Tubular rivet connection for components of metal, plastic or wood, especially for assembling transport and storage containers for liquids and flowable material

A tubular rivet connection is provided for assembling a transport and storage container that has a support frame, an inner plastic container with a filling socket and a discharge socket, and an exterior jacket. The support frame for the inner container has corner and center legs mounted on a base frame. The top of the support frame and the exterior jacket are attached to the corner legs and center legs by the tubular rivet connection that has a tubular rivet stem connected to a first component; the tubular rivet stem is formed as a monolithic part of the first component or is a separate part welded to the first component. A second component to be riveted to the first component has a rivet hole. A free end of the tubular rivet stem that projects past the second component after insertion into the rivet hole is deformed to a driven head.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a tubular rivet connection for assembling transport and storage containers for liquids and flowable material (bulk material). The transport and storage containers are provided with a pallet-like support frame, an inner container of plastic material resting on the support frame and comprising a closable filling socket and a discharge socket to be connected to a discharge fitting, and with an exterior jacket in the form of a grid jacket or sheet metal jacket. The support frame has a top for supporting the inner container and also has corner legs and center legs made of metal that are mounted on a base frame made of metal or skids made of metal, plastic or wood, wherein the bottom of the support frame as well as the exterior jacket of the inner container are attached to the corner legs and the center legs.

2. Description of the Related Art

When assembling transport and storage containers for liquids of the aforementioned kind as disclosed in DE 100 62 088 C2, the underframe of the metal grid basket and the sheet metal top of the pallet-like support frame on which the inner plastic container for liquids rests are screwed to the corner or center legs of the support frame and the legs are welded to the base frame of the underframe. Because of the employed different connecting techniques and the resulting significant assembly expenditure as well as the small parts required for mounting, e.g., sheet-metal or self-tapping screws and washers, the manufacturing costs of the liquid container are accordingly high.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to develop a connection technique for individual components of a transport and storage container for liquids and bulk material.

In accordance with the present invention, this is achieved in that a tubular rivet connection is provided wherein the rivet stem, either formed as a unitary or monolithic part of a first component or provided as a separate part that is welded to the first component, is provided for insertion through a rivet hole of a second component that rests against the first component and is to be riveted to the first component, wherein the free end of the tubular rivet stem of the first component projecting past the second component after insertion into the rivet hole can be deformed to a driven head resting against the second component.

The dependent claims disclose how the individual components of a transport and storage container for liquids of the aforementioned kind are furnished with the tubular rivet connections according to the invention.

The gist of the invention resides in that the tubular rivets and the matching rivet holes are integrated into the individual components of a transport and storage container for liquids and bulk material so that for connecting the components only one joining technique, i.e., riveting, is employed during assembly and separate tubular rivets with a rivet head are no longer required. In this way, the assembly expenditure is reduced and manufacturing costs are lowered.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The transport and storage container6shown inFIGS. 1 and 2used as a disposable or reusable container for liquids and flowable material has the following main components: an exchangeable parallelepipedal inner container7of plastic material that is provided with a filling socket8closable by a lid9at the top wall10and a discharge socket11in the area of the bottom12connectable to a discharge and rinsing faucet13; an outer jacket formed as a grid basket14of crossing horizontal and vertical and grid bars15,16made of metal; and a pallet-like support frame17made of metal having length and width measurements in accordance with the European pallet standard.

The pallet-like support frame17of the transport and storage container6designed for manipulation by a forklift, storage shelf operating device and similar transport means has a top18made of sheet metal for supporting the inner container. The top18of the support frame17rests on four corner legs19-22and a rear center leg23of sheet metal, a forward center leg24formed as a part of the top18and arranged underneath the discharge and rinsing faucet13of the inner container7, as well as two lateral center legs25,26. The corner and center legs19-26of the support frame17are mounted on a base frame27.

The corner leg19of the support frame17of the transport and storage container6according toFIGS. 3 and 4is formed by a curved sheet metal part28and has a top support edge29, provided for supporting the exterior edge30of the top18of the support frame17and the underframe31of the outer jacket formed as a grid basket14, and a bottom support edge32with which the corner leg19rests on the base frame27of the support frame17. When stacking several transport containers6on top of one another, the stacked transport container rests with the bottom support edge32of the corner legs19-22on the top frame33of the grid basket14of the transport container positioned underneath.

On the two outer sections29a,29bof the top support edge29of the sheet metal part28of the corner leg19, there are two upper tubular rivet stems34,34and on the two outer sections32a,32bof the bottom support edge32of the sheet metal part28there are two lower tubular rivet stems35,35. The upper and lower rivet stems34,35project upwardly and downwardly past the corner legs19. The lower rivet stems35,35on the sheet metal part28of the corner leg19are staggered relative to the upper rivet stems34,34parallel inwardly and in the vertical direction in accordance with the vertical spacing36of the upper support edge29to the bottom support edge32of the corner leg19.

An upper rivet stem34and a lower rivet stem35of the corner leg19are formed by the two bent ends of the pipe section37, respectively, wherein the pipe sections37,37are formed, preferably by roll-forming, on two angled outer legs38,39that have a slanted top edge and are connected to the outer edges28a,28bof the sheet metal part28of the corner leg19.

In a modified embodiment of the corner leg19the pipe sections37are welded with an upper rivet stem34and a lower rivet stem35, respectively, to the sheet metal part28.

By means of the pipe sections37provided with upper and lower rivet stems34,35, respectively, and roll-formed on the inner side of the outer legs38,39of the corner legs19, the legs38,39of the corner leg19are reinforced. As a result of this reinforcement, the corner legs19-22are protected from being damaged when inserting lifting arms of a transport device, for example, a forklift, into the support frame17of a transport and storage container6and moving the container by means of the lifting arms.

When assembling the support frame17and the grid basket14of the transport and storage container6, the upper rivet stems34of the corner legs19-22are inserted through congruent rivet holes40,41provided in the outer edge30of the top18and the underframe31of the grid basket14that is flattened in the area of the rivet holes41and the base frame27of the underframe17that is provided with matching rivet holes42and flattened in the area of holes42is placed onto the lower rivet stems35of the corner legs19-22. Subsequently, the free ends34aof the upper rivet stems34projecting past the underframe31of the grid basket14, flattened in the area of the rivet holes41, and the lower rivet stems35of the corner legs19-22projecting past the area of the rivet holes42of the flattened base frame27of the support frame17are deformed by a riveting tool to produce driven heads43; in this way, the corner legs19-22are riveted fixedly to the bottom18and the underframe31of the grid basket14and also to the base frame27.

According to another embodiment of a corner leg19according toFIG. 5, the upper rivet stems34,34are roll-formed on the two outer edges28a,28bof a sheet metal part28and the lower rivet stems35,35are roll-formed on the inwardly angled outer legs44,45of the two edges28a,28bof the sheet metal part28.

Moreover, in the case of the corner leg19according toFIG. 5there is the possibility of welding the upper and lower rivet stems34,35onto the sheet metal part28and its legs44,45.

The lateral center legs25,26, of which one (25) is illustrated inFIGS. 6 to 8, and the rear center leg23of the support frame17have the shape of an open box46with an upper wall47providing a support surface48and a lower wall49provided with a contact surface50, as well as two pipe sections53,53roll-formed on the two sidewalls51,52of the box46. The pipe sections53,53each have a lower rivet stem35. Two rivet stems34,34are roll-formed on the support surface48of the upper box wall47. The center legs23,25,26are riveted by means of the upper and lower rivet stems34,35, whose free ends34a,35aare deformed to driven heads43, to the outer edge30of the bottom18and the underframe31of the grid basket14resting there on as well as to the base frame27in the same way as the corner legs19-22.

The lower wall49of the two lateral center legs25,26has on its inner side a support surface54for one of the two downwardly extending ends56, respectively, of a central reinforcement stay55of the support frame top18. On the lower box wall49of the center legs25,26there are also two inwardly oriented hollow rivet stems57,58for riveting the center legs to the ends56of the reinforcement stay55of the support frame bottom18(FIGS. 2,6-8).

In place of the rivets, the lateral center legs25,26can be connected to the ends56of the reinforcement stay55of the support frame top18by a joining method known as clinching. Moreover, there is the possibility of welding separate sleeves as rivet stems34,35,57,58to the lateral center legs25,26.

FIG. 9shows a lateral center leg25of the support frame17with a segmented monolithic box shape46.

The lateral center leg25of the support frame17illustrated inFIG. 10has the shape of an open box46with a top wall47providing a support surface48and a bottom wall49provided with a contact surface50as well as two pipe sections53,53that are roll-formed on the two sidewalls51,52of the box46that have a slanted top edge. Two angled pipe ends form upper and lower rivet stems34,35, respectively. The lower wall49of the lateral center leg25has an inner support surface54for one of the two ends56of the central reinforcement stay55of the support frame top18as well as two rivet stems57,58for riveting the center leg to an end56of the reinforcement stay55.

According toFIG. 11, for connecting the underframe31of the grid basket14to the support frame top18on both sides of the forward center leg24formed as a monolithic part of the bottom18, two tubular rivet stems59,59formed on the underframe31are provided that are pushed through rivet holes40in the outer edge30of the bottom18and whose free ends59aare deformed by means of a rivet tool against the underside60of the bottom edge30to form driven heads43.

Instead of rivet stems59formed on the underframe31of the grid basket14, separate tubular rivets can be used for riveting the underframe of the grid basket to the support frame bottom18.

According toFIG. 2, the forward center leg24of the support frame17is attached by means of a tubular rivet61provided with a rivet head onto the base frame27.

FIG. 12shows a transport and storage container6for liquids whose support frame17is provided with wooden skids62.

For attaching the center leg25of the underframe17illustrated inFIG. 13to a wooden skid62of the support frame17, the two lower rivet stems35of the center leg25are inserted through corresponding counterbores63of the wooden skids62. Subsequently, a washer64can be pushed onto the free ends35aof the rivet stems35projecting from the wooden skids62, respectively, and subsequently the ends35aof the rivet stems35can be deformed by a rivet tool to driven heads43that are sunken in the recess65of the counterbores63.

In the same way, the second lateral center leg26and the rear center leg23as well as the four corner legs19-22are mounted on the wooden skids62of the support frame17. For attaching the forward center leg24to the wooden center skid62of the support frame17, a tubular rivet provided with a rivet head is used.