CCSB DOCKET 2011-1 SECTION I

SUBJECT 2

©2010 National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. Subject 2, Page 1 of 5

Re: Item (Rule) 181, Furniture Package Performance Testing

Staff Contact: Erin N. Topper Telephone — (703) 838-8856 topper@nmfta.org

Proponent: Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation’s Package Performance Test Lab, Inc.,Carol Stream, Illinois

Proposed Classification Provisions

It is proposed to amend Item (Rule) 181, Furniture Package Performance Testing, as follows:

ITEM 181

FURNITURE PACKAGE PERFORMANCE TESTING

Introduction—No Change.

Section I. ConditioningExcept as provided in Note NEW, all specimens must be conditioned in an atmosphere of

73°F (23°C) minimum and 50% RH minimum for at least 24 hours. Testing should be conductedin the same minimum atmosphere, and conditions must be recorded for each test conducted.If testing cannot be conducted in the minimum atmosphere, conduct the tests as soon aspossible after the packaged products have been stored for 24 hours in the testingenvironment.

NOTE NEW1—Alternatively, fiberboard packaging may be conditioned in an atmosphereof 40°F (4°C) and 85% RH or 100°F (38°C) and 85% RH for at least 72 hours.

Section II. Compression/Vibration TestTwo alternative methods are permissible, Method (A) or (B). If the container is 6 ft (1.83

m) or taller in height, and has either a skid or pallet outside base or is marked with uprightarrows, the compressive load requirements in Methods (A) and (B) may be omitted.

Method (A)(1) Shipping units must be vibration tested under a stacked, nonresponsive compressive

load for twenty minutes one hour on three axes using the procedures of ASTM D4169Schedule D, Assurance Level II, for random vibration on each of the three planes (regardlessif the shipping container has upright arrows printed on the package) for a total of three hours.If the shipping container has a skid or pallet outside base then Face 3 should be vibrateddown for a total length of time of three hours.

When conducting top load vibration tests, the size of the package changes with thethree planes of the package, so the dead load weights on the top of the package willchange accordingly:

Face 3 is the bottom of the package;Face 4 is the length of the package (wide side); andFace 6 is the width of the package (narrow side).

1 Subsequent Notes in Item 181 would be renumbered as necessary.

CCSB DOCKET 2011-1 SECTION I

SUBJECT 2

©2010 National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc.Subject 2, Page 2 of 5

Proposed Classification Provisions — Continued

The exception to this procedure: Shipping units clearly marked on at least two panels of thecontainer with UP arrows require concentrated dead load to be applied only in the axis (axes)indicated by the UP arrow orientation. The vibration test must be performed on all three axes.

(2) Use a concentrated dead load (see description of load following formula) to simulatemiscellaneous freight loaded on top of a floor-stowed shipping unit in a trailer of 108 in (2.7 m)inside height. Determine the amount of load, rounded to the nearest pound force (lbf),for each axis of test from the formulas in Table 1:

Table 1: Method (A) Force Calculation

Orientation — Face 3 Down:

FORCE = 10 x (108 – h) x (l x w) x 51728

Orientation — Face 4 Down:

FORCE = 10 x (108 – w) x (l x h)1728

Orientation — Face 6 Down:

FORCE = 10 x (108 – l) x (w x h)1728

Where:

FORCE = pounds of force (lbf)

10 = average density of LTLfreight (pcf)

108 = inside height of trailer (in),see Note 1

1728 = conversion from in3 to ft3

h = height of shipping unit in thetest orientation (in)

l = length of shipping unit in thetest orientation (in)

w = width of shipping unit in thetest orientation (in)

5 = Design Factor (DF)

(a) The concentrated dead load, see Notes 2 and 3, shall consist of:1. Dead load container(s).2. Plywood sheet(s) must be larger than test specimen's top dimension.

(b) No Change.NOTE 1—No Change.NOTE 2—Cancel; no further application.NOTE 3—No Change.

CCSB DOCKET 2011-1 SECTION I

SUBJECT 2

©2010 National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. Subject 2, Page 3 of 5

Proposed Classification Provisions — Concluded

Method (B)Shipping units must be subjected to compression and vibration in separate tests. A

compression test is conducted first, and then the same shipping unit is vibration tested.(1) Conduct a compression test on the shipping unit, using either a machine

compression test (per ASTM D642) or a constant load (dead weight) test (see Notes 5, 6 and7). Apply a force as calculated from the formula in Table 2, rounded to the nearest poundforce (lbf), on each of the three planes (regardless if the shipping container has upright arrowsprinted on the package) for a total of three hours. If the shipping container has a skid or palletoutside base then Face 3 should be vibrated down for a total of three hours. in each of thethree axes (exception as in Method (A) stating that shipping units clearly marked on at leasttwo panels of the container with UP arrows requires compression to be applied only in the axis(axes) indicated by the UP arrow orientation) as calculated from the formula in Table 2:

Table 2: Method (B) Force Calculation

FORCE = 10 x (108 – h) x (l x w) x 51728

Where:

FORCE = pounds of force (lbf)

10 = average density of LTL freight(pcf)

108 = inside height of trailer (in), seeNote 4

1728 = conversion from in3 to ft3

h = height of shipping unit in thetest orientation (in)

l = length of shipping unit in thetest orientation (in)

w = width of shipping unit in thetest orientation (in)

5 = Design Factor

NOTE 4—No Change.NOTE 5—Cancel; no further application.NOTES 6-7—No Change.(2) Using the same shipping unit, without applying any compression force or load, conduct

a vibration test for twenty minutes one hour in each of the three axes planes for a total ofone hour three hours as defined earlier within the section. Any of the three following vibrationmethods may be used:

(a) Random, ASTM D4169 Schedule E Level II(b) Repetitive shock, ASTM D4169 Schedule F (vertical-linear motion)(c) Repetitive shock, ASTM D4169 Schedule F (rotary motion)

Sections III-VI—No Change.

CCSB DOCKET 2011-1 SECTION I

SUBJECT 2

©2010 National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc.Subject 2, Page 4 of 5

Analysis

This proposal was submitted by Smurfit-Stone Container Enterprises, Inc., a CCSB-registered package testing laboratory. Based on experience and an understanding of thedynamics of the motor carrier environment, the proponent has proposed to amend portions ofSections I and II of Item (Rule) 181.

Section I, Conditioning, currently states that packages must be conditioned in ambientconditions of 73 degrees Fahrenheit and 50% relative humidity (RH) for at least 24 hours. It isproposed to allow fiberboard packages to be conditioned at varying temperatures for 72hours prior to testing. These conditions are 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 85% relative humidity or100 degrees Fahrenheit and 85% relative humidity. This change would make the conditioningrequirements consistent with ASTM D4332, Standard Practice for Conditioning Containers,Packages, or Packaging Components for Testing.

Section II of Item 181, Compression/Vibration Test, does not contain the same safetydisclaimer regarding the compressive load requirements that is currently in Item 180. Forconsistency, both rules should have the same basic safety criteria named. The compressionand vibration testing has two methods, Methods A and B.

Method A subjects the packages to vibration testing under a stacked, nonresponsivecompressive load in accordance with ASTM D4169 Schedule D, Assurance Level II, for a totalof one hour (20 minutes in each of the three planes). The planes are identified by the face ofthe package. Face 3 is the bottom of the package; Face 4 is the length of the package(wide side); and Face 6 is the width of the package (narrow side). Currently, the procedurerequires the same load to be used on all three faces during top load vibration tests, eventhough the size of the package changes. Based on sample testing, the proponent found thatif the load formula was not changed to reflect the differences in the package’s size whenconducting testing on Faces 6 or 4, Face 6 would experience a 41% larger load and Face 4would experience a 24.6% larger load.

For Methods A and B, it is also proposed to amend the duration of the vibration testingfrom a total of one hour (20 minutes per plane) to three hours (one hour per plane), in order tobe consistent with other truck-related vibration test procedures. Additionally, there is noestablished rounding increment listed for the required force, and one should be established toprevent any miscalculation. The rounding increment should be one pound force (lbf).

The formulas to calculate force in Methods A and B contain a Design Factor (DF) of 5.However, it has been found that the Design Factor in the formula may prevent the packagefrom being tested, because it exceeds the maximum gross weight of the vibration table, sincemost vibration tables cannot handle gross payloads over 3,000 pounds. Not to mention thesafety issues associated with putting that much weight on top of a package. Also, in a reviewof earlier versions of Item 181 it was found that the formula did not originally contain this DesignFactor. In an effort to account for the high force calculations when including the DesignFactor, Notes 2 and 5 were added to the procedure and limit the amount of force to 750pounds. By removing the DF of 5, this limitation would not be necessary since most vibrationtables would be able to handle the actual calculated force.

CCSB DOCKET 2011-1 SECTION I

SUBJECT 2

©2010 National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. Subject 2, Page 5 of 5

History

Due to the chronic damage problems that exist with the handling of furniture in the LTLenvironment, Item (Rule) 181 was established to test the performance of packages for furnitureand furniture parts. It provides an alternative to the packaging provisions found within theFurniture Group, item 79000, and the Furniture Parts Group, item 82750, the numbered “F” and“S” packages, Item (Rule) 180 and the Test Shipment Permit Program. The rule first appearedin Supplement 5 to NMF 100-Z, effective July 22, 2000, as a result of action taken on Subject 19of Docket 2000-2 (May, 2000), which was approved as docketed. Based on informationdeveloped during Research Project 1034, the CCSB docketed a proposal, Docket 2009-3,Subject 16 (October, 2009), to amend the rule in the interest of clarification and simplification.That proposal was approved as docketed, and the changes became effective on January 9,2010. As part of that proposal, it was stated that, going forward, the CCSB would amend therule, as needed, on a case-by-case basis to ensure it continues to be representative of themotor carrier environment.

Relationship to CCSB Policies and Guidelines

One of the best ways to determine if packaging is capable of sufficiently protecting thecommodities being shipped is through laboratory testing, which accounts for the dynamics ofthe transportation environment. Package testing is continuously changing and improvingbased on research from many different sources. The proponent is an active CCSB-registeredthird party testing laboratory, and as such, has vast experience with numerous testingprotocols. CCSB policies state the Classification’s rules must be kept up-to-date. Based onother truck-related testing procedures and the proponent’s knowledge and experience in theindustry, the proposed changes to Sections I and II of Item 181 will improve the procedurewhile making it more consistent with other established testing procedures for the motor carrierenvironment. For these reasons, the proposal, as docketed, is in keeping with CCSB policies.