Abstract
This paper presents the development of a method to measure damage to packaging laminates by penetration. A hemispherical probe was shown to provide the most reproducible results and the rate of loading was found to be a small factor. The puncture mechanism for different types of laminates was examined. It was shown that the presence of paper in the structure has a decisive effect on puncture resistance. For paper-based laminates, the paper layer limits the strength by rupturing first and then producing premature rupture of the other layers; the result is a 4-10-fold improvement in strength by eliminating paper as an outer layer. For laminates without paper, all layers rupture together so changing the composition of the non-paper layers has a direct influence on the puncture resistance. The direction of the penetration through the laminate usually has an effect on the energy to puncture.
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