, which is a
composite of rubber and cotton,
there were many problems, like
weathering, UV resistance, and
chemical and microbiological
resistance and heaviness due to
high-density of materials.

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 Entremonde Polyecoaters has invented patented1 technology to
manufacture PP- TPO Ground Sheet composite product to over come
the above problem faced in conventional product. These Ground
Sheets are successfully introduced in our Defence forces.

BIO GAS COVERS

The biogas generators have seen traditional covers made out

of MS to PVC coated fabric. The biogas is a combination of
hydrocarbon fuel gases with some amount of by-product like oxides
or sulphur and nitrogen. The waste mass and fermented slurry also
contain dissolved gases and microorganism, which are corrosive in
nature. The corrosive environment of these generators phased out
MS and replaced with PVC coated polyester fabric. The cover made
out of PVC coated fabric also experienced short lifetime due to
plasticizer migration and inherent poor, chemical and microorganism
resistance. PVC coated fabric based products face problem of
constant repairs and replacement in a duration of 3 years maximum.
The leakage losses are quite high and add negatively to the overall
economics of running the generators.

The PP coated TPO fabric is a single solution to all the above

cited problems. A typical example of product suitable for the above
applications is 1.1mm thick double side TPO coated PP fabric with
approximate strength of 135/110 Kg. The compound used for coating
is a formulation based on reactor modified TPO instead of traditional
TPO blends. The benefit of reactor modified formulation over TPO
blends are enormous; it is resistant to UV radiation as well as to
corrosive chemicals present in the waste of biogas reactor and the
resulting gas, thermally stable i.e. withstanding capacity in the
summer heat and winter temperature shocks. The TPO coated PP
fabric has been tested at –60ºC. The overall composite is made out
of PP homologue hence question of non-compatibility like dissimilar
polymers, polyester / Nylon and PVC or PU does not arise. The
Specific Gravity remains 0.9 as against 1.3-1.5 of PU or PVC coated
Fabric, which is a great handling and operational ease in biogas
generator covers.

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 The outside color of fabric is light and the inside is made dark to
avoid excessive summer heat absorption that could kill anaerobic
bacteria. The fabric has all possibilities and flexibility of fabrication
like other coated fabrics and also the required maintenance
possibilities. The choice of strength, weight and colors remains with
the end user requirement as Entremonde has earned expertise in the
custom designing of a product.

BULK BAGS AND CONTAINER LININGS

Use of olefin polymers in transport worthy packing is very

common in consumer as well as in industrial sectors. Fib’s (Flexible
intermediate Bulk bags) and BLB’s (Bulk Liner Bags) have gained
popularity of transport worthy packing of solids. A very common
example is woven sack used in cement and food grain packaging.
However FIB’s and BLB’s are produced using TPO coated PP
fabrics, sewing or welding them into large bags of required format. In
FIB’s one loop, tow loop, four loops etc. are commonly used formats.
Welded joints are employed as per the requirement of storage of
materials, normally wet resins, fine powders etc. These bags and
containers can have valves for ease of filling and unloading. FIB’s
and BLB’s offer a cost effective, efficient and environmental friendly
way of transporting bulk materials. Use of multiple loops made out of
webbing with monofilament PP yarn provides extra strength and thus
the bags can be handled using cranes. These can be manufactured
and sealed very fast using ultrasonic or heat welding.

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ROOFING MEMBRANES

In typical low slope roofing systems thermal insulation barrier

and water proofing membrane determines comfort of home. The
traditional membranes consist of PVC or EPDM coated polyester or
polyamide fabric. But as discussed earlier PVC and EPDM materials
have their own draw back. New concept of TPO coated fabric came
out with all possible solution to prevailing drawbacks of conventional
materials. Thanks to the developments in multifilament PP yarns, a
sufficiently high tensile strength textile can be manufactured for this
application. The conventional welding equipment can be used for on
the spot welding operations.

FLEXIBLE LIQUID STORAGE TANKS

Flexi tanks are containers made out of coated fabrics in various

shapes and sizes. The common shapes are pillow type, onion,
orange etc. that ranges from 250 liters to 50,000 liters capacity.
These types of tanks provide temporary as well as long term liquid
storage facility. They are used in water, oil, fruit juice, milk products,
chemical and fuel storage and / or transportation. The flexi tanks are
categorized into two types one time used bulk containers and
permanent use containers. Traditionally rubber coated, PVC coated
or TPU coated fabrics are used in these application. TPO coated PP
fabrics have many distinct advantages in terms of inertness of these
fabrics to various solvents, these are relatively safe for food grade
applications following photographs shows some tanks.
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 50,000 liters

AUTOMOTIVE INTERIORS

Thermoplastic olefins (TPO) are new generation compounds,

which find increasing application in automotive interiors. TPO’s are
materials of future and are finding their place due to properties over
the existing materials.
At present, PVC is dominantly used in many of the auto interior
applications for door panels, roofing upholstery etc. There are certain
reasons why PVC is not the preferred interior material abroad any
more.
In European markets, there are strong environmental objections
to use PVC because of lead and cadmium containing additives,
Phthalate plasticisers and lack of recyclability. Besides this, PVC
coated fabric suffers from migration properties of the plasticizers
leading to fogging and poor ageing problems.

Against this, TPO coated on PP fabric, offers considerable

following advantages.

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 1. Since TPO is made out of polymeric materials and pigments,
problems associated with plasticizer migration of PVC are
totally eliminated as also cracking problems due to ageing.
2. The light weightness of TPO coated fabric is remarkable. This
is primarily due to sp.gravity differences.
3. There is absolutely no smell in the coated fabric unlike in the
case of PVC Coated fabrics.
4. The feel is also dry. If offers good cleaning properties.
5. The oil and chemical resistance are superior to those of PVC
Coated fabrics.

The interiors made of TPO coated fabrics have distinct advantage

of recycling, as they are same family of materials used in structure
and skins etc. Though not a major critical requirement for Indian
market but under the globalization norms, this is an implied need of
auto interiors.

SPORTING TENTS, LIGHT WEIGHT SPORT FIELD COVERS

AGRICULTURE COVERINGS AND TRUCK TARPAULINS:

The use of polyolefin polymers especially polypropylene is

common in sports and agriculture application4. The artificial grass
polypropylene based apparels due to wicking properties, pond lines
green house covers are few examples. TPO coated PP fabrics find
application in all above-mentioned applications as per their material
property benefits as discussed previously over conventional PVC
coated fabrics. The PVC coated fabric faces problem due to
plasticizer migration and they are not easy to clean. The material
used in PVC based product are higher in density, therefore they are
quite heavy and difficult to handle. Following photographs illustrate
these applications.

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CONCLUSION

The woven-PP TPO coated products are finding diverse

application in industry. The demanding application areas are building
and construction products where these fabrics find application as
house wrap peel and stick wind flashing, under slab vapor retarder.
The new application in out door banners, posters, construction sheet,
fabric architecture pond liner and geotextiles are developing areas.
In conclusion the possible applications of PP TPO composite are
limited by once own imagination.

REFERENCES
1. M.Khandwe, A.K. Mody Indian Patent 211228
2. M.Khandwe, A.K. Mody International patent WO 2006/109319 Al.
3. R.M.Paroli et al. www.irc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/pubs/cuts/30_e.html
4. http://www.eatp.org

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