Measurement, Analysis, and Comparison of the Parcel Shipping Shock and Drop Environment of the United States Postal Service with Commercial Carriers

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Volume 35, Issue 4 (July 2007)

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ISSN: 0090-3973
Published Online: 19 April 2007
Page Count: 5

Measurement, Analysis, and Comparison of the Parcel Shipping Shock and Drop Environment of the United States Postal Service with Commercial Carriers
Singh, J.
Assistant Professor, Cal Poly State University, CA

Singh, S. P.
Professors and Research Assistant, respectively, School of Packaging, Michigan State University, MI

Burgess, G.
Professors and Research Assistant, respectively, School of Packaging, Michigan State University, MI

Saha, K.
Professors and Research Assistant, respectively, School of Packaging, Michigan State University, MI

(Received 4 September 2006; accepted 17 January 2007)

Abstract

The past decade has shown a great increase in the number of direct to consumer shipments of products and packages. As a result, parcel delivery companies like DHL, FedEx, UPS, and the USPS have strengthened their presence in air transport to deliver products faster and through larger distances. Using cargo planes, they route packages from various destinations to large airport hubs, where they sort millions of packages and ship them to their destinations. There is a continuous need to quantify what happens to these packages as they are handled both manually during collection and delivery and on large high-speed conveying and sortation equipment at hubs. The dynamic events during these moves can cause damage. The information collected in this study helps packaging engineers design protective packaging. This study measured and compared shock and drop events for these carriers during next-day and two-day shipping service between Michigan and California. Data are presented in terms of drop heights associated with the 90, 95, and 99^th percentile of occurrence for DHL, FedEx, UPS, and USPS. Impact orientation is also discussed. The data from this study are beneficial to new test methods being developed for drop testing of single parcel shipments by ASTM.

Keywords:
Next-day and second-day shipping, parcels, drops, measurement, analysis

Paper ID: JTE100787
DOI: 10.1520/JTE100787
ASTM International is a member of CrossRef.

Author Title Measurement, Analysis, and Comparison of the Parcel Shipping Shock and Drop Environment of the United States Postal Service with Commercial Carriers Symposium , 0000-00-00 Committee D10

		Home Journals STPs Manuals Topics Subscriptions/Pricing Digital Library / Journals / Journal of Testing and Evaluation (JTE) / Citation Page Volume 35, Issue 4 (July 2007) Click here to download this paper now for $25 PDF (176K) View License Agreement ISSN: 0090-3973 Published Online: 19 April 2007 Page Count: 5 Measurement, Analysis, and Comparison of the Parcel Shipping Shock and Drop Environment of the United States Postal Service with Commercial Carriers Singh, J. Assistant Professor, Cal Poly State University, CA Singh, S. P. Professors and Research Assistant, respectively, School of Packaging, Michigan State University, MI Burgess, G. Professors and Research Assistant, respectively, School of Packaging, Michigan State University, MI Saha, K. Professors and Research Assistant, respectively, School of Packaging, Michigan State University, MI (Received 4 September 2006; accepted 17 January 2007) Abstract The past decade has shown a great increase in the number of direct to consumer shipments of products and packages. As a result, parcel delivery companies like DHL, FedEx, UPS, and the USPS have strengthened their presence in air transport to deliver products faster and through larger distances. Using cargo planes, they route packages from various destinations to large airport hubs, where they sort millions of packages and ship them to their destinations. There is a continuous need to quantify what happens to these packages as they are handled both manually during collection and delivery and on large high-speed conveying and sortation equipment at hubs. The dynamic events during these moves can cause damage. The information collected in this study helps packaging engineers design protective packaging. This study measured and compared shock and drop events for these carriers during next-day and two-day shipping service between Michigan and California. Data are presented in terms of drop heights associated with the 90, 95, and 99^th percentile of occurrence for DHL, FedEx, UPS, and USPS. Impact orientation is also discussed. The data from this study are beneficial to new test methods being developed for drop testing of single parcel shipments by ASTM. Keywords: Next-day and second-day shipping, parcels, drops, measurement, analysis Paper ID: JTE100787 DOI: 10.1520/JTE100787 ASTM International is a member of CrossRef. Author Title Measurement, Analysis, and Comparison of the Parcel Shipping Shock and Drop Environment of the United States Postal Service with Commercial Carriers Symposium , 0000-00-00 Committee D10