Coating composition capable of forming a multilayer film

A coating composition capable of forming a multilayer coated film, said composition consisting essentially of:

• (a) a solid power comprising an olefinic resin containing at least 76% by weight of a structural unit derived from an olefin and having a melt index of from 0.3 to 120 g/10 min.,
• (b) a film-forming resin material containing an epoxy resin having a number average molecular weight of about 300 to about 4,000 and an epoxy equivalent of from 100 to 3,300, and
• (c) a volatile organic liquid medium capable of wetting said powder (a) but substantially incapable of swelling and dissolving said solid powder (a),
• wherein the weight ratio of said solid powder (a) to said film-forming resin mateial (b) is from 15:85 to 85:15,
• wherein the amount of said liquid medium (c) is 80 to 300 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of said solid powder (a) and said film-forming resin material (b) combined, and
• said liquid medium being either
• (1) a liquid medium at least 70% by weight of which consists of a C.sub.5-16 aliphatic hydrocarbon, a C.sub.6-12 alicyclic hydrocarbon or both;
• (2) a mixed liquid medium consisting of at least one liquid medium having low polarity or no polarity selected from C.sub.5-16 aliphatic hydrocarbons, C.sub.6-12 alicyclic hydrocarbons, C.sub.6-15 aromatic hydrocarbons, and mixtures of these and at least one highly polar liquid medium selected from esters, ketones, ethers and halogenated hydrocarbons, said mixed liquid medium satisfying the following conditions (i) and (ii):
• (i) the agglomeration of the particles of the solid powder (a) should not be detectable when observing, with an optical microscope, a coated film which is obtained by dispersing 5 g of the solid powder (a) in 50 g of the liquid medium (c), allowing the dispersion to stand at room temperature for 7 days, and coating the dispersion on a glass plate by a 200 .mu.m applicator;
• (ii) the undissolved epoxy resin should not be detectable when observing, with an optical microscope, a coated film which is obtained by dissolving 10 g of the epoxy resin in 50 g of the liquid medium (c), allowing the solution to stand at room temperature for 7 days, and coating the solution on a glass plate by a 200 .mu.m applicator;
• or
• (3) cellosolve acetate, cyclohexanone, or both,
• said composition further containing curing agent for component (b).