CPULD News, Fall 2020
Image 1 Yu Yang attaching sensors to a forklift
FEATURE
Investigation into the effects of various factors on the vibration levels experienced by unit loads under forklift handling conditions
- Research project by Yu Yang Huang
Forklifts play an important role in the global distribution of packaged products. They are commonly used to move and lift materials and products throughout the supply chain and offer load capacities from a few thousand pounds up to 180,000 pounds. Forklifts are one of the most common types of material handling equipment used in warehouses and distribution centers. Forklifts experience vibration during operation. Vibration is a mechanical phenomenon that is very common in transport vehicles and affects every packaged product during the handling and transportation process. Forklifts experience different vibration levels under different conditions, such as speed, road conditions, and unit load weight. The vibration produced is not a smooth, oscillatory motion; it is a shaped mix of various frequencies and amplitudes, and it is constantly changing.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
alina mejias rojas
After interning for a semester with CPULD, Alina was hooked on being a Hokie. She said that her interest in packaging was sparked during her internship. “After being exposed to packaging science, I was interested in learning more about it due to the fact that it is the third-largest industry in the world and it is a field that I had never been exposed to back in Costa Rica. The Virginia Tech graduate program focused on packaging efficiency, packaging distribution throughout the supply chain, and sustainable packaging — all of which captured my attention. By fall 2017, I had started my graduate program.”
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
FasTrack Update
Investigation into the impacts and damages sustained by pallets during physical distribution
Master’s student Jorge Masís is looking into the damages that pallets sustain during their trips through the distribution supply chain and how closely these damages match those created during our accelerated pallet durability testing called FasTrack. Jorge’s research will be used to help update the FasTrack simulation to accurately predict and mirror what a pallet will actually experience in a 21st century supply chain.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Victoria Dashevsky Student Spotlight Article
Victoria is a senior from Alphretta, Georgia, and will graduate in spring 2021. She says she went to a very typical high school that had an amazing choir program that she was very lucky to be a part of. She also told us that she chose to come to Virginia Tech “because I was looking for an out-of-state school and fell in love with the Hokie spirit when I came to visit.” Victoria is a packaging systems and design major and has added a minor in psychology because she has “always been amazed at how humans feel and wanted to take classes to learn more.”
CPULD NEWS
Unit load design short course offered virtually
COVID 19 classes
annual member meeting
laszlo interview on wsls
UPCOMING EVENTS
Contact Our Team:
Quotes for new testing projects, distribution packaging projects, unit load design projects, membership with the center, new research projects.
Ongoing testing operations, lab management, scheduling unit load and pallet lab deliveries, questions about lab management and work schedules.
Primary packaging design and packaging materials testing, scheduling deliveries of primary packaging materials, new research into primary packaging.
Corrugated materials design & testing questions, scheduling deliveries of corrugated materials. IKEA testing scheduling & questions
Eduardo Molina
Any immediate needs, delivery times, locations, and info, invoicing questions, accounts receivable/ accounts payable inquiries.
Angie Riegel
Scheduling meetings with Dr. Horvath, short course & webinar info, center event plans, website & social media questions, marketing.
