Crush-Tolerant Container With Cutouts And Bridges
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing corrugated board containers are prone to sidewall collapse under heavy stacking loads, leading to product damage, and increasing the material usage and cost by employing double- or triple-ply walls to enhance stacking strength.
Innovation Solution
A crush-tolerant container design featuring a blank with strategically placed cutouts and bridge portions along fold lines, allowing the top panel to displace downward and become co-planar with the side panel under load, distributing the weight and maintaining structural integrity without the need for additional material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If double- or triple-ply walls are used to increase stacking strength, then the container can support heavier loads, but the amount of blank material required increases, leading to higher costs
Solution Approach 1:
The blank is segmented into multiple functional zones: compression zones with cutouts and bridge portions at the corners, standard panels between compression zones, and reinforced gusset regions. This segmentation allows each zone to perform its specific function - the compression zones absorb stacking loads through controlled deformation while the standard panels maintain structural integrity, eliminating the need for uniform multi-ply construction throughout the entire container
Solution Approach 2:
Reinforcement is applied locally only where needed - specifically at the compression zones near the corners where stacking loads are concentrated. The bridge portions and cutouts create localized stress distribution features that strengthen the container at critical points without requiring additional material throughout the entire blank, achieving high stacking strength with single-ply construction
2Stability of the object's composition
If the top panel is rigidly fixed to maintain its position, then the container structure remains stable, but the sidewalls may collapse under heavy stacking loads
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge portions are designed as dynamic elements that can deform under load. When stacking loads are applied, the bridge portions flex and allow the top panel to move downward relative to the side panels, absorbing the compressive force. This dynamic response prevents rigid failure of the sidewalls while maintaining overall structural stability through the distributed deformation mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The compression zones with cutouts and bridge portions are pre-configured to absorb and cushion stacking loads before they can transmit to the sidewalls. This beforehand cushioning mechanism prevents the harmful transmission of concentrated forces that would cause sidewall collapse, allowing the container to withstand heavy loads while maintaining structural integrity
Data Source
AI summary
A blank for constructing a crush-tolerant container includes a first side panel, a bottom panel, a second side panel, and a top panel coupled together in series. At least one cutout and at least one bridge portion are defined along a first fold line between the top panel and the first side panel. The at least one bridge portion and the at least one cutout are configured to maintain the top panel in a plane spaced above a top edge of the first side panel when the container is formed and the top panel is not under a stacking load, and to allow the top panel to move downwardly such that at least a portion of the top panel is substantially co-planar with the top edge of the first side panel when the container is formed and the top panel is under the stacking load.