Cushioning Systems for Impact Energy Absorption

In this paper we investigate the use of an innovative sheet folding theory and technology in the design of new cushioning systems. Flat sheets of material are folded into three dimensional patterns. The effectiveness of the folded pattern in absorbing impact energy without subjecting items being cushioned to high acceleration is dependent on the sheet material, the fold configuration (number of folds per unit length), dimensions of the fold, number of stacked layers, number of sheets folded together and other factors. Full design of experiments is conducted to obtain a relationship between the acceleration observed by the contents of the cushioning systems and the parameters of the cushion design. The relationship has been validated experimentally using different system parameters. The application of the work in providing cushioning systems for highly sensitive items such as electronic components or providing cushioning systems for high velocity airdrop items is extensive.