This paper on "An Investigation into the Axial Buckling Behaviour of Food Cans Using Explicit and Implicit Finite Element Methods" was presented at the NAFEMS World Congress on The Evolution of Product Simulation From Established Methods to Virtual Testing & Prototyping - 24-28 April 2001, The Grand Hotel, Lake Como, Italy.

Abstract

This research deals with the experimental and numerical testing of food cans under axial loading conditions. The capability of the food can to withstand high axial loads is necessary to ensure that no damage occurs to the can during transit or in storage. During storage a large number of pallets containing the food cans are often stacked on top of each other to conserve warehouse space. If the number of pallets are excessive the axial load on the food cans at the bottom of the pile could be severe and cause buckling of the can.
Experimental testing was conducted on a ten centimetre diameter food can to investigate the axial loading capabilities of the structure. The approximate peak load to initiate buckling was found to be 10 kN for a sample of twenty cans under quasi-static loading conditions. The geometry of the can, including the fourteen beads which are spaced through the height of the can, was sampled with a coordinate measuring machine from which a finite element model was developed to see if numerical determination of the peak axial load could be accurately predicted. Implicit and explicit finite element solution schemes were utilized to numerically simulate the experimental testing method. Both the explicit and implicit schemes, under certain conditions, were able to predict the deformation and peak load to initiate buckling for the food can. The conditions necessary for the two different solution methods to predict the experimental findings are presented in this paper.
This research indicates that under proper modeling procedures both the explicit and implicit finite element methods can predict the buckling behaviour of the food can under quasi-static loading conditions.