| Cushioning systems, which are cushion material and its designed configuration, are important to protect fragile items since they act as buffers between the impact force and the fragile product. As cushion materials, several plastic foams are commonly used in industry. Among plastic cushion materials, EPS is the oldest synthetic and the most widely used cushion material with a multitude of applications with various advantages. It is utilized for a variety of products, which require a careful protection such as consumer electronics and furniture. However, utilization of the material has been causing a solid waste problem and pollution. Thus, as an alternative cushion material to EPS, a corrugated cushion, which is considered environmentally friendly and cheap material, was put into drop tests and, and its impact shock attenuation was investigated. Two types of a corrugated cushion were constructed, "flat crush mode" and "edge crush mode". Flat and free fall drop data were recorded and compared to the dynamic shock of EPS cushion. In addition, the published cushion curves and corrugated cushion design formulas were compared to the actual shock G. For laboratory parts, a cushion tester, free drop tester, and EDR were used to evaluate their overall cushion properties.The results show that the corrugated cushion gives an excellent protection for items that are subjected to the limited number of drops. Also, there is a potentiality to improve its cushion properties through changing its designs. |
