Modeling of Out-of-Plane Compression Loading of Corrugated Paper Board Structures

A simple analytical model for calculating the nonlinear deformations of a corrugated core (fluting) during out-of-plane compression is developed. The results from the analytical model are compared to a more comprehensive finite-element model and to experiments. A connection between the boundary conditions and the damage state of the corrugated board is discussed. Including a modified set of boundary conditions gives an almost perfect match of the initial stiffness to the experimental results, indicating that the core might be significantly damaged as a result of the manufacturing process. Possibly, the strength of corrugated boards might be increased about 20% if one could avoid damaging the fluting during the manufacturing process.