AU2020267301A1

AU2020267301A1 - An intermodal container and method of loading bulk material

Info

Publication number: AU2020267301A1
Application number: AU2020267301A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Murray Robert BRIDLE
Original assignee: Container Rotation Systems Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Container Rotation Systems Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2019-12-10
Filing date: 2020-11-13
Publication date: 2021-06-24
Also published as: CN112938208A

Abstract

An intermodal container including a body including a floor portion and wall portions, the wall portions are joined to the floor at their lower regions and generally surround the floor to thereby provide a space for holding an amount of bulk material; a generally planar lid having four edges; the lid is attached to the upper region of one of the wall portions and is moveable between a closed condition and an open condition. Methods of loading bulk material using the container are also described. 2/15 o 00

Description

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AN INTERMODAL CONTAINER AND METHOD OF LOADING BULK MATERIAL

Technical Field The present invention relates to an intermodal container and a method of loading bulk material into a bulk carrier. The invention finds a particular application in loading bulk materials into ships, but is not limited to that application.

Background to the Invention Various types of bulk materials such as ores, coal, cereals, wood chips, sand, gravel etc are transported from place to place by sea using ships known as bulk carriers or freighters. The bulk material is loaded into one or more cargo holds on the ship through one or more hatchways which are typically covered by a removable hatch cover during transit. The invention relates to an improved and simplified arrangement for loading bulk materials into bulk carriers.

Summary of the Invention In a first aspect the present invention provides An intermodal container including: a body including a floor portion and wall portions, the wall portions are joined to the floor at their lower regions and generally surround the floor to thereby provide a space for holding an amount of bulk material; a generally planar lid having four edges; the lid is attached to the upper region of one of the wall portions and is moveable between a closed condition and an open condition. The lid may be hingedly attached to the upper region of one of the wall portions The container may include four wall portions. The walls may be provided in first and second pairs, the first pair of wall portions being longer than the second pair of wall portions. The lid may be rectangular with a pair of long edges and a pair of relatively shorter edges. The lid may be attached to the wall portion along one of its longer edges. When in the closed condition, the lid may rest on the upper regions of the wall portions. In a second aspect the invention provides a method of loading bulk material into a bulk material carrier including the steps of: providing a plurality of intermodal containers according to the first aspect of the invention; loading the intermodal containers with bulk material at a first location; transporting the loaded intermodal containers to a second location where the bulk carrier is located; a cargo handling apparatus is provided at the second location, the cargo handling apparatus being arranged to pick up intermodal containers and rotate the containers; operating the cargo handling apparatus to handle each of the intermodal containers in turn, to bring each container over a loading opening of the bulk carrier and to rotate the container to cause the lid of the container to open under the influence of gravity and to cause the contents of the container to drop from the container into the loading opening of the bulk carrier. The containers may be rotated through an angle of at least 180 degrees.

Brief Description of the Drawings An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a prior art cargo handling arrangement; Figure 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an intermodal container according to the invention with lid shown partially open; Figure 3 is a top view of the intermodal container of figure 2 with lid shown closed; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the container of figure 3; Figure 5 is a cross sectional view of the container as shown in figure 2, with lid partially open; Figure 6 shows the container of figures 2 to 5 attached to a cargo handling device and having been rotated through an angle of 45 degrees; Figure 7 is a cross sectional view through a central plane of the arrangement of figure 6; Figures 8, 10, 12 and 14 show the arrangement of figure 6 rotated through angles of 90 degrees, 110 degrees, 135 degrees and 180 degrees respectively; and Figures 9, 11, 13 and 15 are corresponding cross sectional views across a central plane of the arrangements of figures 8, 10, 12 and 14.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring to figure 1, a prior art cargo container handling apparatus 10 for handling cargo containers 100 with lids 102 is shown. The apparatus 10 is a containerised bulk handling apparatus sold under the trade mark ROTAINER by Container Rotation Systems Pty Ltd (www.containerrotationsystems.com). Apparatus 10 includes a main body 20 and a container engagement arrangement for engaging with a cargo container in the form of two arms 22, each of which are pivotally mounted to body 20 and are each fitted with a pair of twist locks for engaging with twist lock pockets provided at the top corners of the container 100 in a known fashion. The arms 22 are associated with hydraulic actuators (not visible) which can be operated to rotate the arms with respect to the body 20. Apparatus 10 further includes a container lid lifting mechanism in the form of lid lifting assemblies 24 which are associated with the body for engaging with a lid 102 of the container 100 and are also associated with hydraulic actuators which are arranged to move the lid lifting assemblies 24 between a raised position and a lowered position to thereby move the lid of the container between a closed condition and an open condition as will be later described. Body 20 is attachable to a lifting device in the form of a dockside crane by way of attaching chains to eyelets 30 so that the combination of the handling apparatus 10 container 100 and lid 102 may be lifted off the ground and moved to different locations in an area. In cargo loading operations the cargo handling apparatus 10 is suspended from a dockside crane and is controlled by a control system that is operated by the dockside crane operator. The apparatus is brought into proximity with a loaded container and attached to the container by way of operating the twist locks provided on arms 22. The combination of the apparatus and container is then lifted by the crane and moved to a position where the container is suspended above the loading hatch of a ship's hold. The crane operator then initiates a sequence of operations to 1) lift the lid of the container; and 2) rotate the container by way of the rotating arms 22 to invert the container so that the material in the container drops from the open container into the hold. The container is then returned to its upright position, the lid replaced, and the empty container is set down on the dockside for subsequent re-use.

Referring to figures 2 to 5, a new form of intermodal container 200 is shown. The container differs in principle from the container 100 of figure 1 in that, rather than utilising a removable lid, it has a hinged lid portion 202 which remains attached to the body of the container at all times by way of four hinge assemblies 204. Container 200 is formed from steel and includes a body 201 with a floor portion 210 and wall portions. The walls portions are provided in first and second pairs, the first pair of wall portions 212 are longer than the second pair of wall portions 214. The wall portions 212, 214 are joined to the floor 210 at their lower regions and generally surround the floor to thereby provide a space 220 for holding an amount of bulk material. Rectangular lid portion 202 is generally planar and has four edges, the lid portion 202 is hingedly attached along one of its longer edges to the upper region of one of the longer wall portions 212 and is moveable between a closed condition (as shown in figures 3 and 4) and an open condition (as shown in figures 2 and 5). When in the closed condition, the lid portion 202 rests on the upper regions of the wall portions. Container 200 further includes eight twist lock pockets 208 which are provided at each corner of the container. Container 200 allows for use of a simplified form of container handling apparatus.

Referring to figure 6, a modified cargo handling apparatus 10a is shown. Apparatus 1Oa differs from the apparatus 10 shown in figure 1 in that the lift lifting assemblies 24 have been omitted. In all other respects the handling device 10a is similar to the device 10 and like reference numerals will be used in the following description.

Apparatus 10a includes a main body 20 and a container engagement arrangement for engaging with a cargo container in the form of two arms 22, each of which are pivotally mounted to body 20 and are each fitted with a pair of twist locks for engaging with twist lock pockets 208 provided at the top corners of the container 200. The arms 22 are associated with hydraulic actuators (not visible) which can be operated to rotate the arms with respect to the body 20. Body 20 is attachable to a lifting device in the form of a dockside crane by way of attaching chains to eyelets 30 so that the combination of the handling apparatus 10a container 200 may be lifted off the ground and moved to different locations in an area. In cargo loading operations the cargo handling apparatus 10a is suspended from a dockside crane and is controlled by a control system that is operated by the dockside crane operator. The apparatus is brought into proximity with a loaded container 200 and attached to the container by way of operating the twist locks provided on arms 22. The combination of the apparatus and container is then lifted by the crane and moved to a position where the container is suspended above the loading hatch of a ship's hold. The crane operator then initiates a rotation sequence to rotate the container 200 which will now be described with reference to the sequence of figures 6 to 15

• At the position shown in figures 6 and 7, the container 200 has been rotated through an angle of 45 degrees. The direction of rotation is such that the hinge assemblies 204 are at the high side of the container 200. • At the position shown in figures 8 and 9, the container 200 has been rotated through an angle of 90 degrees. • At the position shown in figures 10 and 11, the container 200 has been rotated through an angle of 100 degrees. At this point, it can be seen that the influence of gravity has the effect of maintaining lid portion 202 in a vertical orientation whilst the container body portion 201 continues to be rotated. The lid 202 begins to open and the bulk material (not shown) that was inside the container 200 begins to fall out. • At the position shown in figures 13 and 14, the container 200 has been rotated through an angle of 135 degrees. Lid portion 202 remains in a vertical orientation. Bulk material that is in the container 200 continues to fall out. • At the position shown in figures 14 and 15, the container 200 has been rotated through an angle of 180 degrees. The lid 202 remains in a vertical orientation. The body portion 201 is now completely inverted and all bulk material that was in the container has fallen out to land in the bulk cargo carrier (not shown).

• The sequence above is then reversed as the container 200 is rotated back through 180 to its normal upright orientation. The empty container 200 is then set aside for future use. The operator of the cargo handling device 10a then picks up the next full container and this sequence repeats until all of the containers have been emptied.

The cargo handling apparatus 10a is dimensioned to accommodate containers of the size of both standard height and half-height intermodal shipping containers. In the embodiments described above, the cargo handling device was suspended from a dockside crane. In other embodiments it can be it can suspended from other types of lifting devices including reach stackers, and mobile and gantry cranes.

It can be seen that embodiments of the invention have at least one of the following advantages:

• Enables use of a simplified form of cargo handling apparatus without a lid lifting mechanism, along with associated sensors, actuators and control systems. • The lid portion of the container is never separated from the body of the container thereby preventing loss of the lid.

Any reference to prior art contained herein is not to be taken as an admission that the information is common general knowledge, unless otherwise indicated. Finally, it is to be appreciated that various alterations or additions may be made to the parts previously described without departing from the spirit or ambit of the present invention.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An intermodal container including: a body including a floor portion and wall portions, the wall portions are joined to the floor at their lower regions and generally surround the floor to thereby provide a space for holding an amount of bulk material; a generally planar lid having four edges; the lid is attached to the upper region of one of the wall portions and is moveable between a closed condition and an open condition.

2. An intermodal container according to claim 1 wherein the lid is hingedly attached to the upper region of one of the wall portions

3. An intermodal container according to either of claim 1 or 2 which includes four wall portions.

4. An intermodal container according to claim 2 wherein the walls are provided in first and second pairs, the first pair of wall portions are longer than the second pair of wall portions.

5. An intermodal container according to any preceding claim wherein the lid is rectangular and has a pair of long edges and a pair of relatively shorter edges.

6. An intermodal container according to claim 4 wherein the lid is attached to the wall portion along one of its longer edges.

7. An intermodal container according to any preceding claim wherein in the closed condition the lid rests on the upper regions of the wall portions.

8. A method of loading bulk material into a bulk material carrier including the steps of: providing a plurality of intermodal containers according to any one of claims 1 to 7; loading the intermodal containers with bulk material at a first location; transporting the loaded intermodal containers to a second location where the bulk carrier is located; a cargo handling apparatus is provided at the second location, the cargo handling apparatus being arranged to pick up intermodal containers and rotate the containers; operating the cargo handling apparatus to handle each of the intermodal containers in turn, to bring each container over a loading opening of the bulk carrier and to rotate the container to cause the lid of the container to open under the influence of gravity and to cause the contents of the container to drop from the container into the loading opening of the bulk carrier.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein the containers are rotated through an angle of at least 180 degrees.