Fatigue failure and Grms–N curve of corrugated paperboard box

Abstract

As a kind of transport packaging, the corrugated paperboard box is widely used in logistics. During transport, the stacked packaging units are subjected to random vibration induced by vehicles. Thus, the random dynamic force will be exerted to corrugated paperboard box continuously. As the shipping distance increases, there will be cumulative fatigue damage within the corrugated paperboard box, which will weaken the mechanical property (stiffness) and the protective value of the corrugated paperboard box. Therefore, the dynamic damage and fatigue failure of corrugated paperboard box are crucial for the design of corrugated paperboard box. This article aims to develop the acceleration root mean square-life [Formula: see text] curve of corrugated paperboard box. At first, the accelerated random vibration test method was developed by the theory analysis according to the damage equivalent principle of a specified point within the corrugated paperboard box. Then, the random vibration experiments were conducted on the loaded corrugated paperboard box by taking white noise as excitation power spectral density. In the experiments, the acceleration transmissibility curve was recorded periodically. Relative stiffness was taken as the indicator to detect the cumulative damage and assess the structural integrity of the corrugated paperboard box. The stiffness reduction 20%, 30%, and 40% were taken as fatigue failure criteria to develop the [Formula: see text] curves. Results show that both the Basquin type and exponential function type are in good fitting with the [Formula: see text] curve of the corrugated paperboard box. The index b of the Basquin type is between 8.16 and 11.01, and b′ of the exponential function type between 21.19 and 26.84. The study provides reference for the accelerated random vibration test of corrugated paperboard box.