TAPPI test T811 is the specified method to ascertain ECT relative to box manufacturer’s certification compliance of corrugated fiberboard under Rule 41/ Alternate Item 222. T811 test sample heights were derived from typical board constructions at the time of the test method’s initial development. New, smaller flute sizes have since been developed, and the use of lighter weight boards has become more common. The T811 test method includes sample specifications for typical A-flute, B-flute, and C-flute singlewall (and doublewall and triplewall) structures, but not for newer thinner E-flute or F-flute structures. This research explores the relationship of ECT sample height to measured compressive load, in an effort to determine valid E-flute and F-flute ECT sample heights for use with the T811 method. Through this process, it identifies challenges present in our use of current ECT test methods as a measure of intrinsic compressive strength for smaller flute structures. The data does not support the use of TAPPI T 811 for ECT measurement for E and F flute structures, and demonstrates inconsistencies with current height specifi-cations for some lightweight B flute.
A Formulation of Anisotropic Tensile Elastic Deformation for Single Wall Corrugated Fiberboard
