Patent ID: 7555991

Claim:
A self-supporting timber box ( 3 ) for the support and thermal insulation of an impermeable tank membrane ( 5 ) intended to contain a cold liquid, said box comprising a base panel ( 11 ), lateral walls ( 12 , 13 ) fixed to said base panel and projecting perpendicularly from one side of said base panel to delimit the profile of an internal space ( 26 ) of said box, a plurality of internal partitions ( 14 ) which are parallel to each other and perpendicular to said base panel and which extend between said lateral walls in such a way as to divide said internal space into a plurality of compartments intended to receive a heat-insulating lining, and a cover panel ( 23 ) supported and fixed on an upper edge of said lateral walls and said internal partitions so that it is parallel to said base panel and at a distance therefrom, thus enclosing said internal space of the box, wherein said box has at least one stiffening element ( 16 ) which is positioned in said internal space transversely with respect to said internal partitions and which has an area of connection ( 17 , 18 ) to each of said internal partitions to increase the buckling resistance of said internal partitions, said area of connection extending over a depth greater than or equal to half of the distance between said base and cover panels, wherein said stiffening element ( 16 ) takes the form of a plate perpendicular to said base panel, interacting by fitting with each of said internal partitions ( 14 ) in said area of connection, and wherein said stiffening element has a corresponding notch ( 17 ) to receive each of said internal partitions, each of said internal partitions having a notch ( 18 ) to receive one portion of said stiffening element located in an extension of said respective corresponding notch of said stiffening element.