Patent Document ID: 9025153
Application ID: 13669803
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A process for predicting degree of mottling in a target coating composition comprising: (a) adding to a vessel of a mottle prediction device a S 0 coating composition; (b) dispensing from an opening in said vessel said S 0 coating composition over a test substrate to produce a L 0 layer of a substantially uniform thickness thereon; (c) projecting on said L 0 layer a beam of light of a preset intensity at preset angles of incidence from a light source; (d) measuring B 0 flop of said beam reflected from said L 0 layer at preset angles of reflectance by an optical measurement instrument; (e) measuring B H0 flop of said beam reflected from said L 0 layer at preset angles of reflectance by said optical measurement instrument after a desired time interval; (f) producing a C 0 coating from said S 0 coating composition; (g) assessing a degree of mottling Y 0 of said C 0 coating; (h) repeating said steps (a) through (g) for S 1 to S n coating compositions respectively comprising F 1 to F n parts by weight of one or more rheology additives based on 100 parts by weight of said S 1 to S n coating compositions to determine B 1 to B n flops and B H1 to B Hn flops of L 1 to L n layers after said desired time interval, respectively, and degree of mottling Y 1 to Y n of C 1 to C n coatings, respectively wherein n ranges from 1 to 100; (i) subtracting said B H0 to B Hn flops from said B 0 to B n flops of said L 0 to L n layers, respectively to determine ΔB 0 to ΔB n flops; (j) storing said B 0 to B n flops, said B H0 to B Hn flops, said ΔB 0 to ΔB n flops and said degree of mottling Y 0 to Y n in a non-transitory computer usable storage medium of a computer; (k) locating intersecting points on a graph where said ΔB 0 to ΔB n flops of said L 0 to L n layers on X-axis of said graph intersect with said degree of mottling Y 0 to Y n on Y-axis of said graph; (l) using a curve fitting equation to produce a degree of mottling prediction curve on said graph; (m) dispensing on said test substrate a L T layer of said substantially uniform thickness of a target coating composition from said vessel wherein said target coating composition contains flakes; (n) projecting on said L T layer a beam of light at said preset intensity and at said preset angles of incidence from said light source; (o) measuring B T flop of said beam reflected from said L T layer at said preset angles of reflectance by said optical measurement instrument; (p) measuring B HT flop of said beam reflected from said L T layer at preset angles of reflectance by said optical measurement instrument after said desired time interval; (q) subtracting said B HT flop from said B T flop of said L T layer to determine ΔB T flop; (r) locating said ΔB T flop of said L T layer on said X-axis of said graph; (s) locating an intersecting point on said degree of mottling prediction curve that intersects with said ΔB T flop on said X-axis of said graph; and (t) predicting degree of mottling of said target composition by locating Y T on said Y-axis of said graph that intersects with said intersecting point on said degree of mottling prediction curve that intersects with said ΔB T on said X-axis of said graph.