Efficient Design of Thin Wall Seating Made of a Single Piece of Heavy-Duty Corrugated Cardboard

Abstract

Corrugated cardboard has waved cores with small flutes that prevent the use of detailed numerical models of whole structures. Many homogenization methods in the literature overcome this drawback by defining equivalent homogeneous plates with the same mechanical behaviour at a macro-mechanical scale. However, few homogenization works have considered complete structures, focusing mainly on beams or plates. For the first time, this study explores the application of homogenization approaches to larger structures as an aid in their design process. We also considered triple-wall boards rather than single- and double-wall configurations commonly addressed in the literature. To this end, we adapted the homogenization methods proposed by Talbi and Duong to analyze thin-walled stools made of triple-wall corrugated cardboard. Using a progressive design process, we performed an efficient stool design by removing material zones with lower stresses, with 35% less material, 35% lower vertical deflections, and 66% lower stresses than the initial design. Unlike other corrugated cardboard stools, this design comprises just one folded piece instead of three, thus saving storage space. These results demonstrate the utility of homogenization techniques as an aid in the design process of whole structures made of corrugated cardboard. Further research will consider buckling analysis.

Estimation of the Edge Crush Resistance of Corrugated Board Using Artificial Intelligence

“…Moreover, in the light of the growing global environmental awareness, there is an emphasis on materials that can be recycled, biodegraded and easily disposed of. Corrugated cardboard and packaging made from it fit perfectly into this trend and are widely utilized in many branches of industry, for instance, by cosmetics, food [ 1 ], transportation [ 2 , 3 ], agriculture [ 4 ] or furniture [ 5 ] companies.…”

Mechanics of Corrugated and Composite Materials

“…Corrugated cardboard was also analyzed in two further studies [ 8 , 9 ]. In work [ 8 ], the authors focused their attention on the palletization of corrugated cardboard packaging, while in [ 9 ], on a rather unusual corrugated cardboard product, i.e., furniture.…”

“…Corrugated cardboard was also analyzed in two further studies [ 8 , 9 ]. In work [ 8 ], the authors focused their attention on the palletization of corrugated cardboard packaging, while in [ 9 ], on a rather unusual corrugated cardboard product, i.e., furniture. The first article examined the effect of the stiffness of the top deck of the pallet on the compressive strength of a corrugated board box as a function of the initial thickness of the top deck, the wood grade of the pallet, the size of the box and the grade of the cardboard.…”

“…The second article focused on optimizing the stool structure by removing material zones in places where the fewest stresses occur. Interestingly, the work [ 9 ] also used homogenization methods similar to those presented in [ 1 , 4 ]. The presented results demonstrate the utility of homogenization techniques as an aid in the design process of whole structures made of corrugated cardboard.…”

“…Selected homogenization methods used for corrugated core materials presented in previous studies [ 1 , 4 , 9 ] have been systematically summarized in [ 12 ]. The homogenization methods presented in this work refer to materials with a lattice core, but their use for materials with a corrugated core is also possible.…”