Mechano Sorptive Creep Testing Protocols for Recycled Corrugated Packaging Substrates
Dynamic relative humidity cycling accelerates compressive creep in recycled corrugated substrates, requiring specific safety factor derating to prevent failure.
Kellicutt Derating
Structural Compression
Box performance estimation relies on the kellicutt derating method to adjust theoretical flat crush strength for the losses inherent in corrugated board conversion. This procedure accounts for the reduction in flute rigidity that occurs when a board sheet undergoes scoring or folding during the manufacture of a container. It quantifies how much vertical load capacity vanishes as the paper layers bend or compress under the mechanical stresses of high speed equipment.
Load Calculation
Engineers determine these values by measuring the physical height of the flute before and after the converting process. Production standards indicate that a reduction in flute height often corresponds to a predictable decrease in the final stacking strength of the assembled package. Excessive pressure applied by rollers or forming bars forces the linerboard into the medium more than the flute design intended, which causes the material to fail prematurely when subjected to a static weight.
Practitioners apply this correction factor to ensure the specified edge crush test results match the performance of the finished box on a pallet.
Boundary Condition
Testing protocols exclude damage that results from improper storage conditions or excessive moisture exposure during transit. The method assumes the integrity of the adhesive bond remains constant throughout the scoring operation, as debonding introduces variables that this calculation cannot correct. Quality control specialists employ this constraint to distinguish between losses caused by standard mechanical conversion and failures arising from poor material sourcing or environmental degradation of the pulp.