| Summary: | Every year the world produces approximately 216 billion aluminium beverage cans, most of them are fortunately, successfully recycled. With even the smallest improvements in aluminium use in beverage cans, there can be vast savings both in the material and monetary costs, which serves as the driving factor behind the continuous research into beverage can weight reduction.
In order to successfully reduce and maximise material use in beverage cans, this study will investigate further into can wall structural behaviour under a constant rate axial compression load. In addition to this, a preliminary study will also be conducted into the effects on structural integrity when can samples are opened conventionally with the pull tab method. Samples to be tested are from Crown Holdings Singapore, and they shall be taken as representatives of the cans consumed in Singapore. Carbonated and non-carbonated samples will be tested. A visit to the Crown Holdings manufacturing plant was also conducted in order to fully understand the manufacturing process.
The preliminary study shows that there is virtually no loss in vertical structural integrity when the cans are emptied in the conventional pull-tab manner. In addition, this study has shown conclusively that the internal pressures in carbonated samples are approximately 2.5 times the amount present in their non-carbonated counterparts. Since the material used to make both types of can are the same, the rupture loads for both types of can occur at approximately 3600 N. The main difference between both types is the amount of vertical displacement that the sample can go through before rupture, and can side wall behaviour during compression. Ultimately, non-carbonated samples displayed greater vertical displacement tolerance, and produced wave-like effects on the side wall during the transfer of load in the test.
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