CONTAINER FOR STORING AND TRANSPORTING FLUIDS, BULK MATERIALS OR THE LIKE

Abstract: A container (1) for transporting and storing liquids, bulk materials or the like. The container (1) has on its top side an exchangeable flange (6) deformably connected with the top side of the container by means of several folding attachment means fixedly connected with the container. The container (1) also has a deformable supporting structure (3, 5) adapted to receive the lower part of the container and exchangeably connected with said container.

Description: CONTAINER FOR STORING AND TRANSPORTING FLUIDS, BULK MATERIALS OR THE LIKE The present invention relates to a container for transporting and storing 'fluids, bulk materials or the like, comprising at least one upper exchangeable and upwardly directed flange having a shape corresponding essentially to the circumference of the container top side, and a lower deformable supporting structure exchangeably connected with the container. For the transport, handling and storage of various goods, high demands are placed on the containers em- ployed, especially when the goods concerned have a high density or high pressure. Such containers must be approved according to specific standards laid down by different testing institutes. The tests comprise drop tests, pressure tests, lifting tests and stacking tests. To pass these tests, a container for transport¬ ing very heavy or hazardous goods must therefore have a highly robust design, for which reason prior art containers of this ' type are made of very strong and therefore expensive materials. In view hereof, there is a need for a container construction which combines strength with low weight. One object of this invention is to provide a container which, in spite of its low weight, is suf¬ ficiently strong to pass the above-mentioned tests according to standard specifications. A further object of the invention is to provide a container which can be manufactured at low cost and also i- economical in operation. These and other objects will be disclosed by the following description. The invention provides a container which is of the type mentioned above and which is characterised in that the flange is deformably connected with the container top side by mears of angle pieces mounted opposite one another at the container circumference and comprising a first and a second leg, said first leg being mounted on the said top side, and the second leg being foldably connected with and protruding sub¬ stantially perpendicular from said first leg, said second leg also constituting the point of attachment of the flange. Further characteristic features will appear from the appended claims. The invention and its many advantages are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a front view of a container according to the inven¬ tion. Fig. 2 is a lateral view of the same container. Fig. 3 is a top view of the container and an upper flange mounted thereon. Fig. 4 is a section on a larger scale taken along line IV-IV in Fig. 3, showing the attachment of the upper flange. Fig. 5 is a front view of the container supporting structure. Fig. 6 is a late- ral view of said supporting structure. Fig. 7 is a top view of said supporting structure. Fig. 1 illustrates a container 1 according to the invention. The container 1 which preferably is made of metal is cylindrical and carried by a support- ing structure comprising two parallel beams 2, 3, to the ends of which supporting legs 4, 5 are welded. An upper annular flange 6 is exchangeably mounted on the top side of the container 1. The flange 6 has an opening 7 for attachment of a lifting device (not shown) and a plurality of peripheral hole- in which bolts 8 are inserted for mounting the flange 6 on the container 1, as will be described in more detail below. Furthermore, the lower part of the container 1 has peripheral holes in which bolts 9 are inserted for mounting the container 1 on the supporting struc¬ ture. An outlet 10 from the container 1 is provided at one end of the beam 3. 3 Fig. 2 shows the design of the beams 2, 3 and the supporting legs 4, 5 included in the supporting structure. The supporting legs 4, 5 are box girders adapted to be engaged by lifting devices, for example the lifting forks of a truck. The parallel beams 2, 3 are designed such that a container 1 may be placed on top of another container, the beams 2, 3 of the upper container 1 resting against the upper flange 6 of the lower container 1. At least three filled containers 1 may be stacked upon each other. To make the container 1 and its contents stand up to a free fall, the supporting structure must be deformable. The beams 2, 3 are arranged, in principle, according to one of the elementary cases of structural analysis, i.e. the freely supported beam, and are capable of standing up to very large downward loads under which the beams 2, 3 are deflected at the centre. The sup¬ porting legs 4, 5 which, like the beams 2, 3, are made of steel, are themselves slightly deformable. Fig. 3 shows the container 1 from above, and with the upper flange 6 mounted on the container top side. At the top side 11 of the container 1, several reinforcing plates 12 of metal are welded. One or two angle pieces 13 of metal are welded to each plate 12. The flange 6 is mounted on these angle pieces 13 by means of the bolts 8 which are inserted through holes in the flange 6 and the angle pieces 13. Further¬ more, the container 1 has a centrally positioned manhole cover 14. The attachment of the flange 6 will appear from Fig. 4 which shows a section of the flange 6 and an angle piece 13 from which the associated bolt has been removed. As already mentioned, the reinforc¬ ing plate 12 is welded to the top side 11 of the con-, tainer 1. A first leg 15 of the angle piece 13 is welded to the top side of the plate 12, while a second leg 16 projects at right angles from said plate 12. If a load is applied to the flange 6 from above, for 4 example when the container 1 falls to the ground upside down, the second leg 16 of the angle piece 13, and thus also the flange 6, will be bent inwardly against the top side 11 of the container 1. By this deformation, very large forces can be absorbed without damaging or breaking the container 1. The reinforcing plate 12 serves to distribute the forces of impact over a specific surface of the top side 11. Upon applica¬ tion of oblique loads, it is also conceivable that the leg 16 and thus also the flange 6 will be bent out¬ wardly. It should also be noted that a certain defor¬ mation of the container 1 may be accepted without damaging its contents. Also, different flanges may be used depending upon the loads that are to be absorbed, and several flanges 6 may be arranged coaxially. Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate the supporting structure on which the container 1 is to rest. An annular flange 17 is welded to the top side of the beams 2, 3 and has a diameter such that the lower part of the container 1 upon mounting projects beyond the flange 17. Further¬ more, the flange 17 has peripheral holes 18 in which bolts 9 (Fig. 1) are inserted when the container 1 is mounted on the supporting structure. As has been mentioned before, the supporting structure is deformable to absorb the loads that may arise if the container 1 falls freely on the ground. Different supporting structures may be used, depending upon the magnitude of the loads to be expected. Fig. 7 shows how the metal flange 17 is welded to the top side of the beams 2, 3. Two parallel stif¬ fening rods 19 are welded along chords within the flange 17. Also the flange 17 and the rods 19 are deformable and capable, to some extent, to absorb loads together with the remaining beam structure. Because of the above-mentioned deformation zones at the top side and the lower side of the container, the container may be manufactured from thinner materials and still be able to stand up to the tests mentioned by way of introduction. Known containers on the market, 3 with a volume of about 1.75 m , must weigh 700 kg in order to withstand these loads. A container accord- ing to the embodiment herein described has a volume 3 of 1.75 m but weighs but 230 kg, even though the same material is used. Finally, it should be noted that the container, the upper flange and the supporting structure may be designed in a different manner, but without depart¬ ing from the inventive idea as defined in the appended claims.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A container for transporting and storing fluids, bulk materials or the like, comprising at least one upper exchangeable and upwardly directed flange (6) having a shape corresponding essentially to the cir- cumference of the container (1) top side (11), and a lower deformable supporting structure exchangeably connected with the container (1), c h a r a c t e r ¬ i s e d in that the flange (6) is deformably connected with the container (1) top side (11) by means of angle pieces (15, 16) mounted opposite one another at the container circumference and comprising a first and a second leg (15 and 16, respectively), said first leg (15) being mounted on the said top side (11), and the second leg (16) being foldably connected with and protruding substantially perpendicular from said first leg (15), said second leg also constituting the point of attachment of the flange (6). 2. A container as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i s e d in that the first leg of each angle piece (15, 16) is secured to a reinforcing plate (12) which in turn is mounted on the top side (11) of the container (1), the planar side σf said plate facing the said top side, and that the area of the planar side of the plate (12) is substantially larger than the surface of the first leg (15) facing said top side (11). 3. A container a ~ claimed in claim 1 or 2, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i s e d in that several diametrically posi¬ tioned angle pieces (15, 16) are mounted on the top side of the container (1) . 4. A container as claimed in any one of the pre¬ ceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the upper flange (6) is foldable and has a predetermined height in relation to' the forces and deformations that may occur. 5. A container as claimed in any one of the preced¬ ing claims, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the supporting structure comprises an upwardly directed flange (17) fixedly connected with said structure and adapted to accommodate the lower part of the con¬ tainer (1), said flange (17) being of a shape substan¬ tially corresponding to said lower part, two substan¬ tially parallel beams (2, 3) on which the lower flange (17) is mounted, and two supporting legs (4, 5) mounted at the ends of the beams (2, 3) and adapted to be engaged by lifting means, said beams (2, 3) being deformable by deflection at the centre, and said sup¬ porting legs (4, 5) being deformable in their entirety.

Inventors: NYMAN CLAES ERIK FOLKE, NYMAN, CLAES, ERIK, FOLKE
Applicants: MALMSTEN & BERGVALL AB
Application year: 1986
Main classification: B65D19
IPC codes: B65D88, B65D90