Aqueous dispersed polyester resin compositions

1. A radiation curable aqueously dispersed polyester resin composition comprising an emulsifier D and the reaction product AC of a hydroxy functional polyester resin A and an olefinically unsaturated compound C which can be radically polymerised and which is attached to the polyester resin backbone by an ester linkage or a urethane linkage, wherein said emulsifier D is the polyesterification product of a fatty acid D1, a polyhydric alcohol D2 having at least three hydroxyl groups per molecule, a carboxylic acid D3 or its anhydride, and a monoalkoxy polyalkylene glycol D4, and wherein:

(a) when the olefinically unsaturated compound C is attached to the polyester resin backbone by an ester bond, the olefinically unsaturated compound C is an unsaturated acid C1 selected from the group consisting of alpha, beta-unsaturated aliphatic monocarboxylic acids, and monoesters of olefinically unsaturated aliphatic dicarboxylic acids,

(b) when the olefinically unsaturated compound C is attached to the polyester resin backbone by a urethane bond, the olefinically unsaturated compound C used is an isocyanate-functional reaction product C2 of an unsaturated aliphatic alcohol C21 and a diisocyanate or polyfunctional isocyanate C22 having three or more isocyanate groups per molecule.

2. The composition of claim 1 additionally comprising an olefinically unsaturated compound B which can be radically polymerised.

3. The composition of claim 2 wherein the compound B is the reaction product of a polyol B1 and an olefinically unsaturated compound C which can be radically polymerised.

4. The composition of claim 1 wherein the polyester resin A is an esterification product of a fatty acid A1 having from 8 to 24 carbon atoms, a polyhydric aliphatic alcohol A3 having at least three hydroxyl groups, and an aromatic, cycloaliphatic or linear or branched aliphatic carboxylic acid A4 having at least two carboxyl groups, or the anhydride thereof, and optionally, an aliphatic or aromatic monocarboxylic acid A2 having at least two carbon atoms and not more than seven carbon atoms, and further optionally, an oil A5.

5. The composition of claim 3 wherein the polyol B1 is an aliphatic polyetherpolyol which is the reaction product of a 1,2-epoxyalkane B11 having from 2 to 6 carbon atoms and a polyhydric aliphatic alcohol B12 having at least three carbon atoms and at least three hydroxyl groups per molecule.

6. The composition of claim 1 wherein the specific unsaturation n u /m AC is from 0.3 mol/kg to 3 mol/kg, where n u is the amount of substance of olefinic double bonds in a mass m AC of the reaction product AC.

7. The composition of claim 1 wherein the ratio of the mass m D of the emulsifier D to the mass m AC of the reaction product AC is from 0.03 to 0.25.

8. The composition of claim 1 wherein at least a part of the fatty acid D1 and/or at least a part of the polyhydric alcohol D2 in the emulsifier D is replaced by an oil which is the ester of one or more of fatty acids according to D1, and glycerol.

9. A method of utilizing the composition of claim 1 comprising adding one or more of additives selected from the group of photoinitiators, pigments, colourants, dispersing agents, flow additives, thickening agents, matting agents, and adhesion promoters, to the polyester resin composition of claim 1 , mixing and homogenising the mixture thus obtained, to obtain a paint, coating or ink and applying the said paint, coating or ink to the surface of a substrate in the form of a wet film, drying or flushing off at least a part of the water comprised in the said film, and exposing the coated substrate to high energy radiation to cure the film.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein also siccatives are used as additives, and wherein the coated substrate is concurrently with, or after, the irradiation, subjected to air oxidation to provide air drying.

11. The composition of claim 4 wherein the oil A5 is an unsaturated oil.