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Effect of temperature on the cushioning properties of some foamed plastic materials
Author(s) -
Marcondes Jorge,
Hatton Kayo,
Graham Jennifer,
Schueneman Herb
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
packaging technology and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.365
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1099-1522
pISSN - 0894-3214
DOI - 10.1002/pts.614
Subject(s) - cushioning , materials science , polyethylene , polystyrene , cushion , composite material , expanded polystyrene , shock (circulatory) , melting temperature , material properties , polymer , structural engineering , engineering , medicine
Foamed plastics are used to cushion products to protect them from shock and vibration. Design data is in most cases derived from laboratory tests, performed under standard conditions. However, during distribution, most shock and vibration events occur under conditions different from those under which the materials were evaluated. Two commonly used foams in packaging, expanded polyethylene and expanded polystyrene, were used to investigate how changes in temperature affect the performance properties of these materials. The materials were tested for shock and vibration under four different temperatures (−17°C, 3°C, 23°C and 43°C). The results show that the properties of expanded polystyrene were the least influenced and those of expanded polyethylene were the most influenced by changes in temperature. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.