Abstract
THE Department of Scientific and Industrial Research has set up equipment at the Forest Products Research Laboratory for testing packing-cases, boxes, etc., under stresses similar to those encountered during rail or road transport. The installation is the first of its kind in Great Britain, but several are in use in the United States, where the experience gained has considerably reduced the claims for damages paid by the railways. The plant at Princes Risborough tests both the endurance and strength of the boxes. For the former test, the cases are placed inside a large rotating drum, which revolves twice a minute, wooden baffles on the inner face causing the article to fall in different positions in turn. A moderately well-made container was found to collapse after about thirty falls, whereas one of really good design could withstand 150 or more falls. A ‘dropping machine’ tests the resistance to falls on the face, corner or edges at will, while in a further apparatus resistance to crushing can be determined. The efficiency of nailing, different types of fastenings and packings are also being investigated, and on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture special tests are being made with the view of drawing up a standard specification for fibre-board containers for National Mark eggs. The Box Testing Laboratory will be available to manufacturers and others who wish to study possible improvements in methods of box construction and in the packing of contents to give the greatest protection. The scale of charges, and a statement of the conditions under which tests will be made, can be obtained from the Director, Forest Products Research Laboratory, Princes Risborough, Bucks.
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New Box Testing Laboratory. Nature 136, 905 (1935). https://doi.org/10.1038/136905b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/136905b0