GB2217305A

GB2217305A - Container of fibre-reinforced plastics material

Info

Publication number: GB2217305A
Application number: GB8908655A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gerd Dieter Maibach
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-04-19
Filing date: 1989-04-17
Publication date: 1989-10-25
Anticipated expiration: 2009-04-17
Also published as: DE3812944A1; FR2630086A1; IT8904820A0; GB8908655D0; FR2630086B1; IT1233574B; GB2217305B

Description

22 -, 2e 17 7 0, 5) 11 3651 CONTAINER OF FIBRE-REINFORCED PLASTICS

MATERIAL The invention relates to a container of fibre-reinforced plastics material comprising a top part and a bottom part which can be sealingly closed by way of a peripherally extending groove with inserted elastic seal and a tongue and wherein the corners of the top part and the bottom part are strengthened to absorb shocks, in particular by a respective peripherally extending edge bead and/or by corner beads.

Such a container of fibre-reinforced plastics matelrial is known from European patent specification No. 92670. When substantial shocks are suffered, in particular for example when a container drops from a great height, there is the risk that the tongue tears out, in particular in the corners, and -s sealing integrity. In the container loses it particular moisture-sensitive devices are then severely at risk if the damage is not noticed immediately. For the purposes of relieving the load on the tongue, the insertion of pins in the corner - and the bottom part has regions between the top part already been tried. However, that takes up additional space in the joint region so that the arrangement requires an increase, which is otherwise not necessary, in the cross-section of the end faces of the top part and the bottom part.

To remedy the above-indicated disadvantages the present invention is based on the problem of 2' impact strength while providing the maximum level o-.'L securely maintaining the sealing action between the top part and the bottom part with the minimum increase in cross-section and with a low structural weight.

To solve that problem the invention ' 3651 2 - provides that a preshaped reinforcing insert of fibre reinforced plastics material is integrated in the edge bead and/or corner bead, at least in the corner regions, and possibly a further preshaped tongue reinforcing insert also of reinforced plastics material is integrated in the preshaped reinforcing insert.

Advantageously, a preshaped reinforcing insert may be provided in each corner, which reinforcing insert has three reinforcing arms which are each integrated in a respective edge adjoining the corner and which are directed at an angle of 90 relative to each other and which decrease in crosssection with their distance from the corner. That arrangement can provide particularly high levels of C, corner strength so that impact can be absorbed without damage and with the sealing action being maintained.

In a particularly advantageous construction two of three reinforcing arms of the reinforcing -e the tongue reinforcing insert.

insert can integrat -ageous In a particularly advant -ion the fibre-reinforcement, depending on configurat the requirements in respect of strength, may comprise fibre mats, endless mats, macerated fabrics and/or fabric webs of glass fibres, polyamide fibres (Keflar) and/or carbon fibres. Optionally the individual fibre reinforcements and kinds of fibres may also be used in a mixed configuration in order thereby to provide for optimum adaptation. By virtue of using a particularly stiff and dense fibre reinforcement, for example by using carbon fibres, it is possible to provide for a container configuration -icularly rigid, which can carry a heavy which is part X4 loading and which has a low level of fle Ibility, 3651 3 - 1 5 1 whereas a more elastic and more flexible container configuration ran be provided by using polyamide fibres. Accordingly, the reinforcing inserts may also be more flexible or may possibly also be of a stiffer configuration than the other walls of the container in order thereby to minimise the stress peaks which occur when severe shocks or blows occur, in order reliably to avoid local material damage and to maintain the sealing integrity of the container in all phases of a loading thereon.

In order further to increase the level of strength, metal support portions, in particular of -perforated sheet and/or expanded metal, may be provided in the reinforcing insert and/or the tongue reinforcing insert in order thereby locally to achieve particularly high levels of strength and reliably to prevent local cracking, in particular in the region of the tongue.

The plastics materials used, depending on the re 'h and uh-. quiremen-us involved in regard to streng-1. chemicall resistance, may be unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl esters, acrylic resins and/or polyurethane for the container walls, the reinforcing inserts and/or the tongue reinforcing inserts, while d-12"'erent plastics materials, possibly also of JL L different levels of hardness, are possibly used for the container walls, the reinforcing inserts and/or the tongue reinforcing inserts.

To provide a sealing wall structure which is as homogeneous as possible in all regions, the surface of the prefabricated reinforcing inserts or tongue reinforcing inserts, before being integrated 4 into the container wall, may be subjected to a surface treatment for the purposes of activating the surface thereoL, in particular by sand blasting 3651 and/or a dissolution treatment with a solvent, wherein the dissolution treatment is effected in the form of a physical or a chemical dissolution treatment in order to ensure good cross-linking with the plastics material of the actual container walls.

In order further to increase the strength factor, the walls of the groove may also be forced at least in part, in particular in the r e infl region of the corners, by a reinforcing insert.

The invention is described in greater detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings showing a preferred embodiment. In the accompanying drawings:

714 Lon through part ligure 1 is a view in sectJ of a container in the region of the junction between -tom part and the top part, and the bot Figure 2 is a view in section taken along IT line 1._II in FiEare 1.

A toD part 1 of fibre-reinforced plastics material, of which only part is shown, comprises a tending edge bead 2 which carries a peripherally ext downwardly projecting tongje 3 which in the closed condition of the container engages into a peripherally extending groove 4 in a bottom part 5 in the edge bead 6 which also extends around the periphery oil the container. For sealing purposes, fitted in the groove 4 is a seal 1' which is in the form of a sealing O-ring and which, when the end f aces 8 and 9 of the top part 1 and the bottom part 5 come to bear against each other, seals in a prestressed condition.

To provide an inexpensive configuration with a high level of strength to resist shocks and bumps, the edge bead 2 is reinforced by reinforcing C.

Ly in the edge and corner Ci c all inserts 10, more specif 3651 -' 5 - 1 region. The reinforcing insert in each corner comprises three reinforcing arms 11, 11' and 11", wherein the reinforcing arms and 11" are arranged in the edge bead 2 which extends parallel to the end face 8 and the reinforcing arm 11 is arranged perpendicularly thereto in the corner edge of the top part 1. In the case of a square container therefore, there are four reinforcing inserts 10 in the top part 1 in the region of the end faces 8 and possibly four further corresponding reinforcing inserts (not shown) are integrated into the wall of the container on the to-D side of the top part 1. The reinforcing inserts 10 are prefabricated and comprise fibre-reinforced plastics material. The fibre reinforcement used may be fibre mats, endless mats, macerated fabric and -f -Eabric, with a level of strength which rises webs o L in the specified sequence. The mats may comprise glass fibres or, with a higher strength level, polyamide fibres and/or carbon fibres for pa.-+.ic,!-ilarly high levels of loading. -The plastics material used is normally unsaturated polyester -h requirements are resins. When higher streng41 involved, it is possible to use vinyl resins, acrylic resins and/or polyurethanes both for the container walls and also for the reinforcing inserts 10.

C-- In order to be able to absorb a particularly high level of loading on the tongue 3, the tongue may be reinforced at least in the region of the corners by in particular prefabricated tongue reinforcing inserts 12. The tongue reinforcing inserts 12 are prefabricated from the same materials referred to above and, in the operation of Cabrication of the reinforcing inserts 10, the pre-lL inserts 12 are integrated into same.

For further reinforcing the tongue 3, metal 3651 6 - support portions 13 may be integrated therein, in particular in -U-he region of the corners. To provide for an intimate connection to the plastics material the metal support portions may comprise perforated sheet or expanded metal, while particular strength effects can be achieved by virtue of the spatial extension of the expanded metal.

To provide for an intimate connection in respect of the above described prefabricated reinforcing inserts 10 and/or tongue reinforcing inserts 12, the surfaces of the inserts 10 and 12, prior to being integrated into the actual walls of the top part 1 and the bottom part 5 respectively, are especially activated, for example by sand bias-'.--'1.ng or by dissolution treatment with a solvent. Tn that operation the dissolution treatment may be effected purely physically but also chemically so that. in that case the hardened plastics material of "-he inserts 10 and 12 is particularly securely joined irs-U to be to the plastics material which has 1 ha.-,-Jened, in the multi-step production off the top parts 1 and the bottom parts 5 respectively, and in hat way is subjected to a particularly good chemical cross-linking effect.

-rength For the purposes of increasing the st of the wall of the groove 4 in the edge bead 6 of the bottom part 5, the groove 4 may be disposed in a particularly prefabricated reinforcing insert 101. The multi-stage procedure for production of the container requires approximately the same wall thicknesses to be made and hardened in each case, wherein the substantially constant wall thicknesses provide for particularly good and uniform hardening 2'ect in and also give a particularly good sealing ef-E respect of gas and in particular vapour so that even t a i 3651 7 sensitive items such as optical devices, electronic devices and relacement parts can be safely stored over a long period of time and, in the case of urgent transportation, can if necessary, also be thrown out of vehicles, helicopters and transport aircraft.

3651 8 -

Claims

1. A container of fibre-reinforced plastics material comprising a top part and a bottom Dart which can be sealingly closed by way of a peripherally extending groove with inserted elastic seal and a tongue and wherein the corners of the top part and the bottom part are strengthened to absorb shocks, in particular by a respective peripherally extending edge bead and/or by corner beads, wherein provided in the edge bead, at leas-IV in the corner regions, is a reinforcing insert of fibre-reinforced plastics material, which is formed therein.

2. A container according to Claim 1 including a further prefabricated tongue reinforcing insert, also of fibre-reinforced plastics material, integrated in the prefabricated reinforcing insert.

3. A container according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein provided in each corner is a prefabricated reinforcing insert which has three reinforcing arms which are each integrated in a respective edge adjoining the corner, which are directed at an angle of 90 relative to each other and which decr-ease in cross-section with the spacing from the corner.

4. A container according to Claim 3 wherein two of the three reinforcing arms of the reinforcing insert accommodate the tongue reinforcing insert.

5. A container according to Claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the fibre reinforcements, according to the strength requirements involved, are fibre mats, endless mats, macerated fabrics and/or fabric webs of glass fibres, polyamide fibres and/or carbon fibres.

6. A container according to any one of Claims - portions of perforated 1 to 5 wherein metal support sheet and/or expanded metal are provide,' in the reinforcing insert and/or the tongue reinforcing insert.

i -1 1 M 3651 9 - 2 10 1 A container according to Claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the plastics material used is unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl esters, acrylic resins and/or polyurethanes for the container walls, the reinforcing inserts and the tongue reinforcing inserts.

8. A container according to Claim 7, wherein different plastics materials are used for the container walls, the reinforcing inserts and/or the tongue reinforcing inserts.

9. A container according to Claim 8 wherein the different plastics materials are of a different hardness.

10. A container according to one o-IL Claims 1 to 6 wherein the surface of the prefabricated reinforcing inserts or tongue reinforcing inserts, prior to integration into the container wall, are subjected to a surface treatment to activate the surface, in particular by sand blasting and/or by dissolution treatment with a solvent or adhesive.

11. A container according to one of Claims 1 to 7 wherein the wall of the groove is reinforced at least in part, by a reinforcing insert.

Claim 11 wherein

12. A container according to V the wall of the groove is reinforced in the region of the corners.

13. A container according to Claim 1 constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawing.

PubUshed 1989 atTbe Patent OMce. State House, 86,71 High HOlbOMI'OndOnWCIR4TP- Further copies maybe obtalnedfrom The Patentom, Sales Branch, St Mary Cray, Orpir4ton, Kent BES 3RD. P'Mnted by]K'JltiPlex tacbmiques ltd, St Mary Cray, Kent, Con. 118,7