Site-specific management requires the identification of treatment areas based on homogeneous characteristics. This study aimed to determine whether soil mapping based on apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa) is suitable for mapping soil properties of fields with topographic heterogeneity. Research was conducted on two neighbouring fields in Fejér county, Hungary, with contrasting topographic heterogeneity. To characterise the spatial variability of soil attributes, ECa was measured and supplemented by obtaining soil samples and performing soil profile analysis. The relationship between ECa and soil physical and chemical properties was analysed using correlation, principal component, and regression analyses. The research revealed that the quality and strength of the relationship between ECa and soil remarkably differed in the two studied fields. In homogeneous topographic conditions, ECa was weakly correlated with elevation as determined by soil physical texture and nutrient content in a strong (R² = 0.72) linear model. On the other hand, ECa was significantly determined by elevation in heterogeneous topographic conditions in a moderate (R² = 0.47) linear model. Consequently, ECa-based soil mapping can only be used to characterise the soil, thus delineating management zones under homogeneous topographic conditions.

Polyethylene (PE) and its variations are among the most traditional materials used for cushioning in packaging systems. The role of these materials is to prevent damages during handling and distribution processes from physical events such as vibration stress. This study presents new results on the characterization of properties of PE and XPE (cross-linked polyethylene) packaging materials, which have significant relevance as a protective mechanism due to their vibration transmissibility and frequency curve properties. The main goal of this study is the evaluation of vibration transmissibility of PE and XPE cushion material at varied real temperature and static load conditions through a series of experiments using a vibration tester and climate chamber to determine the peak frequencies, vibration transmissibility, and damping ratios. The results can be used by engineers in the package-design process, and can be useful in different distribution conditions. Three different kinds of static loads and a 0.5 oct/min sine sweep of vibration test were used to find the peak frequencies and vibration transmissibility at −20^◦C, 0^◦C, 20^◦C and 40^◦C to estimate the damping ratios. The results provided a better understanding of the materials and can assist in the design of suitable protective packaging systems.

Most of the shipped products are sensitive against shock and vibration events during the distribution. Various cushioning materials are usually used to prevent the product damages. During the design process the protective packaging system is developed by the engineers based on the cushion and vibration transmissibility features (ie. cushion curve) of the material used. However, after the assembly of the packaged-product, these are stored for various long periods in warehouse. During this time the products pre-load the cushioning material and its parameters can be changed. The main goal of this study is to evaluate the vibration transmissibility of PE and XPE cushioning material at varied storage (preloaded) time and static load conditions. Four different kinds of duration (1 hour, 10 hours, 100 hours and 1000 hours) were used for the pre-loading period at three different static loads (3.488 kPa, 4.651 kPa, and 6.976 kPa), and then at 0.5 oct/min sine sweep vibration the peak frequencies of response and vibration transmissibility, and damping ratio were determined. The results show that the effect of pre-loading is minimal by PE material, but can influence the resonance frequencies by XPE cushioning material. The findings of this study help the packaging engineers to understand better the mechanism of these cushioning materials and to design suitable protective packaging systems.

The aim of this paper is to provide useful information about climate conditions of transcontinental shipments from Hungary and compare them to the climate profiles of conditioning standards. The climatic environments inside ISO intermodal containers carrying automotive products to three different destinations in India, China and South Africa were measured. All three recorded surveys contain temperature and relative humidity data while the containers were stored outdoors and indoors and travelled on truck, rail and ship. The measured data was analyzed and mean statistical values of daily temperature and RH shifts were determined for each route. The recorded data shows that 50 % of maximum temperature and RH shifts occurred in the EU continent. Temperature and relative humidity distribution as a function of cumulative percentages [%] of the duration of total shipping was also determined and compared to the climate profiles of conditioning standards. It shows that peak temperature and RH ranges occur mostly in the defined duration of conditioning testing time.