| Abstract: | During the distribution process, products are continuously exposed to dynamic forces resulting from vehicle vibrations as well as drops and shocks from various types of handling. In order to reduce the adverse effects of such loads, protective packaging or cushioning materials are used. Engineered packaging materials are generally petroleum based (plastics) and present significant environmental concerns after their disposal. The use of environmentally friendly, bio‐compostable, alternatives is a logical development; however, if the salient protective characteristics of these materials are not well established, their use may lead to greater losses and a larger environmental impact through product loss. This paper introduces a comprehensive approach for the mechanical characterisation of alternative cushioning materials, which includes the effects of environmental conditions. The procedure is used to compare the performance of loose fill starch beads with a commonly used engineering cushioning material, namely medium density, closed cell polyethylene. The results show that the starch beads can offer a viable alternative to the engineered cushioning materials as they provide reasonable overall cushioning character, albeit over a narrower stress range when compared with the polyethylene cushions. The loose fill was also shown to perform in terms of vibration damping and resistance to sustained dynamic loads for low static stress levels. |
