International Journal of Latest Research in Science and Technology ISSN (Online):2278-5299

Volume 4, Issue 6: Page No.65-69, November-December 2015

http://www.mnkjournals.com/ijlrst.htm

DESIGN OF CORRUGATED BOXES FOR LONG

TRANSPORTATION OF BATTERIES
1
Madhava Rao .B, 2 Kosaraju Srinivas,3Murthy.KSN, 4 Jagadish .M
Material Development Division, Research and Analysis, Amararaja Batteries Limited

Abstract- The basic objective of the present work is to arrive at the optimal design for corrugated box used for the transportation of the
batteries to the ware houses and customers. The corrugated box was designed taking account of load condition that corrugated box
experiences. In this context, considered vital parameters like safety, moisture content and nature of loadthose influence the performance
of the corrugated box. With the help of this simple and practical design approach, the suitability of the design for the long transportation
was arrived at and importance of influencing parameters was discussed.

Keywords -; Corrugated box, carton, corrugated box damage, transportation

I. INTRODUCTION II. CARTON BOX:

The prime objective of any industry is to sell the goods in a
good conditionto the customers. Right quality of goods
develop customer satisfaction and their loyalty. Even though
so much of care is taken during the production of goods,
improper packing of goods and subsequent transportation can
result in damage of goods. To avoid this kind of situation one
need to address the packing stability and its suitability in
conjunction with mode of transportation chosen and the
product nature i.e. fragile, hazardous etc..
Packaging may be looked in different ways, and it may be
described based on the product that is going to be packed.
Categorization of the packaging is as follows

Corrugated boxes are industrially prefabricated boxes,

primarily used for packaging goods and materials. Specialists
in industry often use the term cardboard because it does not
denote a specific material

A. Global Trends of Corrugated Box:

World demand for corrugated boxes is forecast to increase

by 4.2 % per year to 234 billion square meters in 2017,
slightly outpacing real (inflation-adjusted) gains in GDP(1).
Primary packaging is the material that first envelops the product
and holds it. This usually is the smallest unit of distribution or use Growth factors include rising industrial activity,
and the package is in direct contact with the contents. particularly in the manufacturing sector, which often
requires corrugated packaging to protect and transport
 Secondary packaging is outside the primary packaging, goods. In addition, ongoing developments in small flute and
used to group primary packages together. high-quality graphic board allow corrugated boxes to
 Tertiary packaging is used for bulk handling, warehouse penetrate traditional folding carton applications, especially
storage and transportation. The most common form is ain the developed world. Greater interest in corrugated
palletized unit load that packs tightly into containers packaging as a point-of-sale display in retail applications
will also boost demand for value-added boxes.
The fastest increase in demand for corrugated boxes will
The primary packaging category was chosen for our study i.e.
occur in developing regions; both Asia/Pacific and the
to arrive an optimal design of corrugated box.
Africa/Mideast regions will both outpace the global average.

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India and China will see the fastest gains as a result of
strong growth in industrial output and consumer product
markets. China, which surpassed the US as the world’s
largest corrugated box market in 2011(1), will account for
almost half of the increase in global demand over the
forecast period. Advances will be supported by greater As evident, the load or force applied on the square cm
urbanization and industrialization, expanding international carton was calculated as 0.25kgs (rounded up). The required
trade and rising consumer income levels. Bursting strength and GSM of the corrugated box for this pre-
determined load should then be arrived by considering the
B) Designs of Corrugated box: factors that influence the performance of the corrugated box.
The design of a corrugated box is vital. The design is nothing but
the process of matching the performance of corrugated
fibreboard boxes in line with end-use requirements. The process ofB) Factors influencing the strength of corrugated box:
selecting the correct package design for a particular product has Corrugated board cannot be considered as an engineering
become more complex as new technologies and materials presentmaterial due to the fact that its strength characteristics are not
ever-increasing challenge. The ways in which corrugated board canpredictable within its normal range of use. Humidity and
be used are practically limitless. The most common box style is thetemperature changes affect corrugated box greatly. Further
Regular Slotted Container (RSC). All flaps are the same length fromDrops, vibration, compression, printing etc. reduce the
score to edge. Typically, the major flaps meet in the middle whereasstrength of flute structure. Misalignment of vertical edges from
the minor flaps do not. The manufacturer's joint is most often joinedone box on top of another can reduce the carrying capacity of
with adhesive but may also be taped or stitched. The box is shippedthe box. Because of all these things, it is a common practice to
flat (knocked down) to the packager who sets up the box, fills it, andconsider influencing "factors" while calculating the needed
closes it for shipment. Box closure may be by tape, adhesive,compression strength of a corrugated box. Calculated dead
staples, strapping, etc. The size of a box can be measured for eitherload is multiplied by these corresponding factors in order to
internal (for product fit) or external (for handling machinery ormake up for the hazards of distribution listed below which
palletizing) dimensions. Boxes are usually specified and ordered byimpair the strength of corrugated board.
the internal dimensions. The following are a few corrugated box
designs (2).  Moisture factor
 Load Conversion factor
 Safety factor

Moisture Factor:
Because the board material is hygroscopic in nature, the
strength properties of corrugated board products are very
much dependent on the relative humidity. More precisely, it
is the actual moisture content in the corrugated material that
affects its strength. The increase in moisture content in the
material breaks the bonds between cellulose fibres, affecting
the mechanical properties. Recent research has shown that, as
the moisturecontent of corrugated package is increased from
III. ARRIVING AT OPTIMAL DESIGN: 7.7% to 16.4%, its compressive strength got reduced by
52%(3,4, and 5). Such a significant reduction of box strength
The main parameters that influence the strength of the corrugated
can lead to packaging collapse, thus causing further
box are burstingstrength (BS) and Grams per square meter
mechanical damage to the product.The study intend to
(GSM). The required GSM and BScan be determinedby taking
consider moisture factor of 2 (the strength decreased to half
accounting of
due to moisture) in order to retain the box strength at required
 Load exerted on the box. level.
 Factors influencing the strength of corrugated box:
A) The first step is therefore to calculate the load for The Bursting strength by accommodating Moisture
unit area: correction factor is 2X
Where X = Pre determined load / Sq.Cm
Case 1: Load Conversion Factor:
In case of pre-determined load, the load considered is static
in nature. During inventory, static load exerted which is
primarily considered to arrive at bursting strength.
Nevertheless, dynamic load is becomes significant during the
transportation stage. Indeed more difficult to measure,
analyse and estimate is dynamic loading as compared to static
load. Load range (or more accurately stress range) is the most
important parameter in fatigue analysis (6). Loads can vary in
Case 2: time andspace. After a review of literature (6,7, 8)Load a

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factor of 3 was considered to accommodate the exertion of
dynamic loads during transportation. The following tests were carried out as a part of lab
The above Bursting strength by accommodating Load validation
conversion correction factor is (2*3) X 1. Drop test
Where X = Pre determined load / Sq.Cm 2. Stacking test
Safety Factor:
Drop test: Laboratory drop test was conducted to ensure the
Though the two major influencing parameters are taken ability of the corrugated box to face the rough handling.
care by incorporating the relevant correction factors, it is still Drop test was conducted as per the standard 49CFR
worthy to have safety margins to take care of any unforeseen §178.603 and the test procedure is as follows (4, 10, and 11)
incidences. ASTM recommends safety factors ranging from
1. The test consists of a series of drops, using a free-fall
1.5 to 8.0, depending upon the value of the product and
drop tester, on various surfaces and corners of the
percentage of load supported by corrugated (7). Experience
package.
has shown that a safety factor of about five seems right for
corrugated boxes and corrugated inserts supporting the 2. The packageis inspected for any damage. If noticeable
majority of compression load (7). Nevertheless in the present damage exists, the test is to be stopped and have to be
case the safety factor of 8 was considered because the battery documented.
terminals have to be protected due the frictions developed in
3. Identified edges and corners by the numbers of the
between the layers which would otherwise result in
surfaces that meet to form them.
explosion.
In the present study 5 Samples were subjected to the drop test
The net Bursting strength by accommodating all the and the samples dropped at 30 inch i.e. 750 mm
correction factor is (2*3*8) X
Where X = Pre determined load / Sq.Cm
Calculation of bursting strength with all the relevant factors
for a given load
Bursting strength = Pre determined load / Sq.Cm* factors
(Moisture, Load Conversion, Safety)
Bursting strength = 48* predetermined load / Sq. Cm
Bursting strength = 48 * 0.25 = 12 Kg/cm2

I. VALIDATION OF OPTIMAL DESIGN:

We at Amararaja batteries, supplying about 10 Million Fig. 1 showing the drop position of the corrugated box
carton box packed batteries to the customers per anum.
Batteries are packed into corrugated boxes as primary Table 1 :Drop Test observations are as follows:
packing and the same is stretch wrapped as a secondary
packing along with the skid. The cartons are stacked as layers
on the skid with honeycomb pad separating each layer and
the stretch wrapped for the safe transportation.
For validating the optimal design, two different design
options were explored namely under design and optimal
design. GSM was achieved based on the bursting strength. As
a part of manufacturing, GSM was adjusted to achieve the
requirement by Duplex, Flute and bottom paper with variable
Bursting factors (9).

The design of the corrugated boxes by variable Bursting

strength and GSM was conducted at Srinidhi Raja Packaging,
Gajulamandyam – Tirupathi.

II. EXPERIMENTAL WORK

Experimental work comprises of laboratory studies as well
as field validation for the optimal and under
designs.Laboratory tests were conducted internally and field
validation was done by shipping the packed goods to
different parts of the country
a) Laboratory Studies:

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Stacking test:One of the important functions of a corrugated Field Validation 3:
box is to provide crush resistance (product protection) and Existing
adequate strength for stacking in warehouses. Parameter Under Design
Design
Box compression testing is a means of evaluating boxes, Skids Packed 20 20
stacks of boxes, and unit loads under controlled conditions.
Field conditions of stacking and dynamic compression do not Batteries 2000 2000
have the same Ware House Delhi Delhi
Degree of control, Compression strength can be estimated
From factory in Kms 2115 2115
based on container construction, size, and use parameters:
actual package testing is often conducted to verify these Rejection in Batteries (No’s) 0 80
estimates.
Rejection in Percentage (%) 0 4
Stacking test conditions are as follows

Following damages were observed in under designed model.

1. Bottom layer damage
S. No Stacking Values 2. Tear off
Parameter 3. De-bonding
4. Crushed edges
1 Height 5 Layers of the battery packing

2 weight 2 tons Approx.

3 Duration 2 Months (the actual retention period

in the ware houses is 1 month only)

After the duration, verified the bottom corrugated boxes for

the abnormalities and observed no deviations. The optimal
design has passed in the Stacking test. Whereas in the under
designed model observed the following deviations
Fig. . 2a
o Crushed edges
o Bottom layer damages

b) FIELD VALIDATION:
Batteries were packed in the optimized designs and 20
skids with each 100 batteries were sent to the warehouses to
check the rejection percentages.
Brief about the filed validation is as follows

Field Validation 1:
Fig. 2b
Field Validation 2:
Under
Under Parameter Existing Design
Parameter Existing Design Design
Design
Skids Packed 20 20
Skids Packed 20 20
Batteries 2000 2000
Batteries 2000 2000
Ware House Mumbai Mumbai
Ware House Gujarat Gujarat From factory in Kms 1200 1200
From factory in Kms 1871 1871 Rejection in Batteries 0 50
Rejection in Batteries(No’s) 0 72 Rejection in Percentage 0 2.5
Rejection in Percentage (%) 0 3.6

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Based on the above data, the Optimized design exhibited
good performance and the under designed model reflects 2.5
to 4 % rejections due to the corrugated box damages.

III. CONCLUSION
The study shows the relevance of safety factors, and
design incorporating such safety factors is important to
enhance the performance of corrugated box. With the help of
simulation study, the corrugated boxes can be designed to
meet different hostile condition; thereby customer
satisfaction can be enhanced.

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3. Allaoui, S., Aboura, Z., &Benzeggagh, M. L. (2009). Effects of the

environmental conditions on the mechanical behaviour of the
corrugated cardboard. Composites Science and Technology, 69(1),
104e110.

4. EVALUATION OF THE PERFORMANCE OF CORRUGATED

SHIPPING CONTAINERS: VIRGIN VERSUS RECYCLED
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8. Allansson, A., &Sv€ard, B. (2001). Stability and collapse of

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9. Corrugated box hand book

10. ASTM D 4169: Practice for Performance Testing of Shipping

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