A fundamental study on evaluation method for drinking ease of aluminum beverage bottle

Abstract

Aluminum beverage bottles with a screw top are containers that can be resealed again and again as well as PET bottles. They have the advantage that enables to recycle compared with PET bottles. Two kinds of bottle outlets 28 mm and 38 mm in diameter have been putting on Japanese markets recent years to meet drinking custom trend of consumers. However, some consumers feel that the 28 mm opening is too small and the 38 mm opening is too large. To improve drinking ease of aluminum beverage bottles, three kinds of bottle outlets (28, 33 and 38 mm) have been investigated based on a method of Kansei engineering (semantic differentials method and factor analysis), and on the numerical fluid dynamics analysis. Statistical analysis results of questionnaire have shown that the 33 mm opening is best for examinees. The factor analysis results of questionnaire have shown that drinking feeling is affected by two common factors of the flow amount and the adjustability. In addition, a process that examinees drink beverage from an aluminum bottle is simulated by the fluid dynamics analysis. It is found that examinees usually try to realize the ideal condition of flow rate by adjusting the inclination angle of the bottle.