Bowed Meat Tray Sidewalls with Varying Flange Width
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Solution Overview
Problem
Trays for case-ready meat packaging face challenges in balancing sidewall stiffness to resist horizontal and vertical stress without increasing external dimensions, which affects shipping costs and shelf space efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The tray design features bowed sidewalls with varying flange width and rib thickness, optimizing sidewall strength and internal volume while maintaining constant external dimensions, by increasing flange width at the midpoint and minimizing it at the corners, and varying rib thickness along the length to enhance resistance to horizontal and vertical stress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If flange width is increased to resist horizontal stress from overwrap film, then sidewall stiffness is improved, but external dimensions increase leading to higher shipping costs and reduced shelf space
Solution Approach 1:
The flange width is varied locally along the sidewall, being maximized at the midpoint where horizontal stress from overwrap film is greatest, and minimized at the corners where less stress occurs. This localized optimization provides necessary stiffness resistance while minimizing overall external dimensions for shipping efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The sidewalls are bowed inwardly rather than being perfectly straight, creating a curved geometry that naturally resists horizontal compressive forces from the overwrap film. This curvature distributes stresses more effectively and reduces the need for uniformly wide flanges throughout the entire sidewall length.
2Area of stationary object
If tray dimensions are minimized to reduce shipping costs, then shipping efficiency is improved, but tray strength to resist vertical and horizontal stress is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The rib thickness is varied locally along the sidewall length, with thicker ribs positioned at locations experiencing higher vertical stacking loads and thinner ribs where loads are lower. This localized reinforcement maintains necessary strength to resist vertical buckling while minimizing overall material usage and external dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The bowed sidewall geometry provides inherent structural strength to resist vertical stacking loads without requiring uniformly thick walls throughout. The curved shape distributes compressive forces more effectively, allowing the tray to maintain strength with minimized dimensions.
3Volume of stationary object
If internal volume is maximized to contain meat product and gas, then product quality is improved, but external dimensions increase leading to reduced shelf space availability
Solution Approach 1:
The inward bowing of sidewalls creates additional internal volume within the same external footprint compared to straight-sided trays. The curved geometry allows the tray to 'bulge' inward without increasing external dimensions, effectively maximizing the usable internal volume for product and gas containment.
Data Source
AI summary
An optimized tray for case-ready meat products is disclosed. The tray comprises a base, a plurality of sidewalls connected at a plurality of corners, a flange extending from an upper edge of each sidewall, and a plurality of substantially vertical ribs extending from said sidewalls and spaced apart therealong. At least one of the sidewalls is bowed inwardly, and the flange along at least a partial length of the at least one bowed sidewall is varied in width. The ribs can also vary in thickness along at least a partial length of at least one of the sidewalls. The interaction of the at least one bowed sidewall, the varying flange width, and the varying rib thickness allows for optimization of tray resistance to vertical and horizontal stress without increasing the overall outer dimensions of the tray and without substantially decreasing the internal volume of the tray.