A New Method for Predicting the Impact Response of a Corrugated Paperboard Cushioning System Made of Different Flute Types

ABSTRACT Based on the experimental data of a cushioning system made of six‐layered CE ‐flute corrugated paperboard, the stress–strain curve data for C‐flute and E‐flute corrugated paperboards were extracted separately. The constitutive relationships and corresponding parameter values for single‐layer corrugated paperboard were identified using the least squares method and the Newton–Raphson iteration method. Subsequently, a dynamic model of the multi‐layered CE ‐flute corrugated paperboard cushioning system was established. The virtual mass method was employed to convert the non‐linear equations into a system of ordinary differential equations, and the fourth‐order Runge–Kutta method was applied to predict the system's impact response. A finite element model was developed using the non‐linear finite element software ABAQUS/Explicit, and the numerical simulation results were obtained. By comparing the simulation, experimental, and calculated data, it was observed that all stress–strain curves exhibited double‐gradient plateau stress characteristics and that the cushioning system exhibited a pronounced layer‐by‐layer buckling behaviour. The effectiveness of the virtual mass method in predicting the mechanical behaviour of the cushioning system was validated. This study provided a theoretical foundation for the packaging design of a multi‐layered corrugated paperboard cushioning system made of different flute types.