Abstract
This paper presents analytical methods for estimating the static top-to-bottom compressive strength of simple corrugated packaging, in which the torsional and shear stiffness of corrugated cardboard as well as the panel depth-to-width ratio are included. The methods are compared herein with a basic and more detailed buckling description with the successful McKee formula, which is over fifty years old but still widely used among packaging designers and quality control departments. Additionally, the assumptions and applied simplifications used in the literature are analyzed, and the limits of applicability of different versions of the selected methods are checked. Finally, all approaches are verified with the experiment results of various packaging designs made of corrugated cardboard. The results show that, for certain proportions of dimensions of simple flap boxes, simplified methods give an even two times larger estimation error than the analytical approach proposed in the paper. Furthermore, it is evidenced that including all flexural, torsional and shear stiffnesses in the buckling force estimation gives a very precise prediction of the box compressive strength for the full range of package dimensions.
Highlights
Corrugated cardboard has been gaining popularity in recent years and is becoming one of the leading materials in the packaging industry
The basis for the derivation is the empirical formula [28] for the load P f at failure [N/mm], which in accordance with the first authors’ assumption is the result of a combination of compressive strength and buckling force, namely: Pf
For the purposes of this study, the popular simple flap boxes with different aspect ratios were tested in a box compression testing machine, namely BCT-19T10 from FEMat [29]; see Figure 1c
Summary
Corrugated cardboard has been gaining popularity in recent years and is becoming one of the leading materials in the packaging industry. This was not always the case; only a dozen years ago, cardboard packaging was associated mainly with disposal. Most companies and consumers did not attach much importance to environmental protection, and existing regulations did not require the monitoring of the packaging industry, which led to the expansion of another material—plastic. Consumers around the world have increased their demands for environmental responsibility, which has forced many companies to change. One of the best alternatives became recyclable corrugated cardboard, mainly due to its biodegradable nature
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