GB2325458A - Transport container - Google Patents

Abstract

A container for transporting a series of components such as aircraft skin parts includes a series of wall portions releasably connected together to form a box-like outer structure, and an internal support structure comprising a series of support elements (14, 16, 20, 22) releasably nested together to support in use the components in spaced generally parallel relationship. The elements (14,16,20) may be located on the base of the container for return of the container in a collapsed form.

Description

TRANSPORT CONTAINER This invention relates to container apparatus for transporting a plurality of components and in particular, but not exclusively, to container apparatus for transporting part-circular aircraft fuselage barrel skins.

The collaborative nature of the aircraft industry means that the various components of an aircraft may be manufactured in different countries - or even different continents - and then shipped to an assembly plant.

Components such as the curved wall skins making up a fuselage barrel skin are extremely large and costly and proper provision must be made to support and protect them during transit. At present, the four curved wall skins are manufactured and then supported on a custom built structure made up of Dexions or similar slotted shelving material which provides four longitudinal straight line contact supports at spaced locations on the skin for each skin apart from the uppermost, which is supported at two such locations. The support structure for each subsequent curved wall skin is built up laboriously and, when the final skin is in position, the structure is boxed up and shipped to the assembly plant. At the assembly plant, the reverse operation is performed to remove the skins. We have found that a considerable amount of time is spent in assembling and disassembling the container and its contents.

Furthermore, as the disassembled container results in a large number of unidentifiable bits and pieces, there is little point in returning the container to the manufacturer and so the container must be disposed of at the assembly plant. These factors, together with EEC directives to reduce waste mean that there is a need for a container apparatus which provides effective protection and support for a plurality of components and which may be assembled and disassembled quickly and easily and which may be returned in a compact collapsed state for re-use.

Accordingly, in one aspect of this invention, there is provided container apparatus for transporting a plurality of components of the same or similar general shape, said container apparatus being reducible from an erected loadcarrying condition to a relatively compact condition for return or storage, and in its erected condition including a plurality of wall portions releasably connected together to form a box-like outer structure, and an inner internal support structure comprising a plurality of support elements releasably nested together to support in use respective ones of said plurality of components in spaced generally parallel relationship.

According to another aspect of this invention there is provided a method of transporting a plurality of components of the same or similar general shape, said method comprising loading the components on a support structure progressively built up of a plurality of support elements releasably nested together intermediate each component and thereafter enclosing said internal support structure and said components in a box-like outer structure.

Whilst the invention has been described above, it extends to any inventive combination of the features set out above or in the following description or claims.

The invention may be performed in various ways and, by way of example only, an embodiment of collapsible transport container for aircraft fuselage skins in accordance with this invention will now be described in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a general perspective view of the assembled internal support structure of a container in accordance with this invention, with the aircraft skins removed for clarity; Figure 2 is a side view of an intermediate stretcher support element of the structure of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a detailed view on the left hand end of the stretcher element of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a general perspective view of a bow support element in the structure of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a general perspective view of the base portion of Figure 1 with the support structure removed apart from the floor fixings; Figures 6(a) and 6(b) are end and perspective views respectively of a container after loading of the first or lowermost skin panel; Figures 7(a) and 7(b) are end views of a container during and after loading of the third skin panel respectively, and Figures 8(a) and 8(b) are side and top plan views respectively of a container with the sides in position after loading the final skin panel.

Referring initially to Figure 1 of the drawings, this embodiment of collapsible transport container comprises a base portion or base pallet 10 designed for access and lifting by a fork-lift truck. On the base portion 10 is built a support structure 12 made up principally of a series of longitudinal stretcher elements 14 nested vertically one above the other in two side by side groups. At each level or storey of the structure 12, each parallel pair of spaced longitudinal stretcher elements 14, is interconnected by two bow support elements 16 which provide the structure 12 with rigidity. Together, the two spaced stretcher elements and bow support elements provide extended line contact longitudinally and transversely for each aircraft skin portion. Once the storeys have been nested together the stretcher elements 14 may be even more rigidly located by means of angle irons 20 attached to either side of the end portions of the stretcher elements, and the overall structure may be braced by brace ties 22, anchored near the corners to the base portion 10.

Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, the construction of the longitudinal stretcher elements 14 is shown in more detail. Each comprises a central elongate load bearing portion 24 and locating pieces 26 at each end. Each locating piece 26 comprises a portion 28 which projects downwardly and which defines inclined lower nesting surface 30 which is parallel to a complementary upper nesting surface 32 on the upper side of the locating piece 26.

Thus, when one stretcher element 14 is stacked or nested on another, the co-operating nesting surfaces prevent relative movement in the longitudinal direction and the wedge effect prevents play. Movement in the transverse direction is prevented by two side plates 34. Just in from each end of each element 14 is a slot 36 which receives a complementarily slotted portion of a bow support element 16 (see Figure 4). The upper surface of the bow support element, and the upper and lower surfaces of the longitudinal stretcher element are faced with foam padding 38. As seen more particularly in Figure 1, the lower profiles of the longitudinal stretcher elements 14 and the bow support elements may be designed according to the profile of the associated wing skin portion. The stack of longitudinal stretcher elements 14 is capped by a capping element 40 of generally similar form which has at either end downwardly directed nesting portions or tongues 42 which engage the recess between the upper portions of the side plates 34 of the uppermost stringer element 14.

Turning again to Figure 4, the bow support elements 16 are generally arcuate with slotted portions 44 for engaging the slots 36 on the longitudinal stretcher elements 14.

It will be noted that, when all the bow support elements 16 and the longitudinal stretcher elements 14 and the capping elements 40 have been assembled together and braced by the elements 20 and 22, this provides a rigid supporting structure providing extended contact support for each of the skins.

Referring to Figure 5, this shows the base portion 10 with all of the support structure 12 removed apart from four fixings 46, into which the lower portions 28 of the first longitudinal stretcher elements are slotted.

In use, the support structure 12 is built up progressively as successive part-circular fuselage skins 48 are loaded. Thus in Figure 6 just one panel 48 is shown being supported by the lowermost storey. Following this, the second stage longitudinal stretcher elements 14 will be slotted in and located in the stretcher elements beneath and then the bow support elements 16 slotted into position transversely. Successive stages are then built up by lifting each skin 48 into place on the stretcher and bow elements beneath as shown for example in Figure 7. Once the final skin 48 is in place, the capping elements 40 are applied and the structure is then ready to be enclosed by the side walls 50 as shown in Figure 8 and finally the lid 52. In this embodiment the walls 50 and lid 52 are connected together and to the base portion 10 by means of Clip-loks connectors, of the type available from Clip-Lok Limited in U.K.

The container is then ready to be shipped. At the other end of the journey, the container may be quickly disassembled to remove the wing skin portions rapidly. Once fully disassembled, the longitudinal stretcher elements 14 and the bow support elements 16 may be nested together side by side on the base portion 10 and the walls 40 and lid 52 is then stacked flat on top so that the whole container can be returned to a flat state for storage or shipping back to the sender. For this purpose the base portion may include an upstanding peripheral cill 54 to define a storage tray into which the stretcher elements 14 and the bow support elements 16 may be nested.

Claims (10)

1. A container apparatus for transporting a plurality of components of the same or similar general shape, said container apparatus being reducible from an erected loadcarrying condition to a relatively compact condition for return or storage, and in its erected condition including a plurality of wall portions releasably connected together to form a box-like outer structure, and an inner internal support structure comprising a plurality of support elements releasably nested together to support in use respective ones of said plurality of components in spaced generally parallel relationship.

2. A container apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein said box-like structure is of generally rectangular form defined by a base portion, side wall portions and a lid portion.

3. A container apparatus according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein said support elements comprise two groups of generally parallel longitudinal stretcher elements.

4. Apparatus according to any of the preceding Claims, wherein said support elements comprise two spaced groups of bow support elements extending generally transversely to the longitudinal direction.

5. Apparatus according to any of the preceding Claims, wherein said support elements include a facing of resiliently compressible material adapted to engage in use one or more of said components.

6. A container apparatus according to Claim 3, wherein said longitudinal stretcher elements include at opposite ends nesting surfaces of inclined plane configuration adapted to register with co-operating surfaces on the next adjacent longitudinal stringer support to prevent or resist relative longitudinal movement.

7. A container apparatus according to Claim 6, wherein said longitudinal stretcher elements include at each end thereof side plate means for restricting movement in a direction transverse to said longitudinal direction.

8. A method of transporting a plurality of components of the same or similar general shape, said method comprising loading the components on a support structure progressively built up of a plurality of support elements releasably nested together intermediate each component and thereafter enclosing said internal support structure and said components in a box-like outer structure.

9. A container apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, any of the accompanying drawings.

10. A method of transporting a container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.