Impact Behaviour of Packaging Systems for Safe Transport of Hazardous Materials under Accidental Drop Conditions

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Ana Pavlovic 1
Carlo Paltrinieri 2
Pietro Parente 2
Cristiano Fragassa 1
1 Department of Industrial Engineering, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, 40136 Bologna, Italy
2 R&D Department, GT Line Srl, 40053 Valsamoggia (Bologna), Italy
10.22055/jacm.2026.48789.5500
Abstract
This paper examines the impact behaviour of a packaging system specifically designed for the safe transport of hazardous materials (such as radionuclides, cytotoxic pharmaceuticals, or highly reactive chemicals). It consists of a metal-shielded container, inserted in a special suitcase made of solid polypropylene (PP) with integrated expanded polypropylene (EPP) foam inserts, that demonstrated high resistance to impact forces. A representative real-world scenario was analysed, simulating an accidental drop from an aircraft cargo hold, with a reference height of 9 meters deliberately chosen as a conservative estimate. Explicit Finite Element Method (FEM) simulations were performed using LS-DYNA to predict stress distributions and deformation patterns under various drop configurations. The numerical results were qualitatively validated through experimental drop tests, by observing and comparing the actual effects. The findings highlight a substantial advantage in adopting a modern packaging system for the transport of hazardous materials but also suggest further significant improvements in safe system design.
Keywords
Hazardous material transport, High-performance packaging systems, Shielded container, Impact resistance
Drop impact simulation
Subjects

Publisher’s Note Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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Journal of Applied and Computational Mechanics

Articles in Press, Corrected Proof
Available Online from 25 March 2026