GB2040832A

GB2040832A - Improvements in or relating to coving for van bodies or containers

Info

Publication number: GB2040832A
Application number: GB7901200A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: FRUEHAUF CRANE Ltd
Current assignee: FRUEHAUF CRANE Ltd
Priority date: 1979-01-12
Filing date: 1979-01-12
Publication date: 1980-09-03

Abstract

An improved coving 38 for an insulated or refrigerated van body or freight container has a lower flange 40 which laps with the top part of the inner face of an inner wall panel 12, an outwardly directed horizontal fixing flange 42 secured along the top of the wall and an inwardly and upwardly directed cove flange 44 whose tip is urged into contact with a roof lining panel 34. The new coving is preferably made from a resilient plastics material such as polypropylene. Compared with existing coving constructions it is easier to fix and more hygenic because the rivets are invisible after the body or container has been assembled. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to coving for van bodies or containers The present invention relates to a van body of a freight container having an improved coving arrangement. The van body may be fitted to any road vehicle and it may be part of an insulated or refrigerated semi-trailer goods vehicle, drawbar trailer goods vehicle, or rigid truck.

More particularly the invention provides a van body or freight container including: a wall having inner and outer parallel vertically extending horizontally spaced wall panels and insulating means between said wall panels; transverse roof bows spaced longitudinally of said body supporting a roof sheet and a roof lining,panel supported below the roof bows; and a coving having a lower flange which laps with the top part of the inner face of the inner panel, an outwardly directed horizontal fixing flange secured along the top of the wall and a cove flange extending inwardly and upwardly from the top inner edge of the wall with its tip urged into contact with the roof lining panel.

The arrangement described above has the advantages that it employs an inexpensive coving and that only a single flange needs to be secured in place whereas existing coving constructions for van bodies or for containers generally require two lines of fixing. More significantly, in existing van body or container constructions the coving is riveted either to the roof lining panel or to the inner wall panel and these lines of rivets are visible from the interior of the vehicle. In the present construction the covng can be riveted along the top wall, and this line of rivets is invisible after the vehicle is assembled. The new construction is inherently more hygienic than the existing construction because it provides a smooth transistion from wall lining to roof lining whereas the rivets in the existing construction provide small traps for matter to lodge.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in transverse section of part of the roof of a refrigerated goods vehicle and part of the side wall; and Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse section of the coving used in the construction shown in Figure 1.

In Figure 1 a side wall of an insulated or refrigerated semi-trailer goods vehicle comprises an outer panel 10 and an inner panel 12 which may be of aluminium or glass-reinforced plastics and between which there is an insulating layer of polyurethane foam 14. A top side rail 16 has a downwardly directed leg whose lower portion 18 is riveted with its inner face in contact with the outer face of the top edge of the outer wall panel 10. A generally horizontal leg 20 of the top side rail 16 is provided with a roof bow support flange 22 and an upwardly off-set outwardly directed roof skin fixing flange 24. Roof bows 26 directed transversely of the vehicle are supported on flanges 22 on opposite sides of the vehicle, and an aluminium roof sheet 28 rests on top of the roof bows 26 and is secured, e.g. by riveting, to the roof skin fixing flanges 24.

The top side rail 16 is also provided on the inner face of its downwardly directed leg with an inwardly directed reinforcing rail support flange 30 which is spaced from the top horizontal leg 20 and is close to the top of the vehicle side wall. Reinforcing rails are fitted transversely of the vehicle underneath the roof bows 26 and their ends engage the top side rails between the horizontal leg 20 and the support flange 30. Secured to the undersides of the reinforcing rails 32 is a roof lining panel 34 and a plurality of longitudinally directed load supporting rails 36 from which may be hung, for example, a side of beef by means of suitable hooks (not shown).

Secured between the inner panel 12 and the roof lining panel 34 is a coving 38 which is shown in more detail in Figure 2. It comprises a downwardly directed flange 40, a horizontal fixing flange 42 and an upwardly and inwardly directed cove flange 44.

The lower flange 40 and the fixing flange 42 are directed at slightly less than a right angle to one another, typically an angle of 88 degrees and the coving flange 44 is typically directed upwardly at an angle of about 30 degrees to the horizontal. At the point where the coving flange 44 joins the fixing flange 42, the normally concealed top face of the coving is provided with a longitudinal notch 46 defining a hinge line for the coving flange 44.

During assembly of the vehicle, prefabricated sub-assembled side walls constituted by inner and outer panels 10 and 12 and insulation 14 and a similarly constructed front wall are secured in appropriate position and the coving is attached thereto. The lower flange 40 of the coving is placed against the top of the inner panel 12 and the fixing flange 42 is riveted along the top skin 46 of the side wall sub-assembly. This may be achieved by means of pop rivets 48. Because the flanges 40 and 42 are directed at slightly less than a right angle to one another, when the coving is fixed in place the lower flange 40 is held tightly against the inner panel 12.

Preferably the coving 38 is extruded in a deformable plastics material such aspolypropylene which, compared to the existing contruction based on an aluminium cove angle, fits more snugly against the lining surfaces and avoids leaving crevices in which matter can lodge because it can accommodate slight waves in the surface of the lining. A roofing subassembly is then lowered onto the front and side walls with the top edge of the outer side wall panels 10 locating against the lower portion 18 of the top side rail. When the roofing sub-assembly is in the correct position, the coving flange 44 is deformed downwardly by interference with the roof lining panel 34, this being facilitated by the notch 46 in the coving which enables the flange 44 to hinge downardly. In the assembled vehicle, therefore, flanges 40 and 44 are held in compression against inner panel 12 and the roof lining panel 34 respectively.

With the arrangement described above, an insulated or refrigerated van or container body can be provided with a coving which is inexpensive to fit, has a clean internal appearance, and has no rivets visible from the interior of the vehicle. Owing to the absence of rivet heads in the interior of the vehicle and the closer contact between the flanges 40 and 44 and the adjoining lining panels there are no gaps or spaces in which matter can lodge so that the vehicle is inherently more hygienic and easier to clean.

Claims

1. Avan body or freight container including: a wall having inner and outer planar parallel vertically extending horizontally spaced wall panels and insulating means between said panels; transverse roof bows spaced longitudinally of said body supporting a roof sheet and a roof lining panel supported below the roof bows; and a coving having a lower flange which laps with the top part of the inner face of the inner panel, a horizontal outwardly directed fixing flange secured along the top of the wall, and a cove flange extending inwardly and upwardly from the top inner edge of the wall with its tip urged into contact with the roof lining panel.

2. A van body or container according to Claim 1, wherein the coving is formed in its top face at the junction between the fixing flange and the coving flange with a longitudinal notch defining a fold line forthe cove flange.

3. A van body or container according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the coving is of a resilient plastics material.

4. Avan body or container according to Claim 3, wherein the coving is of polypropylene.

5. A van body or container according to any preceding claim, wherein the inner and outer side wall panels are of glass reinforced plastics and the insulating means is a polyurethane foam.

6. Avan body according to any preceding claim.

which is part of a insulated or refrigerated rigid truck, semi-trailer goods vehicle or drawbar trailer goods vehicle.

7. A van body or freight container including a wall, a roof lining panel and a coving substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.