Corrugated boxes have been the dominant shipping container for packaged commercial explosives for the past 3 decades. Recent changes in shipping regulations have dictated to the industry the adoption of enhanced standards dealing with the construction of fiberboard shipping containers for explosives. Effective October 1944, all shipping containers used for explosives will require individual certification verifying that the containers conform to the United Nations performance oriented packaging standards. The U.S. Department of Transportation will continue to enforce compliance to the new UN standards. A renewed emphasis on the design of corrugated shipping containers to insure industry compliance to the UN standards has been a joint development program between the explosive manufacturers, fiberboard container suppliers and the academic community. Along with drop strength, leakproofness, and vibration resistance, the individual stacking strength of corrugated shipping containers has come under tight scrutiny based on the new UN standards. Significant development in fiberboard technology has resulted in a corrugated box which far exceeds the stacking strength of boxes used in the past. A significant part of this study was to examine several variables for their impact on the top-to-bottom compressive performance of shipping containers for explosives. In general, the proper orientation of the flutes coupled with the use of joining methods which prevented localized short plate column buckling of corner columns were judged to be the most effective in the enhancement of top-to-bottom stacking performance. Powdermen and magazine keepers will enjoy the results of this technology as the certified shipping containers are introduced throughout the explosive industry in 1994.
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