Nonlinear finite element modeling of corrugated board

Abstract

In this research, an investigation on the mechanical behavior of corrugated board has been performed using finite element analysis. Numerical finite element models for corrugated board geometries have been created and executed. Both geometric (large deformation) and material nonlinearities were included in the models. The analyses were performed using the commercial nonlinear finite element code ABAQUS executed on Sun SparcStations and the State of Alabama Cray C90 Supercomputer. Both in-plane and transverse loadings of corrugated board configurations have been examined. The models considered the composite nature of the combined board structure in detail through the use of three-dimensional meshes (shell elements) where the liner and medium were each discretized. The necessary input material properties (constitutive and failure properties) of the liner and medium materials were obtained from through uniaxial, biaxial, and shear tests performed as a part of this study. Particular combined board configurations analyzed include the four-point bending geometry, Edge Crush Test (ECT) geometry, and anticlastic bending test geometry used to evaluate board twisting stiffnesses. For evaluation purposes, results from the finite element simulations were correlated with the analogous experimental measurements performed using actual corrugated board specimens. Current work emphasizes prediction of moisture-induced warp, buckling, and creep behavior of corrugated panels.