1. Introduction
Cardboard is a material commonly used around the world. Cardboard products currently constitute approximately 70% of the paper products market, and the sales value of this market segment is in the order of hundreds of billions of dollars. The main driving forces of this market are the global development of e-commerce, the sale of ready-made takeaway food and the process of replacing plastics with biodegradable materials.
Cardboard packaging is very common because it is a product that is cheap and suitable for mass production. Moreover, corrugated cardboard is an environmentally friendly product because it can be recycled many times without significant loss of quality [
1,
2,
3]. Corrugated board is a very lightweight material, so it practically does not affect the weight of the shipment. Thanks to its strength parameters and characteristic structure, it well protects the packaged elements against mechanical damage [
4,
5]. One of the few disadvantages of corrugated cardboard is its sensitivity to environmental conditions (e.g. moisture) [
6,
7,
8] and degradation caused by an aging [
9].
Corrugated board consists of several various layers of paper (paperboards), at least one of which is corrugated. The structure distinguishes between flat liners and corrugated flutings. Typically, stiffer liners are intended to provide puncture resistance, and wavy flutes affect the stiffness and strength of the structure [
10,
11]. The most popular are type B and C flutes, often used in cardboard for large boxes, and type E mini-flutes, used for smaller packages or as an internal flute in 5- and 7-layer cardboards [
12].
Paperboard consists mainly of wood fibers, which, due to the production process, are oriented mainly in one direction, the so-called the machine direction (MD). Paperboard is non-homogeneous and anisotropic material. However, with a good approximation, this material can be treated as orthotropic, in which three perpendicular directions are distinguished: the machine direction mentioned above, the cross direction (CD) lying in the plane of the paperboard and the direction consistent with the thickness of the paperboard (ZD), see e.g.
Figure 1.
Due to the fact that corrugated board consists of many layers (including at least one corrugated in the MD direction), and each layer may have a different thickness and different properties, cardboard becomes a complex structure and therefore very interesting from a mechanical point of view. It should be noted here that the use of a spatial model to analyze corrugated board is extremely rare and is justified in exceptional situations, such as the assessment of local deformations of the analyzed structure [
13,
14,
15]. In most practical cases, corrugated board is described as a plate made of an orthotropic material, the properties of which are obtained, for example, in the process of homogenization of the analyzed structure [
16,
17,
18]. This is justified because the geometric dimensions (the thickness of the cardboard is much smaller than the other two dimensions) allow for a simplification based on treating the cardboard structure as a plate, and the homogenized properties facilitate the description of the behavior of the structure. This also enables rapid evaluation of the results of standardized experimental tests necessary to assess the quality of corrugated board.
In this work paperboard is modeled using orthotropic Hooke’s law combined with a yield criterion and a hardening. If the considered structure is presented as a homogeneous plate, its elastic behavior can be defined by the directional dependencies of its Young’s moduli, shear moduli, and Poisson's ratios in the three principal material directions: machine direction (1), cross direction (2), and through-thickness direction (3). These parameters are essential to capture the unique orthotropic characteristics of the paperboard, where the stiffness and strength vary significantly depending on the orientation relative to the fiber direction. This orthotropic model allows for a more accurate and nuanced understanding of the mechanical behavior of cardboard structures, especially under diverse loading conditions, thereby enabling more reliable predictions of their performance in practical applications.
There are several yield criteria for describing anisotropic plastic deformations. The most common is the quadratic Hill criterion [
19]. It predicts the same yield stress in tension and in compression and depends only on the deviatoric stresses. The Hill criterion has been extended by many authors. Caddell, Raghava and Atkins [
20], as well as Deshpande, Fleck and Ashby [
21] proposed different criteria that take into account the pressure dependence, also Makela and Ostlund proposed very interesting extension of Hill model in [mo].
In issues related to cardboard mechanics, the asymmetric orthotropic Hoffman [
23] and the universal Xia-Perks-Boys criteria are of particular interest [
24]. Both models can present asymmetric tension-compression response which is an important feature in many materials including bio-based materials [
25]. However, the models are different in terms of material parameters and calibration strategy. The Hoffman yield criterion can be expressed as the difference between the square of the equivalent stress and the square of the hardening function, which depends on an internal hardening parameter, and the equivalent stress is given by the sum of a quadratic and a linear term of the stress vector. The Xia-Perks-Boys criterion introduces a non-quadratic yield surface, which consists of 6 sub-surfaces to account for in-plane anisotropic plasticity as well as asymmetric tension-compression properties. Three subspaces represent tension in MD, tension in CD, and positive shear, whereas three other sub-surfaces correspond to compression in MD, compression in CD, and negative shear, respectively. More details on identification procedure of this model can be found in the work by Garbowski et al. [
26] It can be seen that each of the proposed approaches requires a certain number of experiments to determine the necessary model parameters necessary to describe the behavior of the analyzed material.
Determining the material properties of the model is necessary to predict the behavior of a structure made of this material. From a practical point of view, it is crucial to limit the variety and number of experiments. The basic tests used in this work to determine the properties of cardboard include: the Edgewise Crush Test (ECT), the Bending Test (BNT), the Torsional Stiffness Test (TST) and the Shear Stiffness Test (SST).
The Edgewise Crush Test (ECT) allows the determination of the strength of corrugated board under edge pressure [
27,
28]. It gives information on the ability of a particular board construction to resist crushing [
29].
The 4-point bending test allows to express the resistance of multilayer paperboard to bending under the influence of forces acting perpendicular to its surface [
30]. The bending stiffness is defined per unit width of the element. Numerous studies indicate the influence of the research method [
31], the method of sample arrangement [
32], and the geometric parameters of the samples used [
33] on the obtained mechanical properties, which means a significant sensitivity of the method to the parameters of the model used to evaluate the experimental results.
The problems of torsion and shear flexure of anisotropic plates were discussed by [
34,
35] and many others. Regardless of theoretical considerations, shear properties of materials are very difficult to measure, since the achievement of a state of pure shear is experimentally challenging. For composite materials, typical tests employed to extract the shear modulus and strength include the Iosipescu shear test [
36], rail shear [
37] and the ±45° tensile test [
38]. The transverse stiffness of corrugated cardboard can be determined based on modified plate torsion tests (also called as Shear Stiffness Test) [
39,
40]. A different approach involving the use of research of board samples subjected to a torque was presented by [
41,
42]. In this case, the torque was applied dynamically (the torsion pendulum method). There are also a number of works describing the behavior of orthotropic structures subjected to static torsion [
43,
44]. A standardized test that involves loading a sample with a torque is called the Torsional Stiffness Test (TST).
In summary, this work delves into the intricate mechanics of corrugated board, a material paramount in global commerce and environmental sustainability efforts. While its layered structure and orthotropic nature add complexity to its mechanical analysis, it is precisely these attributes that make corrugated board a subject of significant scientific and practical interest. By focusing on a comprehensive set of laboratory tests, this study aims to accurately characterize the linear-elastic and plastic behavior of cardboard. Emphasizing the need for specific, sensitivity-tested experiments, a pragmatic approach, using homogenized models and sophisticated numerical methods to optimize the selection of tests for determining material parameters were adopted here. This approach, grounded in the principles of finite element analysis and constitutive modeling, allows for a nuanced understanding of corrugated board's behavior, addressing both its strengths and vulnerabilities. Consequently, this research contributes not only to the academic field of material science but also offers valuable insights for industries relying on cardboard, balancing the needs for durability, environmental responsibility, and economic viability.
3. Results and Discussion
Figure 4,
Figure 5 and
Figure 6 show the force-displacement and moment-rotation curves for corrugated board samples of different thicknesses (thin, medium, thick) under various tests. These figures effectively illustrate the mechanical behavior of the board in response to different types of loads, such as bending, shearing, and torsional forces. The curves provide insights into the material’s stiffness and strength characteristics, aiding in understanding how corrugated board behaves under different stress conditions and how its mechanical properties vary with thickness.
The nonlinear character of most curves in
Figure 4,
Figure 5 and
Figure 6 indicates the activation of material nonlinearity in corrugated boards of varying thicknesses under different stress conditions. This nonlinearity in the force-displacement and moment-rotation relationships is a crucial insight, revealing the complex mechanical behavior of the material beyond linear elastic responses, particularly under higher loads or specific stress states. This characteristic is essential for understanding the real-world performance of corrugated board in various applications.
In the mechanical characterization of corrugated boards with varying thicknesses, specific tests have been identified as optimal for determining material properties, along with their corresponding sensitivity values from
Table 1,
Table 2 and
Table 3 and
Figure 7,
Figure 8 and
Figure 9. The sensitivity values presented in
Table 1,
Table 2 and
Table 3 are expressed as normalized (in percentages), which signify the relative change in measurable experimental outcomes in response to a perturbation in material parameters,
. For instance, a sensitivity value of 89.8% implies that an alteration in the parameter
results in an 89,8% change (in reference a perturbation constant
) in the integral of measured force or moment in the experiment. This high percentage indicates a strong sensitivity, meaning that the particular material parameter greatly influences the mechanical response of the corrugated board in the given test. Conversely, a lower sensitivity value suggests that changes in the parameter have a lesser impact on the material’s response.
These sensitivity values are instrumental in identifying which tests are most effective for assessing specific material properties of corrugated board. For example, a high sensitivity in a bending test for a particular stiffness parameter would indicate that the test is highly effective in evaluating that stiffness characteristic of the board. Similarly, the variations in sensitivity across different board thicknesses and tests provide insights into how the mechanical properties of corrugated board are influenced by its structural characteristics.
For example, for correct identification of the longitudinal stiffness (), the Bending Test in the Machine Direction (BNT-MD) is recommended for thin boards (1.5 mm) with a sensitivity of 89.8, while in medium (3.0 mm) and thick (4.5 mm) boards, BNT-MD remains the primary choice with sensitivities of 58.6 and 39.8, respectively. Transverse stiffness () is best assessed using the Bending Test in the Cross Direction (BNT-CD) for all thicknesses, with sensitivities of 100.8 (thin), 90.4 (medium), and 69.6 (thick), although the Shear Stiffness Test at 45° (SST-45) can serve as an alternative.
For in-plane shear modulus (), the selected tests vary with thickness. In thin boards, the Shear Stiffness Test in the Machine Direction (SST-MD) is recommended, followed by the Torsional Stiffness Test in the Machine Direction (TST-MD) with sensitivity values of 36.6 and 74.0, respectively. In medium boards, SST-MD takes precedence with a sensitivity of 21.4, and TST-MD serves as an alternative with a sensitivity of 49.4. In thick boards, SST-MD is again the primary choice with a sensitivity of 14.8, while TST-MD offers a sensitivity of 34.2. Notably, for transverse shear moduli ( and ), the Torsional Stiffness Test (TST-MD or TST-CD) consistently exhibits the highest sensitivity across all thicknesses, making it the preferred choice for these parameters, providing a comprehensive understanding of material behavior in corrugated boards.
For compressive strength in MD and CD, and , respectively, the sensitivities vary with board thickness. For , SST-45 is effective across all thicknesses, with sensitivity values of 15.8 for 1.5 mm, 34.4 for 3.0 mm, and 39.0 for 4.5 mm boards. For , ECT-CD is the most sensitive, with values of 72.6 for both 1.5 mm and 4.5 mm, and 72.8 for 3.0 mm boards. Shear strength, shows high sensitivity for SST-45 and SST-MD across all thicknesses. Sensitivity values for SST-45 are 66.2 for 1.5 mm, 61.0 for 3.0 mm, and 61.4 for 4.5 mm boards, while for SST-MD, they are 30.2, 47.6, and 51.6, respectively.
Finally, all tests are rather insensitive to tensile strength in MD and CD, and , respectively, across all board thicknesses. Similarly, all presented here tests display very low sensitivity across all sample thicknesses to Poisson’s ratio, , with the highest values being relatively low in each case.
In practical terms, the key takeaway from this study is the identification of specific tests that are most sensitive and hence most effective for determining particular material properties of corrugated board. For instance, for assessing longitudinal stiffness in thin boards, the Bending Test in the Machine Direction is optimal due to its high sensitivity, while for in-plane shear modulus, the choice of test varies with board thickness, with the Shear Stiffness Test being more effective for thinner boards. This understanding allows for a more focused and efficient testing setup, ensuring that the most informative tests are prioritized to accurately gauge the mechanical characteristics of corrugated boards across different dimensions.
The main observations from the study and practical recommendations for effective identification of the elastic and inelastic parameters of corrugated boards of varying thicknesses are as follow:
1. Longitudinal Stiffness ():
• For all thickness categories (thin, medium and thick), the Bending Test in the Machine Direction (BNT-MD) consistently shows high sensitivity for the stiffness in MD, . This indicates that BNT-MD is a reliable choice for assessing the longitudinal stiffness of corrugated boards, irrespective of their thickness.
• Recommendation: BNT-MD should be utilized as a standard test for evaluating longitudinal stiffness in quality control and material characterization processes.
2. Transverse Stiffness ():
• The Bending Test in the Cross Direction (BNT-CD) demonstrates the highest sensitivity for stiffness in CD, across all board thicknesses. This test effectively captures the transverse stiffness properties of the corrugated boards.
• Recommendation: The BNT-CD can be successfully implemented for a thorough assessment of transverse stiffness, especially in contexts where this property is critical to the performance of the corrugated board.
3. Poisson’s Ratio ():
• This parameter shows generally low sensitivity across all tests and board thicknesses, suggesting the need for specialized testing methods or equipment to accurately measure . The consistent insensitivity of all tests to Poisson’s Ratio () indicates its minor role in the mechanical behavior of corrugated board. This suggests that while Poisson’s Ratio is a measurable property, it may not be critical to the performance and functionality of corrugated board in practical applications, for example as corrugated boxes. This highlights the importance of focusing on the most impactful mechanical properties, other than Poisson’s Ratio, for practical applications of corrugated boards.
•
Recommendation: One might consider advanced testing methodologies or equipment modifications to enhance the detection and measurement of Poisson’s Ratio in corrugated boards or to use empirical formulas developed by Baum [
54].
4. In-Plane Shear Modulus ():
• TST-MD and SST-MD emerge as the most sensitive tests for for all board thicknesses. These tests are crucial for understanding the shear behavior of the boards under in-plane loads.
• Recommendation: If possible, one should regularly include TST-MD and SST-MD in testing regimes to ensure comprehensive evaluation of in-plane shear modulus, particularly for high-stress applications.
5. Transverse Shear Moduli ( and ):
• The TST-MD is highly sensitive to , while TST-CD shows the highest sensitivity to , especially in thicker boards. These tests are essential for assessing the shear properties in different orientations.
• Recommendation: Both tests TST-MD and TST-CD should be employed to fully characterize the shear properties in corrugated boards, aiding in the optimization of their structural integrity and design.
6. Compressive Strength ( and ):
• SST-45 is notably effective for compressive strength in MD, across all thicknesses, whereas ECT-CD stands out in measuring compressive strength in CD, , particularly for medium and thick boards.
• Recommendation: The focus should be on SST-45 for correct identification of and ECT-CD for characterization in routine testing. These tests are crucial for industries where compressive strength is a key factor in packaging and material handling.
7. Shear Strength ():
• Both SST-45 and SST-MD exhibit high sensitivity for in-plane shear strength, , making them essential for evaluating the shear strength of corrugated boards.
• Recommendation: These tests should be incorporated into standard testing procedures to assess shear strength, ensuring the boards meet the required performance standards in shear loading conditions.
8. Tensile Strength ( and ):
• It’s noteworthy that all tests show low sensitivity to and , indicating challenges in measuring these parameters with the current test setup.
• Recommendation: The alternative or more specialized testing methods should be explored to effectively evaluate the tensile strength parameters of corrugated boards, providing that those parameters are expected to be activated in particular application of corrugated board.
It can be observed that in many common applications of corrugated board, particularly as packaging material, the tensile strength parameters in the Machine Direction (MD) and Cross Direction (CD) remain largely inactive. This observation implies that while these parameters can be critical in specific, specialized applications, they may not be as crucial in typical uses of corrugated board. Therefore, although alternative or more specialized testing methods could be developed to assess tensile strength more accurately, this should be guided by the specific requirements of the intended application. In scenarios where corrugated boards are not subjected to significant tensile stresses, the emphasis on these parameters might be less pertinent, as evidenced by the study’s results. This underscores the importance of tailoring testing protocols to the practical demands and conditions under which the corrugated board is expected to perform.
This consideration similarly applies to Poisson’s ratio. Much like the tensile strength parameters in MD and CD, Poisson’s Ratio, while a measurable property, often plays a less critical role in the most common applications of corrugated board. The study suggests that in typical usage scenarios, especially in packaging, the influence of Poisson’s ratio on the overall mechanical performance of corrugated boards is minimal. Therefore, while it can be an important factor in specialized applications, the focus on Poisson’s ratio in standard testing protocols for corrugated board may not be as crucial for general use cases, aligning with the observed trends in tensile strength parameters.
Figure 10 summarizes all analysis performed in this study. It presents mechanical sensitivities for corrugated boards of different thicknesses: thin, medium, and thick. The sensitivities measures of various mechanical properties like tensile strength in two orientations (
and
), shear strength (
), elastic moduli (
,
), shear moduli (
,
,
), and Poisson’s ratio (
) are presented.
The concentric circles represent normalized sensitivity values, with data points connected to show the relationship between the thickness of the boards and their respective mechanical properties. The dashed lines with different patterns and colors correspond to the different board thicknesses, indicating how each property changes with board thickness. The distribution of points illustrates the maximum normalized sensitivity (from all tests) of each property for thin, medium, and thick cardboard samples.
It's evident that certain properties exhibit high sensitivity across all thicknesses, indicating that the tests used are particularly effective for these parameters. Conversely, some properties like , or show lack of sensitivity, suggesting that the used tests may be not reliable for these parameters in such samples geometry and thickness or they are not triggered in those test. In practice, this graph indicates which parameters are activated and with what intensity in the presented set of tests for different board thicknesses, as well as those that have no effect on the measurable quantities in all tests used in this study.