Numerical Simulation in Compressive Strength Analysis of Corrugated Box

<p>Corrugated fiberboard boxes are often stacked and used for transportation and storage, and a considerable load is applied to the bottom box. If the box cannot withstand this load, not only will the box collapse, but there is also the risk of package stack crumbling on the pallet. Therefore, the box compressive strength measured by the box compression test is one of the important qualities as an index of the box's resistance to crushing. If this box compressive strength can be predicted in advance by simulation, it will eliminate the repetition of experiments and trial production, and will lead to shortening the development period of new products. In this report, we will introduce an example of performing box compression analysis on corrugated box by numerical simulation using nonlinear finite element analysis.</p><p>First, we developed an analysis method. The corrugated board is a three-dimensional structure consisting of two linerboards and a corrugating medium, but the box was modeled using shell elements, assuming that it can be approximated by a single plate. The top panel of the box was compressed by applying a compressive displacement, and the maximum load of the load-displacement curve obtained at this time was calculated as the box compressive strength. As a result of the analysis, it was possible to reproduce the difference in buckling mode and the order of strength depending on the presence or absence of a hand hole. Next, we examined a corrugated box with a regular polygonal cross section, and showed that increasing the number of angles could approach the buckling mode of a cylinder and increase its strength. Finally, a compression analysis of the corrugated boxes stacked on the pallet was carried out, and it was possible to show that it is possible to prevent the package stack crumbling depending on the stacking pattern.</p>