DE9417418U1 - Shipping container - Google Patents

Description

ARNE MISSLING Dipi.-ing. PATENT ATTORNEY

'&Xgr;&Tgr; (06 41) 71019, 35390 Giessen

October 28, 1994 Mi-Wa/JK 94.211GM

Rabewerk GmbH + Co. D-49152 Bad Essen

Transport container

Description

The invention relates to a transport container with a cuboid-shaped outer contour for unpackaged, reusable, elongated building elements, in particular auxiliary building elements, of different cross-sectional size and approximately the same maximum and/or minimum length, for example formwork boards, scaffolding elements or the like, with a frame construction that follows at least the edges of the outer contour and thereby forms a support base, two long sides directed parallel to the longitudinal extension of the building elements and front sides directed transversely thereto and a ceiling, composed of horizontal long and transverse beams and vertical corner posts connecting them.

Transport containers of this type are used on a large scale, particularly on building sites, for the temporary provision of formwork boards. These are usually open-topped and otherwise closed, fairly voluminous metal containers in which the formwork boards can be stored in a more or less space-saving and sorted manner. It goes without saying that it will usually not be possible to remove certain dimensions of the formwork boards in priority; instead, the entire transport container is emptied and the formwork boards are then sorted by size and stored for use outside the

Transport containers are temporarily stored. Such an effort requires a considerable amount of personnel and costs. It must also be taken into account that loading and emptying the transport container is cumbersome, laborious and strenuous because it is naturally built relatively high, but on the other hand the formwork boards cannot simply be tipped over if they are to be treated carefully.

The invention therefore has the task of designing a transport container of the type described in more detail above in such a way that the aforementioned disadvantages do not occur and instead formwork boards and other similar building elements or auxiliary building elements can be inserted in such a way that they can be removed from the transport container individually and in a targeted manner, for example in terms of their length or cross-section; they should be able to be stored carefully in the transport container and be easily stacked. The transport container should nevertheless be cheap and stable to manufacture and easy to transport and stack in a robust design suitable for rough construction site operations.

The invention is based on the fact that such elongated components are usually only required in a few groups of the same length and it is therefore obvious to provide a suitable transport container for each of these groups.

According to the invention, the object is achieved in that a first end face is at least partially filled with a preferably stationary, flat stop and a second end face opposite the first is at least partially filled with a foldable, flat stop for the components that acts as a closure of the transport container and that in at least two cross-sectional planes of the

Transport container vertical space dividers are provided in such a way that the cross-sectional planes are equally divided into vertical strip-like partial cross-sections of different widths and continuous from the ceiling to the support floor, rectangular partial cross-sections for accommodating the structural elements provided therein, each of approximately the same cross-section, lying one on top of the other.

A transport container according to the invention can therefore be designed with largely open side walls and accordingly in a relatively light construction. Stable wire mesh is sufficient as stops. It is loaded with components of a given standard length, although it is not impossible that shorter pieces can also be stored if the frame construction is designed accordingly and the distances between the room dividers are taken into account. For practical reasons, it is useful if the components are assigned to a certain size of the transport container within a certain length interval, so that the number of differently dimensioned transport containers is limited. The room dividers allow components of the same cross-section (and usually the same length) to be stacked on top of one another, so that if necessary, each size can be removed individually from the transport container, starting from the top, which then no longer has to be completely unloaded and then refilled later; rather, it serves as an intermediate storage facility itself. The easy accessibility of the components, which only requires folding away a stop, ensures careful handling of the components and easy and quick loading and unloading.

An advantageous division of the interior of the transport container according to the invention is achieved if a first room divider is provided on the second end face and,

slightly recessed into the interior of the transport container, near the second stop folded into its closed position, while at least one further divider is located in the opposite half of the transport container. In this way, two dividers are sufficient to safely store components that may also be slightly shorter than the standard length selected for this transport container.

A preferred design of such room dividers consists in that they are each composed of at least one upper and lower horizontal bearing profile clamped between two longitudinal beams or corner posts of the frame structure and at least one and preferably several vertical dividing profiles that can be locked in the bearing profiles and are spaced apart from one another so that they form the desired widths of the partial cross sections; the dividing profiles can be designed as round bars, and at least one row of holes can be provided in the bearing profiles along their length, through whose holes the dividing profiles can be pushed through, whereby a support for the dividing profiles is provided below the row of holes in the lower bearing profiles and either a belt of the relevant bearing profile or a cross beam of the frame structure can be used for this purpose. It is also conceivable to place the dividing profiles with a head on the upper bearing profile. Such an arrangement is relatively simple and also stabilizes the frame structure. The components can be placed on the lower bearing profiles, whereby the lower bearing profile of the first room divider is arranged slightly higher than that of the other room divider, so that the components lie inclined in their insertion direction, preferably with an angle of inclination between 5° and 20°. The components

are therefore stored safely and can be easily removed when the stop is folded away (the diagonal stacking of the components creates a step-like contour, whereby the individual components can be easily reached under to remove them), but they do not fall out on their own - which could cause accidents. Such an inclination also has a position-stabilizing effect on the components for safe transport, for example when hanging freely from a crane.

Transport is particularly easy if transport hooks are provided on the lower or upper longitudinal beams, ideally in such a way that the transport hooks are part of a vertical tie rod that connects a lower and an upper longitudinal beam approximately in the middle and that they are provided at the upper end of the beam. The hook loads are thus distributed relatively evenly throughout the frame structure.

It is particularly advantageous if the transport hooks are designed in such a way that they can accommodate both an endless chain of a construction crane and eye hooks of a chain with at least 2 strands.

The transport container according to the invention is easy to use if the foldable stop can be pivoted about a pivot axis formed on the upper crossbar of the second end face and parallel to it until it rests on the ceiling of the transport container. It can be pivoted there and remain there as long as components are removed or inserted. It is particularly advantageous if the transport hooks are provided in such a way that they are covered by the foldable stop pivoted onto the ceiling of the transport container and are inaccessible for the attachment of transport means until the foldable stop has been pivoted back. In this way, it is largely

It is not possible to move the transport container using the transport hooks as long as the fold-away stop is not acting as a closure for the transport container; in this position it can be conveniently locked, preferably by means of retaining hooks.

A container for accessories and small parts can be provided on the transport container according to the invention, preferably in the gap between the ceiling and the first end face, in such a way that it is accessible even when the transport container is not unloaded. Since such small items usually have to be available, such an arrangement also helps the transport container to function as an intermediate storage facility.

It is possible to stack several transport containers safely on top of each other if they are provided with support feet and - on the ceiling - with stacking aids in which the support feet of another transport container can be inserted and locked horizontally in place. The support feet can most easily be formed from the ends of the corner posts that extend below the support floor, whereas the stacking aids, preferably designed as sheet metal tabs, can be attached to the corner posts, longitudinal or transverse beams and extend above the ceiling; they are usually welded there.

The transport container according to the invention has particularly favorable standing properties if sheet metal eyelets are preferably formed on the support feet in the area of the support base as an enlarged contact surface. This allows the surface load to be reduced, which proves to be very advantageous in particular in sandy and undulating terrain, such as is found on construction sites.

It is also of great advantage for inventive

The transport container, the support feet and the sheet metal eyelets should be arranged in such a way that the support beams of a forklift truck can be inserted both across the long sides and across the front sides of the transport container. This makes loading the containers for and from transport and moving the containers, for example in the warehouse, much easier.

When transporting a transport container according to the invention, it is particularly economical if the standard transport width available on a truck of approx. 2.40 m corresponds to an integer multiple of the width and/or length of the transport container.

Overall, the transport container according to the invention is suitable for rationalizing and simplifying the transport and use of construction and auxiliary construction materials and, in addition to the actual task, for ensuring order when they are used on site.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to an embodiment example and the drawing.

Fig. 1 shows an unloaded transport container according to the invention in a closed and

Fig. 2 in opened state, without complete room divider,

Fig. 3 a loaded transport container according to the invention completely closed and

Fig. 4 in open state and
Fig. 5 without closure,

all in schematic spatial representation.
A transport container T according to the invention consists of

According to Fig. 1 to 5, it essentially consists of a support base 1, a ceiling 2 and two long sides 3 and end faces 4,5 of a frame construction R along the edges K of the outer contour of the transport container T. The long sides 3 are surrounded by beam-like vertical corner posts 31 and horizontal longitudinal beams 11,21, which are each welded together.

The long sides 3 are connected to each other by horizontal cross beams 12 in the area of the support floor 1 and cross beams 22 in the area of the ceiling 2. The cross beams 12 are formed by angle profiles 12a, 12b connected to the corner posts 31 or U-profiles 12c, 12d clamped between the long sides 21, whereby the U-profiles 12c, 12d are connected to the adjacent angle profiles 12a, 12b by means of struts 13; all of these parts of the support floor 1 are welded together.

The cross beams 22 are designed in different ways. A cross beam 22a in the area of a first end wall 4 is beam-shaped, a cross beam 22b clamped approximately centrally on the longitudinal beams 21 is tubular, and a cross beam 22c in the area of a second end wall 5 is a flat or angled profile.

The first front side 4 is essentially formed by a flat stop 40 which is fixed to the frame structure R, for example welded, and which simply consists of a wire mesh whose mesh pitch is selected so that the stored components B cannot pass through the wire mesh with their cross-section. In addition to the outer surfaces of the corner posts 31 and the cross member 22a located on the front side 4, the stop 40 is also connected to a web of the angle profile 12a which is flush with these outer surfaces.

In contrast, a front side 5 too large

A stop 50, which is also flat and fills the area of the front side 5, can be folded away. For this purpose, the stop 50, which also consists of a wire mesh and has approximately the same mesh division as the stop 40, can be pivoted about a pivot axis 51, which is formed by pivot pins 52b suspended in holes 52a and provided on the stop 50, which together form a pivot bearing 52 which also serves as a holder for the stop 50; the holes 52a are located in bearing brackets 53, which are fastened to the cross member 22c in such a way that the pivot axis 51 runs approximately parallel and adjacent to it and the stop 50 can be placed against the outer contour of the frame structure R.

Two retaining hooks 54 are attached to a web of the angle profile 12b that is flush with the inner contour of the frame construction R, with which the stop 50 can be fixed so that the transport container T is closed in the area of the front wall 5. The unhooked stop 50 can be pivoted by approximately 270° about the pivot axis 51 and placed on the ceiling 2.

The transport container T can therefore be loaded with components B (only) from the front side 5. They then extend parallel to the long sides 3; as a rule, the arrangement is such that the components B with the standard length intended for the transport container T strike with their front surfaces against the two stops 40, 50 when the transport container T is closed.

In two cross-sectional planes parallel to the front sides 4,5, room dividers 6 are formed, which consist of horizontal bearing profiles 61 running parallel to the cross members 12,22 and of vertical dividing profiles 62 that can be locked in these bearing profiles 61. The dividing profiles 62, which are designed here as round

Bars are held in two holes of a respective row of holes 610 of the bearing profiles 61 or of a cross member 12 in such a way that they divide the relevant cross-sectional plane into partial cross-sections of different widths, which are matched to the different cross-sections of the components B. The division of the rows of holes 610 is selected in such a way that all common widths b ₁ , b ₂ , b 3 , b ₄ etc. of the components B can be produced by repositioning the division profiles 62.

A first room divider 6a is located in the immediate vicinity of the fold-away stop 50, whereby the rows of holes 610 for the dividing profiles 62 are arranged in the upper cross member 22c used as a bearing profile, which is designed as a flat or angle profile and on which the bearing tabs 53 are also located, and on a flat bearing profile 61a clamped just above the associated lower angle profile 12b between the corner posts 31. The horizontal, lower belt of the angle profile 12b serves as a support for the dividing profiles 62, which abut there with one end face solely due to gravity.

A further room divider 6b is provided at a distance of about two thirds of the length 1 of the transport container T from the room divider 6a. An upper bearing profile 61b clamped between the longitudinal beams 11 contains a row of holes 610, as does the upper flange of the U-profile 12c, which is located exactly below the bearing profile 61b and is also used as a bearing profile, the lower flange of which serves as a support for the dividing profiles "62. The other U-profile 12d is provided symmetrically to it, and both are oriented in such a way that the struts 13 can be welded to the respective web of the U-profile 12c, d. The struts 13 here are also U-shaped with vertically upward

- 11 -

directed belts.

Approximately in the middle of the length 1, a transport hook 7 is attached to each of the upper longitudinal beams 21 and, via tie rods 71, to the lower longitudinal beams 11, in order to be able to transport the transport container T as a whole using a hoist. The approximately symmetrical introduction of the hook load into all four longitudinal beams 11, 21 ensures that the entire frame structure R is loaded evenly. When the stop 50 is pivoted and folded onto the ceiling 2, it rests on the transport hooks 7, so that these cannot be used to hook into a hoist. In this way, improper handling of the transport container T is counteracted. The tie rods 71 also contribute to stiffening the frame structure R.

The lower ends of the corner posts 31, which extend below the support base 1, serve as support feet 31a. They can be placed on the corner posts 31 of another transport container T and placed on the outer surfaces of stacking aids 31b that abut against the support feet 31a, so that the transport containers T cannot move against each other (horizontally). The stacking aids 31b simply consist of vertical sheet metal tabs welded to the corner posts 31 and following their outer surfaces. In addition, sheet metal eyelets 31c are formed on the support feet 31a, adjoining the inside of the long sides 3, which increase the contact area of the container.

The components B rest between the dividing profiles 62 in sections on the U-profile 12c and the bearing profile 61a, whereby the bearing surface of the latter is raised in relation to that of the U-profile 12c so that the components B are slightly inclined 5 in the direction of the front side 4; an angle of inclination of 5 to 20 ° is favourable in order to

to ensure that the components B are securely supported even when the transport container T is open and to keep their position stable during transport.

The free space thus gained in the gap between the ceiling 2 and the front wall 4 is filled with a container 8 that is open at the top but otherwise closed and can hold small items and the like; it is connected here to the bearing profile 61b and otherwise to the frame construction R.

List of reference symbols used

1 support floor

11 (lower) longitudinal beam

12 (lower) crossbar

12a Angle profile (on the front side 4)

12b Angle profile (on the front side 5)

12c U-profile (in the area of the room divider

6b)

12d Ü-Profil

13 Strut

2 Blanket

21 (upper) longitudinal beam

22 (upper) cross member

22a (beam-shaped) cross member

22b (tubular) cross member

22c (profiled) cross beam

3 Long side 31 Corner post

31a Support foot

31b Stacking aid

31c Sheet metal eyelet

4 (first, closed) front side 40 stop

5 (second, opening) front side

50 stop

51 Swivel axis

52 Pivot bearing 52a Bore

52b Pivot bolt

53 Bearing bracket

54 retaining hooks

6 room dividers

6a (first) room divider

6b (second) room divider

61 Bearing profile

61a (lower) bearing profile (on the first room

divider 6a)

61b (upper) bearing profile (on the second room

divider 6b)

610 hole row

62 Division profile

7 Transport hooks 71 Tie rods

8 Container

b-^,b2,b3,b4 Width (of the component B, the

Part cross sections)

1 Length (of the transport container T)

B Component

K edge

R Frame construction

T Transport container

Claims (18)

Expectations 1. Transport container with a cuboid-shaped outer contour for elongated building elements (B) that can be used multiple times, in particular auxiliary building elements, of different cross-sectional size and approximately the same maximum and/or minimum length, for example formwork boards, scaffolding elements or the like, with a frame construction (R) that follows at least the edges (K) of the outer contour and thereby forms a support base (1), two longitudinal sides (3) directed parallel to the longitudinal extension of the building elements (B) and end faces (4,5) directed transversely thereto and a ceiling (2), composed of horizontal longitudinal and transverse beams (11,21;12,22) and vertical corner posts (31) connecting them, characterized in that (a) a first end face (4) is at least partially filled with a preferably stationary, flat stop (40) and a second end face (5) opposite the first is each filled with a foldable, flat stop (50) for the components (B) which acts as a closure of the transport container (T) and (b) vertical space dividers (6) are provided in at least two cross-sectional planes of the transport container (T) which are preferably parallel to the front sides (4, 5) and spaced apart from one another, such that the cross-sectional planes are equally divided into rectangular partial cross-sections, possibly of different widths, in the form of vertical strips and extending from the ceiling (2) to the support floor (1), for accommodating the structural elements (B) provided therein lying one on top of the other, each of approximately the same cross-section. 2. Transport container according to claim 1, characterized in that a first space divider (6a) _is provided on the second end face (5) and, slightly indented into the interior of the transport container (T), near the second stop (50) folded into its closed position, while at least one further space divider (6b) is located in the opposite half of the transport container (T). 3. Transport container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the space dividers (6) each consist of at least one upper and lower horizontal bearing profile (61) clamped between two longitudinal beams (11, 21) or corner posts (31) of the frame construction (R) and at least one and preferably several vertical dividing profiles (62) which can be locked in the bearing profiles (61) and which are spaced apart from one another such that they form the desired widths (b-^ , b ₂ , b ₃ , b ₄ ) of the partial cross sections. 4. Transport container according to claim 3, characterized in that the dividing profiles (62) are designed as round rods and in the bearing profiles (61) over their length each at least one row of holes (610) is provided. _m _^ «&Iacgr; _m through whose holes the dividing profiles (62) can be pushed through, whereby a support for the dividing profiles (62) is provided below the rows of holes (610) of the lower bearing profiles (61) and either a belt of the relevant bearing profile (61) or a cross member (12) of the frame construction (R) is used for this purpose. It is also conceivable to place the dividing profiles with a head on the upper bearing profile. 5. Transport container according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the components (B) can be placed on the lower bearing profiles (61) and the lower bearing profile (61a) of the first room divider (6a) is arranged somewhat higher than that of the further room divider (6b), so that the components (B) thereby rest inclined in their insertion direction, preferably with an angle of inclination between 5° and 20°. 6. Transport container according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized _in that transport hooks (7) are provided on the lower or upper longitudinal beams (11, 21). 7. Transport container according to claim 6, characterized in that the transport hooks (7) are each part of a vertical tie rod (71) which connects a lower and an upper longitudinal beam (11, 21) approximately in the middle thereof, and that they are provided at the upper end thereof. 8. Transport container according to one of claims 6 or 7, characterized in that the transport hooks are designed in such a way that they can hold both an endless chain of a construction crane and eye hooks of an at least 2-strand can accommodate a large chain. 9. Transport container according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the fold-away stop (50) can be pivoted about a pivot axis (51) formed on the upper cross member (22c) of the second end face (5) and parallel thereto until it rests on the ceiling (2) of the transport container (T). 10. Transport container according to one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the transport hooks (7) are provided in such a way _that they are covered by the foldable stop (50) pivoted onto the ceiling (2) of the transport container (T) and are inaccessible for attachment of transport means until the foldable stop (50) is pivoted back. 11. Transport container according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in _that the foldable stop (50) can be locked, preferably by retaining hooks (54), when it is located in the plane of the second end face (5). 20- 12. Transport container according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that a container (8) for accessories and small parts is provided, preferably in the gusset between the ceiling (2) and the first end face (4), in such a way that it is accessible even when the transport container (T) is not unloaded. 13. Transport container according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that it is provided with support feet (31a) and/or - on its cover (2) - with stacking aids (31b) in which the support feet (31a) of a further transport container (T) are horizontally immovable can be inserted. 14. Transport container according to claim 13, characterized in that the support feet (31a) are formed by ends of the corner posts (31) extending below the support floor (1). 15. Transport container according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the stacking aids (31b), preferably designed as sheet metal tabs, are attached to the corner posts (31), longitudinal or transverse beams (11, 12; 21, 22) extending over the ceiling (2). 16. Transport container according to one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that , preferably on the support feet (31a), in the region of the support base (1), sheet metal eyelets (31c) are formed as an enlarged support surface. 17. Transport container according to one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that the support feet (31a) and the sheet metal eyelets (31) are arranged so that the support beams of a forklift truck can be inserted both transversely to the longitudinal sides (3) and transversely to the end faces (4, 5) of the transport container (T). 18. Transport container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the standard transport width available on a truck of approx. 2.40 m corresponds to an integer multiple of the width and/or length of the transport container.