DE69212984T2 - Foldable container for bulk goods or liquids - Google Patents

Abstract

A collapsible container of a kind used as an intermediate bulk container, particularly for carriage of hazardous materials. The container has a base (10) on which are placed sides (12) and a front gate (11) and a rear gate (not shown in Figure 1). The lid of the container sits flush between the top edges of the frameworks which constitute the sides and front and rear gates. A feature of the invention is that the front and rear gates are attached to the sides by means of U-shaped brackets (40) which are welded to the vertical members (41) of the side frames (12). A bolt (47) passes through aligned holes in the two ends of the U-shaped brackets and in the vertical side members of the gates and sides of the container. Further features include a strengthened base, upstanding lugs to support a second container stacked on the first, and modifications to prevent the nozzles for filling and emptying a plastic bag, to be placed in the container, from splitting from the bag when the container is mishandled. <MATH>

Description

This invention relates to a collapsible container, particularly of the type which can be used as a bulk storage container and is especially designed for the transport of hazardous materials.

Although the container according to this invention can be used for hazardous materials, it is not limited to this and can also be used for non-hazardous materials.

When hazardous materials such as liquid acids, corrosive materials and liquid hazardous chemicals are transported in bulk intermediate storage containers in plastic bags or plastic totes, the container must be capable of meeting the requirements of the hazardous materials test specified in British Standard 6939.

One test applied to the type of bulk storage container having a liner in which is placed a plastic bag containing hazardous liquids is that the contents must be cooled to -18ºC and maintained in the liquid state at that temperature, if necessary by the use of an antifreeze, and then the bulk storage container must be dropped from a height of 1.2 m fully loaded with minimal splashing of liquid from the plastic bag. The container of the invention is designed to pass this test even if the container is dropped on the side which normally includes the gate through which the liquid is removed from the plastic bag.

According to a basic idea of the present invention, a container specially designed for the transport of hazardous materials comprises:

a base, two side walls, a front wall, a rear wall, and a top wall or lid, the walls being easily attached to and detached from the base, each wall having a braced metal frame, the front and rear walls being connected to the side walls by U-shaped brackets spanning the adjacent vertical frame members of the front wall and the side walls, and by further U-shaped brackets spanning the adjacent vertical frame members of the rear wall and the side walls, the container being characterized in that each U-shaped bracket is provided with an associated bolt adapted to extend through holes in both ends of the U-shaped bracket and through aligned holes in the adjacent vertical members, so as to prevent the front and rear walls from breaking away from the container when the latter is loaded. Preferably the bolts also extend through the lining of the container if one is used.

The brackets may be welded to the vertical frame members of the side walls, and two or three or more brackets may be arranged distributed along the length of the vertical frame members.

Preferably, upwardly projecting tabs are attached to the base, which are designed to hold the front and rear walls against outward movement.

The upper wall or cover is preferably reinforced by a gusset plate attached to the reinforcing cross members and additional cross members may be provided to enable the lid to be removed from the container.

Additional upwardly projecting lugs may be provided, attached to the upper frame members of the front, rear and side walls, to secure another container when stacked on top of the container.

The rear part and the side parts are preferably reinforced by additional cross members. Each of the side and rear parts may comprise a square or rectangular frame reinforced by a vertical bar and by two cross bars or cross members arranged at equal distances.

The corners of the walls can be further reinforced with diagonal braces, which will help prevent the lining from bursting or breaking, if one is used.

The base is preferably formed by metal bars with a box profile and preferably has at least two cross braces which reinforce the frame of the base and at least two further crossing cross braces which are arranged at right angles to the other cross braces.

If a lining is used, it can be a wooden lining, although a plastic lining is preferred.

According to the present invention there is further provided an annular collar adapted to fit over the projecting filler neck of the bag and to protect the neck area, the collar having a thickness in the area of the filler neck equal to the height of the filler neck so that the neck is protected from being torn off the bag during upward movement of the bag and the liquid within the bag.

An additional protective feature includes filling or lining the area around the outlet spout so that it is protected from lateral movement and prevents the bag from being separated from the spout during such movement.

The attached drawings show:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of a bulk storage container constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an isometric view of the lid when removed from the box and standing on one side;

Fig. 3 is an isometric view of the base of the container;

Fig. 3a, b show details of the base;

Fig. 4 is an isometric view of the front wall or door of the container;

Fig. 4a, b, c, d, e, f and g various details;

Fig. 5 is an isometric view of the rear door or rear wall of a container;

Fig. 6 is an isometric view of one of the two sides of the container, the other side being similar;

Fig. 7 is a cross-section through the container showing a liquid-filled bag inside the container ready for transport.

The bulk storage container shown in the drawings generally consists of a base on which two sides are detachably mounted, namely a front and a rear wall, the front wall being a gate wall and having a door through which a spout can project for emptying the contents of the plastic bag in the container. The container further comprises a lid or top wall. In the container shown in the drawings each wall is lined on the inside with a lining material shown in the form of panels 12a, 12a and 13a. The container can be assembled and disassembled easily and without the use of tools. After use it can be packed flat for return and reuse.

As can be seen in Fig. 1, the bulk storage container has a base 10, a front wall or gate 11, a side wall 12 and a top wall or lid 13. The rear wall 9 or gate and the other side wall 12 are not shown in this figure, but are shown in Figs. 5 and 6, respectively.

The walls are attached to the plinth in exactly the manner described and shown in our pending UK application 90 08 410.4, now published as GB-A-22 42 891.

The base 10 is in the form of a pallet formed by square steel tubes and at each corner of the pallet there is arranged an upwardly projecting corner plate as shown in Fig. 1 by reference numerals 14, 15 and 16. Each corner plate has a slot, e.g. 17, 18, designed to receive lugs 19 and 20. An intermediate plate 14A has a slot 17A designed to receive a lug 19A. The lugs 19 and 20 are welded to the frame of the side wall 12 and when engaged in the slots they hold the side wall in position and prevent it from tipping over, even when the other walls are removed.

The way in which the front wall and the side walls are connected by bolts is shown in Fig. 1 and is an important component of the present invention, which will be described in detail later.

The wall 13 (Figs. 1 and 2) is formed by a rectangular frame having side frame members 21 and 22, a rear frame member 23 and a front frame member 24. These frame members are stiffened by cross braces 25 and 26. A gusset plate 27 is welded to the cross braces 25 and 26 as shown to provide additional strength.

Round bars 28 and 29 are also provided which connect the cross brace 26 to the front and rear frame parts 23 and 24. The round bars 29 can be used to enable the person placing the lid in position to grasp and hold the lid and carefully lower it onto the top of the container.

As shown, there are eight brackets 30 secured to the frame members of the lid and having an inverted U-shape so as to grip over the adjacent upper rails of the side walls and the front and rear walls. Bolts 31 secured to plates 32 are disposed on the lid and adapted to extend through aligned openings in the U-shaped brackets 30, in the frame members 21 to 24 of the lid and in the adjacent frame members of the side walls and the front and rear walls.

The bolts continue to pass through the liners 11A and 12A where they are clamped between the edges of the upper frame and the adjacent upper frame members of the side walls and the front and rear walls.

It will be seen that the lid can be placed on the top of the container in such a way that it is flush with the upper surfaces of the upper sections of the side, front and rear frames and is secured by the U-shaped brackets 30 and by the eight bolts which through the aligned holes in the frame members. This arrangement, together with the special reinforcement of the top including the gusset plate, provides the stability required to pass the test for containers for dangerous materials mentioned above.

The side walls and rear wall have been reinforced by additional cross members. In Figs. 1, 5 and 6 it can be seen that in addition to the vertical reinforcement beam 34 there are two cross bracing beams 35 and 36 which are evenly spaced across the height of the side walls and rear wall. Diagonal braces 37 are also provided on each side of the front and rear walls which provide additional strength and help to prevent the lining 33 from breaking open if the container is dropped.

Fig. 5, showing the front gate, further shows in more detail the manner in which the bolts are formed which hold the front gate in position, and Fig. 6 shows the side wall in more detail.

Another feature shown in Figures 1 and 3 is the use of three upwardly projecting plates 38 welded to each side of the base and arranged to engage and hold the lower rail 39 of the front wall or gate to prevent it from bulging outward.

The lining can be made of plastic, such as polypropylene, or of GRP, or wood or metal, such as sheet steel.

All walls are made of a fully welded steel construction made of galvanized pipes that are open at the ends and covered with plastic caps or plugs.

-In Fig. 6, which shows one of the two sides of the container, it can be seen that three U-shaped brackets 40 are welded to each vertical side part 41 of the side wall of the container. The section AA of Fig. 6a shows how the U-shaped brackets 40 are welded to the vertical parts 41 at 42. The U-shaped parts have holes 43 in each arm of the U which are aligned with corresponding holes in the vertical parts 41 in the sides and in the vertical parts 44 in the front gate (see Fig. 4) and also in the vertical parts 45 of the rear gate (see Fig. 5). The front and rear gates comprise four plates 46, each of which carries a sliding bolt 47 adapted to pass through the holes in the brackets 40 and the aligned holes in the uprights such as 41 and 44. Thus, the bolts extend completely through the entire assembly of U-shaped brackets and the adjacent upright side members and thus through both ends of the U-shaped bracket. Of course, the bolts extend through both ends of the brackets and the brackets are welded to the uprights. The U-shaped brackets provide strong resistance to any outward movement of the front and rear gates caused, for example, by the container being dropped or otherwise damaged.

The bolt system of the rear gate is similar to that of the front gate, with the front gate shown in Fig. 4 and the rear gate in Fig. 5.

As can be seen in Figures 4a, b, c and d, the bolt 47 is supported on its plate 46 in an inverted U-shaped bracket 48 and in a second U-shaped bracket 49, the aligned holes 50 of which receive the end 47A of the bolt so that locking of the bolt can be achieved by passing a padlock or similar locking device through the aligned holes 50.

Fig. 4 also shows the door construction (see Fig. 4, 4e, 4f and 49).

The door 51 has an L-shaped bracket 52 welded thereto, which is designed to receive a bolt 53. On the inside of the door is fixed a bung 54 on which is placed a flat plate 55 having the same diameter as the outlet nozzle of the plastic bag which is inserted into the container. This bung is added to hold the valve in place, as will be described later in connection with Fig. 7.

In particular, in Figures 1 and 6, the stacking guides can be seen in the form of tabs 56 which project upwards from the upper frame parts of the four walls to enable a second container to be placed on top of the first container. The tabs prevent the upper container from sliding off the lower container.

The base 10 (see Fig. 3) is reinforced by the use of three longitudinal struts 57, 58 and 59, which interact with two metal struts or spars 60 and 61, all of these struts being made of metal, preferably steel, with a box profile.

The corner reinforcements 63 are cut away at 64 (see also Fig. 3a) to provide additional support for the front and rear gates, which have tabs 65 (see Fig. 1) that engage under the cut away portions of the corners. These tabs can also be seen in Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 shows a cross-section through the container, cassette and plastic bag after the bag has been filled and is full of liquid. In general, the cassette or bag receiving device is of the type shown in our pending UK application 90 16 546.5, now published as GB-A-22 46 336. The bag is supported on the base of the container on a wedge 66 which for example, may be formed by polystyrene foam. On the wedge is a cardboard cassette 67 for the plastic bag 68. As described in our above-referenced pending application, the plastic bag has a drain valve 69 and a fill valve 70. It has been found that the drain valve and/or the fill valve sometimes tend to tear away from the plastic bag when the container with its plastic bag filled with liquid is dropped or otherwise mishandled. To prevent such occurrences, in accordance with a principle of this invention, an annular pad made of plastic, such as polystyrene 70A, is disposed around the fill valve and has substantially the same height as the fill valve or a slightly greater height as shown so that the fill valve is protected when upward pressure is exerted on the valve by the liquid during accidental mishandling.

The discharge valve is provided with a similar pad 71 which, in cooperation with the bung 54 and the plate 55 (described in connection with Fig. 49 above), ensures that the discharge valve is also secured by the pad and against the plate on the bung so that it cannot move independently of the bag and thus avoids tearing off the bag if any movement occurs.

The features described above, in particular the way in which the gates are secured in the U-shaped brackets by bolts which extend completely through the adjacent vertical members, the way in which the bung and filler neck are protected, the reinforced base and other features all work together to provide a container which can withstand heavy use and is suitable for the transport of hazardous materials in plastic bags with a high degree of safety.

Claims (15)

1. A collapsible container comprising a base (10), two side walls (12), a front wall (11), a rear wall (9) and a top wall (13) or a lid, the walls being easily attached to and detached from the base and each wall comprising a braced metal frame, the front and rear walls being connected to the side walls by U-shaped brackets (40) spanning the adjacent vertical frame parts (41, 44) of the front wall and the side walls and by further U-shaped brackets (40) spanning the adjacent vertical frame parts of the rear wall and the side walls, characterized in that each U-shaped bracket (40) is provided with an associated bolt (47) which is designed to pass through holes (43) in both arms of the U-shaped bracket (40) and aligned holes in the adjacent vertical parts (41, 44, 45 etc.) so as to prevent the front (11) and rear (9) walls from breaking out of the container when it is loaded. 2. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that the U-shaped brackets are welded to the vertical frame parts (41) of the sides (12) so that the vertical frame parts (44, 45 etc.) of the front and rear walls each come to lie within the U of the U-shaped bracket (40). 3. Container according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the walls are lined and the bolts (47) also extend through the linings (11A, 12A). 4. Container according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that upwardly projecting tabs (38) attached to the base are designed to hold the front and rear walls against outward movement. 5. Container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that additional upwardly projecting tabs (56) are attached to the upper frame parts of the front, rear and sides to secure a further container when it is stacked on top of the first container. 6. Container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper wall or the lid (13) is reinforced by a node plate (27) which is attached to the reinforcing cross members (25, 26). 7. Container according to claim 6, in which additional cross members (28, 29) are provided to enable the lid to be lifted off the container. 8. Container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the side and rear parts are reinforced by the use of additional cross members (35, 36). 9. Container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the corners of the walls have additional reinforcement by diagonal struts (37). 10. Container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the base (10) is constructed from metal beams with a box profile and has at least two cross beams (60, 61) which reinforce the frame of the base and at least two further crossing cross beams (57, 58, 59) which are arranged at right angles to the other cross beams. 11. Container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lid or top wall (13) is arranged so that it lies in a plane with the upper surfaces of the frames of the side walls (12), the front wall (11) and the rear wall (9), the top wall or lid (13) being fixed by bolts (31) extending through the frame (21 to 24) of the top wall (13) and through the frames of the other walls. 12. Container according to claim 11, characterized in that the lid is supported at the sides and ends by U-shaped brackets (30) and that the bolts (31) extend through the U-shaped brackets. 13. Container according to one of the preceding claims, in combination with a plastic bag having a filling spout (70) and an outlet spout (69), the filling spout (70) being provided with an annular collar (70A) which is designed to fit over the filling spout of the bag and to protect the spout area. 14. Container according to one of the preceding claims, in combination with a plastic bag, the bag being designed to be filled with a liquid and arranged within the container, the bag having an outlet nozzle (69) which is protected from lateral movements by a cushion piece (71) arranged around the outlet nozzle (69). 15. Container according to claim 14, wherein the outlet nozzle (69) of the plastic bag is further protected from lateral movements by a bung (54) on the inner surface of the container, preferably on a door of the container.