FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY. II 



TESTS ON SHIPPING CONTAINERS. 



The results of tests on containers are of particular interest to all 

 shippers, box manufacturers, and transportation companies, and are 

 also of great importance to the public in general. The damage due to the 

 failure of containers in transportation amounts annually to many 

 millions of dollars. There are, in addition, large losses due to improper 

 packing. All of the work done at the Laboratory in this field tends 

 directly to reduce these enormous losses, which are ultimately paid by 

 the consumer. A considerable amount of fundamental data relating 

 to the construction of boxes and crates has been obtained which finds 

 direct application in the redesign of faulty containers and in the develop- 

 ment of new containers. It is frequently possible to redesign a container 

 so as to reduce the amount of material required, to save shipping and 

 warehouse space, and at the same time to obtain greater serviceability. 



DRUM TESTS. 



Revolving-drum tests, together with drop and compression tests of 

 boxes loaded with either actual or dummy contents, have been used in 

 determining the characteristic weakness of the various types of con- 

 tainers. The Forest Products Laboratory standard drum is 14 feet in 

 diameter and can accommodate packages up to 1,000 pounds in weight. 

 It is fitted with hazards so arranged that the container under test follows 

 a regular cycle of drops which simulate those received in actual trans- 

 portation. The field for this work is very large, and much remains to be 

 done in order to develop fundamental relations between the weight and 

 the nature of the commodity, the type of box to be used, and the thick- 

 ness of the bottom, side, and end boards. 



TESTS OF MANUFACTURED ARTICLES. 



Tests on vehicle and implement parts, airplane parts, doors, and other 

 articles manufactured of wood are made primarily to demonstrate the 

 fitness of substitute species, to develop or improve designs, and to obtain 

 more economical and efficient use of wood. The limitations and possibili- 

 ties of splices and laminated construction are being studied with a view 

 to conserving lumber through the increased use of small pieces and low 

 grades. This should make possible the use of smaller trees, which can 

 be grown in comparatively short periods, in short, the character of 

 material on which the country will have to depend very largely in the 

 future and which can be grown most profitably. 



