US2135526A - Freight container - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 8, 1938:

R. A. NORBOM FREIGHT CONTAINER Filed April 6, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l LLLLLLLlLll-LLHE mumcmmt INVENTOR BY I ATTORNEYS Nov; 8, 1938. R. A. NORBOM 2,135,526

F'RE IGHT CONTAINER Filed April 6, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES FREIGHT CONTAINER Ragnar A. Norbom,

tor Terminals Company,

poration of Delaware Clifton, N. J assignor to M- New York, N. Y., a cor- Application April 6, 1936, Serial No. 72,897

11 Claims.

This invention relates to a freight container, preferably a --demountable body adapted to be carried by a highway truck and moved intact with its load onto a railway flat car for transportation, this body usually being transferred again at the rail destination to a highway truck for delivery.

The general object of this invention is to provide a strong and at the same time comparatively light container structure, and especially relates to the novel features of roof construction which are hereafter explained.

My improved freight container has a roof of corrugated sheeting, the ridges and valleys of which extend transversely of the body. This roof comprises a plurality of sheets placed on the roof frame in overlapping relation and 'terminating just short of each end. A preformed end member is provided, joining the ends of the corrugated sheeting to the upper portion of the end top wall.

Along the sides of the body adjacent the eaves, the corrugation sheeting is fastened to the side walls by a novel angle plate construction, together with reinforcing bars extending from the body to the roof. Adjacent the over-' lapping sections of corrugated roofing there is placed at predetermined intervals cross members, one lying on top of the roof in one of the valleys and theother lying beneath an adjacent ridge of the roof.

The cross members, which are preferably pipes, are effectively secured to the top portion of the car'side and to the roof. Preferably, the underpipe is welded to the inturned portion of an eave plate and has secured to it means for holding a longitudinal batten strip resting on the roof, and the end portion of the top pipe lies between the batten strip and overlapping sections of the corrugated roofing, and may be secured to the batten strip.

The invention comprises a body having the various features above outlined, cooperating to produce the desired roof construction, and thus, an object of my invention may be said to be the provision of a novel roof for a demountable body which not only permits the component parts to be formed in a very efiicient manner, 50 but entails the novel features above mentioned for securing the various parts together into an integral unit.

Other specific objects of my invention will appear from the disclosure following and from reference to the drawings hereto appended, while the novel features of my invention will be set forth in the claims.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a demountable body employing my improved roof construction; Fig. 2 is a plan of the top of such a body showing a fragment of the corrugated roof in place and the exposed roof beams associated therewith; Fig. 3 is an end elevation of a demountable body employing my improved roof; Figs. 4 and 5 are cross sections, as indicated by the lines 4-4 and 5-5, respectively, on Fig. 2, showing the manner in which the corrugated roofing is secured to the body; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevation adjacent the body eaves showing a pair of cross-members lying in channels in the roof and joining the same to the body, and to each other; Fig. '7 is a section, as indicated by the line 1-1 on Fig. 2, showing the improved form of end plate construction used with my invention.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that my demountable body comprises side walls or sheets 20 carrying side doors 2| adjacent the midregion, and that the end walls comprise sheets 22 and end doors 23, such walls being secured to a suitable floor frame. Lift hook straps 25 are disposed at the sides of the body and secured to the side walls and floor frame and project above the top thereof to form hooks 26, by which the body is adapted to be engaged to be lifted from or deposited on a suitable vehicle or other support. Side braces 21 are provided, which are carried angularly on the sides 20, and approach close to the hook straps 25 at their upper ends to aid in transmitting stresses from the lower portion of the body and the floor frame to the hooks.

A preformed end member 35 is provided to joint the corrugated roofing to the end wall and the end portions of the side walls, as shown in Fig. 7. This preformed member comprises a unitary construction embodying a shell having a downwardly facing portion at the end, terminating in a lower flange 31; and an upper shell portion curved to conform to the desirable contours of the roof and indicated generally at 38. The inner open end of the shell portion comprises a plurality of ridges and valleys 39, shaped to conform to the corrugations of the roof 40, which is secured thereto as by welding or other suitable means. The lower flange portion 31 of the preformed shell is secured to a downwardly facing channel member 33 of the end wall by an angle bar 4|, and may be welded joined together.

thereto or otherwise secured. For convenience of assembly, it has been found desirable to ;secure the angle 4| to the channel 33 by rivets 42. The shells 22 are secured at their upper ends to the outer flange of the channel 33. The side sheets 20 overlap the vertical skirt of the pre formed member and may be welded or riveted thereto. v 1 I The roof is secured to the side walls 20, substantially as shown in Fig. 4, that is to say, each side wall is formed at its upper end with an inwardly bent portion 41 forming a flange inclining upwardly at a slight angle. The outer side of the sheet and the top flange are. reinforced by an outer plate 46, which together with the side wall forms an eave plate and an inward flange. j M V The container wall is braced near its top by a longitudinal angle bar 44 running lengthwise of the container. This bar bridges the side doorway and, as illustrated in Fig. 5, may coact di-' rectly with the top of the door. As shown in that figure, the door comprises an inner layer of wood or fibrous material and two facing layers H of metal and a top boundary channel 12. On the outer side of this channel is formed a bead 73. The door is adapted to be raised after it is swung into closed position, so that the top of its boundary channel may abut the under flange of the body angle 44 and the'bead abut the depending edges of the side wall construction, as claimed in a prior application assigned to my assignee. a y

The reinforcing eave member 46 terminates at its inner portion in a channel construction 49,

whichin turn provides a repository for a reinforcing member 48. Braces or struts in the form of pipes 59 abut the channel portion 49 of the flange 46 atone end and at the other end lie at the apex of the angle member 44. These pipe members are secured rigidly-in place to the channel and angle member in any desired manner, for instance, by welding. The inner flange member 47 terminates short of the channel 48 in a position substantially abutting said channel.

The corrugated roof, as heretofore mentioned, comprises a plurality of sections adapted to overlap each other at places where they are are placedwith respect to each otherto provide a substantial overlap. A battenistrip 51 is provided, extending along the edge of the corru-- gated roofing from oneend of the body to the other. The two sections of. corrugatedsheeting, above referred to, are joined together and s cured to the batten by a pair ofcross- members 60 and 6|, which preferably are lengths ofpipe of suitable curvature to conform substantially tothe contour of the bottom and top of the valleys in which they respectively seat.

The cross members 6| lie beneath one of the transverse ridges of the roofing 56, and extend other. The lower portion of the pipe member 6| is welded to. the upper substantially horizontal flange of the angle member 46, thus in turn securing the sheeting 55 to the sides of the de- Thus, as shown in Fig. 6, acorrugated sheet 55 and a corrugated sheet 56- parent that I have provided a roof construction for a demountable body which permits'the use of several sheets of corrugated roofing plates in such manner that each may overlap the other and be rigidly secured together, and effectively supported and secured to the side and end walls of the body.

I claim: 7

1. In a freight container, the combination of sideand end Walls, a roof carried by said walls comprising a plurality of corrugated plates, with thecorrugations of oneplate overlying the corrugations of another plate, and a pair of holding devices extending lengthwise of the corrugation grooves, one of said devices engaging the top surface of a plate'and the other engaging the bottom surface of a plate to secure said plates together without piercing them.

2. In afreight container, the combination of A side and end'walls, a roof carried by said walls comprising a plurality of corrugated plates, with the corrugations of one plate overlying the corrugations of another plate, and means'to secure said platestogether comprising a" member on one face of the roof engaging one of the plates at the overlap and a the roof engaging the overlap, the member other plate adjacent the on the underside of the roof being connected to the side walls and there.

being means beyondthe edge of the roof for connecting 'suchunder member with the upper member. 7 V V 3. In a freight container, the combination of side and end walls, a roof: adapted to rest on said walls comprising a pluralityof sheets of corrugated material, a member disposed in the Valley of one of said sheets, a second member member on the other side of underlying an adjacent ridge of the other of said corrugated sheets, and a common restraining means to which both of said members are secured.

4. A freight container comprising, side walls,

a roof consisting of a plurality of corrugated plates with the corrugations of oneplateioverlying the corrugations of another plate, a mem berdisposed beneath the ridge of one of said corrugations, a batten strip lying across said corrugated sheets, a U clip having one arm secured to said memberand extending outside said sheet' 60 mg. and over the top of said batten strip, whereby, said underlying member is secured to said batten strip;

5. A freight containercomprising side walls, a roof consisting of a plurality of corrugated plates with the corrugations disposedlin the valleys formed by saidoverlapping corrugations, ahollow cross member disposed adjacent theflrst mentioned cross'mem facing valley on the under--v side the margins of said roof and over the top of one plate overlying the corrugations of another plate, a cross member.

member and extending out plates and adjacent the first cross member, and

a batten strip lying across said corrugated sheets and secured to both of said cross members.

'7. A freight container having side walls, inwardly projecting portions at the tops of the side walls comprising two plates, one surmounting' the other, lengthwise extending abutments provided by downwardly bent portions of the upper plate beyond the inner edge of the lower plate, diagonally disposed braces between theside walls and the depending abutments, and a roof resting on the top member of said inwardly projecting plates and secured thereto.

.8. A freight container having side walls terminating at the top in portions extending inwardly, said portions carrying downwardly extending longitudinal abutments some distance inside of the side wall, angle bars on the inner side of the side walls secured to them some distance below the inwardly extending portions, diagonal braces in the form of occasional pipes seating at their lower ends in the angle bars and at their upper ends against the abutments, and a' roof resting on and secured to said inwardly extending portions.

9. A freight container having a roof comprising corrugated sheeting with its ridges and valleys extending transversely, a transverse pipe lying within one of the ridges, and a U-shaped clip entering the pipe and extending around the edge of the roof onto the opposite face thereof.

10. A freight container having a roof comprising corrugated sheeting with the ridges and valleys extending transversely, a transverse pipe lying within one of the ridges below the sheeting, a batten strip on top of the sheeting adjacent the edge, and a U-shaped clip having one arm extending into the pipe and the other arm overlying the batten strip.

11. In a demountable body having end walls and side walls, a roof for said body comprising a plurality of sheets of corrugated roofing having the ridges and valleys thereof extending transversely of the body, batten strips along the side edges of said corrugated roofing, a pair of securing members for said roof positioned adjacent overlapping portions of said sheeting, one of said members lying on top of the roof in a valley formed by such overlapping, said other member lying beneath the roof within a ridge and positioned to secure said sheeting between it and said batten and a U-clip extending from the last named member around the edge of the sheeting and overlying said batten and rigidly secured thereto, said clip also being rigidly secured to said roof.

RAGNAR A. NORBOM.

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