FR2473018A1 - CONTAINER-TANK COMPRISING A TANK RETAINED WITHIN A PARALLELEPIPEDIC FRAMEWORK - Google Patents

Abstract

1. A tank-container comprising a tank retained inside a parallelepipedic framework, characterized in that the tank (11) is connected to the framework by means of shock-absorbing studs (16) comprising a resilient pad (17) interposed between a male body (18) and a female body (19), these two bodies fitting into one another and being secured one to the framework and the other to the tank.

Description

The present invention relates to a tank container comprising a

  tank retained inside a parallelepiped frame.

The tank containers have been designed to meet the requirements

modern transport. Their framework is in fact made in a way that

  liter their handling with the usual lifting devices as well as their storage

storage, in piles or in rows, in warehouses or in means of transport

  port such as freighters, wagons and trucks.

  In current tank containers, the tank generally rests on cradles provided on the frame and is applied directly against them by half-clamps fixed to the frame, for example by bouJonnage. However, with such an assembly method, all the forces exerted on the framework during handling or transport of the container are transmitted

to the tank which risks being damaged at any time.

  The present invention proposes to remedy these drawbacks and, to do this, it relates to a tank container which is characterized by

that the tank is connected to the frame by means of elastic studs

directional ques.

  The various forces exerted on the frame are now-

  nant absorbed by the elastic pads and therefore no longer reach the tank. Risks for it to be damaged during handling

  of the tank container are thus eliminated.

The elastic studs also allow the tank to expand more easily during temperature variations. In addition, they oppose the appearance of corrosions under tension as well as the formation of

thermal bridges.

  Advantageously, each stud comprises an elastic mattress interposed between a male body and a female body of complementary shapes, these two bodies being nested one inside the other and integral with one of the framework and the other of the tank. It is easily understood that the elastic pads, when they have a structure of this type, can be produced easily and with a

low cost price.

  Preferably, the male body and the female body are connected to each other by a removable fixing member. It will be noted here that the essential function of this member is to provide security against a possible separation of the tank and the framework when the tank container is

  subjected to very violent shocks, for example during a fall.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the male body

and the female body have a common axis of symmetry extending vertically.

  Thanks to this arrangement, the tank is best protected against the various forces to which the framework is subjected during handling, these forces generally being exerted in all directions, but especially horizontally.

  To facilitate manufacturing and limit the cost price of the

content, while ensuring effective protection of the tank, the body and

  the female body can advantageously include two side walls ver-

  tical facing each other, two side walls also inclined towards each other, connecting the two vertical walls, and a horizontal wall connecting the four side walls, which is located at the smallest side

vertical walls.

According to a particular arrangement, the vertical side walls

  are parallel to the longitudinal sides of the frame, which makes it possible to limit

ter the size of the elastic studs and therefore to adapt in the framework a

  tank with slightly increased capacity.

  Preferably, the tank container according to the invention comprises four elastic studs located on the longitudinal sides of the frame and facing two by two, the male bodies of the studs located on the same side being fixed on a horizontal beam connecting the ends of the framework while the female bodies of these same studs are each connected to the lateral sides of a vertical reinforcement ring projecting from the lateral wall

  of the tank. It can also advantageously include two other elastic studs.

ticks whose male bodies are fixed on the reinforcement rings of the tank, at the top of these, and whose female bodies are connected

  each by two horizontal bracons at one end of the frame.

  According to a first alternative embodiment, each stud comprises an elastic mattress constituted by two plates, for example made of rubber, interposed between the inclined and / or horizontal walls of its body body and of its female body. However, to achieve better absorption of the forces exerted both horizontally and vertically, each pad may comprise, according to a second variant embodiment, an elastic mattress, for example made of rubber, interposed between the different walls of its body

male and his female body.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which

  - Figure 1 is a schematic elevational view of a container-

tank according to the invention, - Figure 2 is a top view of the container-tank visible on laà-figurè, -i - Figure 3 is a partial sectional view on a larger scale taken along line III-III of figure 1

  - Figure 4 is a partial sectional view, on a still enlarged scale-

  die, performed along line IV-IV of Figure 3; - Figure 5 is a sectional view along the line V-V of Figure 4; and, - Figure 6 is a partial sectional view, on a larger scale,

  performed along line VI-VI of Figure 2.

  As can be seen in Figures 1 and 2, the tank container

  firstly comprises a parallelepipedic framework, the sides of which

  tudinaux 1 and transversaux 2 are delimited by four vertical uprights 3 provided with shoes 4 at their two ends. These shoes, which are intended either to allow the attachment of the lifting means of handling equipment, or to cooperate with the shoes of neighboring containers, are in fact made

with completely classic standardized shapes and dimensions.

At the bottom of each of its longitudinal sides 1, the bone

  saturation comprises an I-beam whose ends rest on the

  aunts 3 correspondents. With particular reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, it will be readily seen that each beam-5 has two horizontal wings 6 each having a planar external face, as well as a vertical core 7 provided

  openings 8 over its entire length.

  In the upper and lower parts of its transverse sides 2, the framework

  also comprises horizontal crosspieces 9 connecting the corresponding uprights

3.

Two crosspieces 10 also connect the lower wings of the

  beams 5 in order to further increase the rigidity of the frame.

  The tank container visible in Figures 1 and 2 includes, available

placed inside its framework, a tank 11 having in the form of a cylinder of revolution closed at each of its ends by an end wall curved outwards. This tank, the longitudinal axis of which extends horizontally, conventionally comprises a manhole 12 centered on the upper generatrix of its side wall and which is accessible, thanks to a vertical ladder 13 leading to a horizontal gangway 14. It also includes a drain valve (not shown) located on one of its end walls, as well as two vertical reinforcement rings 15 making

protrusion on its side wall, equidistant from its end walls.

It will be noted here that the tank 11 could have a cross section

  not circular, but for example elliptical or paying a curvature

any vex. Similarly, its end walls could possibly be

flat instead of bulging.

  According to the invention, the tank 11 rests on the framework by

  through elastic studs 16, the structure of which will be described below

  after with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. These studs which, in the embodiment

  shown are four in number, located on the longitu-

dinals 1 of the frame and face each other two by two. It goes without saying, however

  that their number and location could be different if the di-

container specifications required it.

As can be seen in Figures 3 to 5, each pad has an elastic mattress 17 interposed between a male body 18 and a female body 19 of complementary shapes. These two bodies are nested one inside the other

and, in the example shown, they respectively have two walls la-

  vertical tera 20a, 20b extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tank, two side walls 21a, 21b also inclined towards one another, and a horizontal wall 22a, 22b resting on the four side walls,

at the smallest side of the vertical walls.

It will be noted here that the male and female bodies could alternatively have a frustoconical side wall whose small base would be closed by

a circular horizontal wall.

  In the example shown in the drawings, the male body 18 is welded by its large base to a plate 23 fixed by bolts 24 on the external face of the upper wing 6 of the visible beam 5. As for the female body 19, it is connected to the lateral sides of the reinforcing ring 15 by means of two parallel flanges 25 welded on its inclined side walls 21b and two other parallel flanges 26 welded on its wall

  vertical 20b which is turned towards the longitudinal axis of the tank.

Of course, the female bodies of the four elastic studs are not necessarily fixed to the lateral sides of the reinforcing rings 15. After

  a slight displacement of the male bodies on the beams 5, they could in fact

and be fixed in other places, possibly reinforced, of the wall

of the tank.

The elastic mattress 17 which can be seen particularly clearly in FIGS. 4 and 5 is interposed between all the walls facing the mile body 18 and the female body 19. In certain cases, it could however only be present between the inclined walls 21a and 21b and / or between the walls

  horizontal 22a and 22b of these two bodies.

  In the embodiment envisaged here, the mattress 17 is made of rubber, but there is nothing to prevent it being made of a material

  different, provided it is sufficiently elastic and capable of absorbing

  ber all the efforts which would be exerted on the framework.

24,73018

  To be complete, it will also be noted that the male body and the female body of each of the four elastic studs 16 are connected to each other by a connecting member such as the bolt 27 whose head rests on the external face of the horizontal wall 22b of the body 19 and whose rod, which passes through this wall as well as the mattress 17 and the horizontal wall 22a of the body 18, is screwed into a nut 28 provided on the internal face of this

last wall 22a.

The tank container which has just been described comprises two other elastic studs 29 centered on the upper generatrix of the reinforcement rings 15 and each connected by two horizontal bracons 30 to the upper shoes 4 of two uprights 3 delimiting a transverse side of the frame . These two additional studs have a structure similar to that of studs 16 and

therefore need not be described in detail here. It will simply be noted that they

carry a male body 31 fixed on the corresponding reinforcement ring 15, a

female body 32 fitted onto the male body and an elastic mattress 33 inter-

  placed between the walls opposite the male and female bodies. To refer at

  FIG. 6, it will be noted that the horizontal wall of the female body is solid

  Daire of a plate 34 on which the two pins 30 are supported and that a bolt 35 connects the male body to the female body. It will also be noted that the vertical walls of the male and female bodies of the studs 29 are parallel

  to the longitudinal axis of the tank, as are those of the male and female bodies.

melle studs 16.

  Finally, it should be noted that the studs 16 and 29 do not protrude from the lateral faces of the framework and that they are thus protected

  against possible damage during handling of the tank container.

The elastic pads produced in accordance with the present invention provide effective protection of the tank against the various forces which could be exerted on the tank during the handling or transport of the container. They also have the advantage of allowing fast and simple fastening and separation of the tank and the framework. It suffices to put in place the bolts 27 and 35 to carry out the first operation

  and remove them to make the second.

Claims (10)

1. Tank container comprising a tank retained inside a   parallelepiped frame, characterized in that the tank is connected to the bone saturates by means of multidirectional elastic studs. 2. Tank container according to claim 1, characterized in that each stud comprises an elastic mattress interposed between a male body and a female body of complementary shapes, these two bodies being nested   one inside the other and integral with one of the framework and the other with the tank.   3. Tank container according to claim 2, characterized in   that the male body and the female body are connected to each other by an organ- removable fixing.   4. Tank container according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in   that the male body and the female body have a common axis of symmetry extends vertically.   5. Tank container according to any one of claims 2 to   4, characterized in that the male body and the female body each comprise two vertical side walls facing each other, two side walls also   slightly inclined towards each other, connecting the two vertical walls, and a horizontal wall connecting the four side walls, which is located   at the smallest side of the vertical walls. 6. Tank container according to claim 5, characterized in that the vertical side walls are parallel to the longitudinal sides of the frame.   7. Tank container according to any one of claims 2 to   6, characterized in that it comprises four elastic studs located on the longitudinal sides of the frame and facing two by two, the male bodies of the studs located on the same side being fixed on a horizontal beam   connecting the ends of the frame while the female bodies of these me-   my studs are each connected to the lateral sides of a vertical ring of reinforcement   strong protruding from the side wall of the tank.   8. Tank container according to any one of claims 2 to   7, characterized in that it comprises two other elastic studs, the male bodies of which are fixed to the reinforcement rings of the tank, at the top of these, and the female bodies of which are each connected by two pins   horizontal at one end of the frame.   9. Tank container according to any one of claims 2   to 8, characterized in that each pad comprises an elastic mattress   killed by pads, for example rubber, interposed between the   inclined and / or horizontal walls of its male body and its female body.   10. Tank container according to any one of claims 2   to 8, characterized in that each pad comprises an elastic mattress, for example made of rubber, interposed between the different walls of its body male and his female body.