Engineering bamboo container suitable for marine transportation

Abstract

The utility model relates to an engineering bamboo container suitable for sea transportation, and belongs to the field of cargo transportation and the like. The container is prepared by taking engineering bamboo wood as a main structural material, selecting and specially processing the engineering bamboo wood, and combining a reasonable frame structure design (including a connection mode of components such as corner fittings, cross beams, longitudinal beams and stand columns), an engineering bamboo wood plate and a surface protection and sealing treatment process. The container has the advantages of light weight, high strength, corrosion resistance, environmental protection and the like, and can effectively reduce the transportation cost, prolong the service life and promote the green development of the container industry. The utility model provides a container solution which is excellent in performance and sustainable for cargo transportation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an engineering bamboo container suitable for sea transport, belonging to the field of cargo transportation. Background Technology

[0002] Steel has a high density, which makes steel containers quite heavy. For example, a typical 20-foot steel container can weigh around 2.3 tons. During cargo transport, this weight occupies part of the vehicle's payload capacity, reducing the effective cargo capacity and increasing transportation costs due to the extra fuel consumed.

[0003] Steel is prone to oxidation and corrosion in humid or saline environments (such as those used in marine transportation). Generally, steel containers require rust removal and painting maintenance after 3-5 years of use. Each maintenance session costs approximately 5%-10% of the container's cost. Frequent maintenance not only incurs financial burdens but also impacts the container's efficiency. Steel production consumes large quantities of resources such as iron ore and coal, while also generating significant amounts of pollutants like carbon dioxide and waste. Statistics show that producing one ton of steel emits approximately 1.6 tons of carbon dioxide. With increasing global demands for environmental protection and sustainable development, the resource and environmental disadvantages of traditional steel containers are becoming increasingly apparent.

[0004] Currently, while there have been some attempts to improve container materials, such as using lightweight materials like aluminum alloys, aluminum alloys are expensive and have limitations in terms of strength and impact resistance, making it difficult to fully meet the requirements of the complex operating environment of containers. Research on the application of natural materials such as bamboo in the container field is still in its early stages, lacking mature and systematic technical solutions.

[0005] High-strength fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) is a new type of material with excellent mechanical properties and good durability. It can be combined with other materials to improve the mechanical properties and durability of materials.

[0006] Engineered bamboo refers to composite materials made by processing raw bamboo into various bamboo unit forms (bamboo veneer, bamboo curtains, bamboo mats, bamboo strips, bamboo slivers, bamboo fibers, bamboo chips, etc.), combining them with adhesives, and using physical and chemical methods. The emergence of engineered bamboo has overcome the limitations of traditional bamboo and opened up new application areas. Common engineered bamboo materials include bamboo laminated timber, bamboo reconstituted timber, bamboo woven laminated timber, bamboo wound composite timber, bamboo-plastic composite timber, bamboo shavings composite timber, and bamboo chip profiles. Engineered bamboo has many advantages such as being green, low-carbon, environmentally friendly, lightweight, and high-strength, and can be used in structural systems. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the aforementioned issues, this invention proposes an engineering bamboo container suitable for maritime transport, possessing advantages such as lightweight and high strength, resource conservation, environmental protection, and ease of prefabricated production. This patent develops and protects a container and its manufacturing method using engineering bamboo as the structural material, aiming to reduce weight, improve structural safety and reliability, enhance corrosion resistance, impact resistance, fatigue resistance, and freeze resistance. Simultaneously, it develops and utilizes biomass resources, reducing the use of steel, aluminum alloys, and other mineral materials, resulting in a more low-carbon and environmentally friendly design. Furthermore, the container developed in this patent is a multifunctional, lightweight, high-strength engineering bamboo container capable of various loading and unloading methods and accommodating diverse cargo types.

[0008] The technical solution adopted in this invention is as follows:

[0009] A type of engineering bamboo container suitable for sea transport, characterized in that: the engineering bamboo container suitable for sea transport consists of an engineering bamboo frame structure, connectors, engineering bamboo panels, side double doors (12-1), and a top automatic swing door (12-2); the engineering bamboo frame structure consists of corner posts (1), central posts (2), longitudinal side beams (3), longitudinal middle and short beams (5), transverse short beams (4), diagonal braces (7), and FRP steel composite square tube supports (8); door corner posts (1-1) and panel corner posts (1-2) The top horizontal side short beam (4-2) of the connecting door is connected to the top longitudinal side long beam (3-2) in a triangular manner by diagonal bracing (7); both ends of the top horizontal side short beam (4-3) of the connecting plate are connected to the corner column (1-2) of the connecting plate in a triangular manner by diagonal bracing (7); the eight longitudinal side middle columns (2-1) to (2-4) are connected to the bottom longitudinal side long beam (3-1) in a triangular manner by diagonal bracing (7); the horizontal side middle column (2-5) is connected to the top horizontal side short beam (4-3) and the bottom horizontal short beam (4-1) of the connecting plate. Two FRP steel composite square tube supports (8) are symmetrically arranged at the bottom of the container and are fixed together with the bottom longitudinal side beam (3-1) and the longitudinal middle short beam (5) by “L” type FRP angle steel bolts (9); the corner column (1), the longitudinal side beam (3) and the transverse short beam (4) are connected together by FRP steel sleeve bolts with corner fittings (6); other beams and beams, beams and columns are connected by right-angle FRP steel filler plate bolts (10), and the diagonal braces are connected by angled FRP steel filler plate bolts (). 11) Connection; the side double doors (12-1) are located between the two door corner posts (1-1), and the top automatic swing door (12-2) is located at the top center of the engineering bamboo frame structure; the engineering bamboo frame structure is surrounded by bottom engineering bamboo longitudinal panels (13), side engineering bamboo longitudinal panels (15), top engineering bamboo longitudinal panels (14) and side engineering bamboo transverse panels (16), and the bamboo fibers of these panels are arranged in both directions; the outer surface protective coating of the engineering bamboo panels is a breathable superhydrophobic coating composed of polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA NPs) and polydimethylsiloxane-isophorone diisocyanate-boron trifluoride (PDMS-IPDI-TFB) supramolecular network (PIT), wherein the water contact angle (WCA) of the breathable superhydrophobic coating is not less than 150° and the sliding angle (SA) is not greater than 10°; silicone sealant is filled at each splice seam of the container.

[0010] The bamboo frame structure of the project, if it is a 20-foot shipping container, can be composed of 4 corner columns (1), 9 central columns (2), 4 longitudinal side beams (3), 4 longitudinal medium short beams (5), 12 transverse short beams (4), 16 diagonal braces (7), and 2 FRP steel composite square tube supports (8); when an automatic top-mounted swing door (12-2) is installed on the top, the number of transverse short beams (4) can be reduced as needed.

[0011] The materials used for the goods entering and exiting the gate can be one or more composites of metal, engineered bamboo, engineered wood, and FRP.

[0012] The FRP steel sleeve bolt connection (6), FRP steel composite square tube support (8), FRP angle steel bolt connection (9), and FRP steel filler plate bolt connection (10) do not need to be encased in FRP if there is no requirement for service life. The FRP steel composite square tube support (8) serves as both a bottom support for the frame and a tool to fix the forklift forks, making it easy to move the forklift.

[0013] The bamboo materials used in the project can be one or more combinations of bamboo laminated timber, bamboo reconstituted timber, bamboo woven plywood, bamboo-plastic composite, bamboo shavings composite, bamboo chip profiles, engineered timber, and straw.

[0014] The bamboo fibers in the engineering bamboo boards can be arranged in both directions, or in one direction depending on the usage conditions and environment; the outer surface protective coating can be other functional coatings depending on the usage function and requirements.

[0015] The number and arrangement of diagonal braces (7) can be increased or decreased depending on the weight and usage conditions.

[0016] The bamboo frame structure of the project, whose components include corner posts (1), central posts (2), longitudinal short beams (5), and transverse short beams (4), can be added or removed according to weight allowances and usage conditions; the structure can be used as a house.

[0017] A spray coating process is used to uniformly coat the surface of engineered bamboo with a polydimethylsiloxane-isophorone diisocyanate-boron trifluoride (PDMS-IPDI-TFB) supramolecular network (PIT) containing polydopamine nanoparticles (PDANPs), forming a breathable and superhydrophobic coating. By precisely controlling the content of PDA NPs, the coating performance is optimized, exhibiting excellent comprehensive properties. This coating has high breathability, allowing gas exchange while maintaining superhydrophobicity and preventing internal moisture accumulation; strong mechanical durability, effectively resisting sandpaper abrasion, tape peeling, and high-speed water flow impact; excellent chemical stability, maintaining superhydrophobic properties under strong acid, strong alkali, high salt solutions, organic solvents, ultraviolet radiation, and extreme temperature environments; self-healing ability, recovering superhydrophobicity under sunlight, room temperature, low temperature, and underwater conditions after O2 plasma etching; and outstanding anti-icing and de-icing performance, significantly delaying water freezing time, reducing ice adhesion strength, and rapidly melting ice droplets and ice layers under sunlight.

[0018] Silicone sealant should be used to seal all joints and gaps in the container. The sealant should have good elasticity, aging resistance, and waterproof performance, and the filling depth should be no less than 10mm to ensure that the gaps are completely sealed and to prevent moisture, dust, etc. from entering the container and affecting the performance of the engineered bamboo.

[0019] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0020] This patented container, constructed with engineered bamboo as its structural material, is lightweight, high-strength, structurally safe and reliable, corrosion-resistant, impact-resistant, fatigue-resistant, and freeze-resistant. It reduces the use of steel, aluminum alloys, and other mineral materials, making it more low-carbon and environmentally friendly. This patented container can be loaded and unloaded using either cranes or forklifts. It features both side doors and top swing doors, resulting in high loading efficiency and accommodating the loading and unloading of various types of goods.

[0021] Specially processed engineered bamboo exhibits excellent mechanical properties such as tensile strength and compressive strength. Through a rational frame structure design and connection method, this container meets all the strength requirements of international container standards. During normal use and transportation, it can withstand stacking loads, transportation vibration loads, and lifting loads, ensuring the safety of cargo transportation.

[0022] Engineered bamboo inherently possesses a certain degree of corrosion resistance. Combined with a protective coating and sealing treatment, its corrosion resistance in harsh environments such as humidity and salt spray far surpasses that of steel containers. In marine transport environments, steel containers typically require large-scale anti-corrosion maintenance every 3-5 years, while the bamboo-framed containers used in this project can operate for 8-10 years without extensive anti-corrosion treatment, reducing maintenance costs by more than 50%.

[0023] Bamboo grows rapidly, typically reaching 10-20 meters in height within 3-4 months, and is a renewable resource. Using engineered bamboo to construct shipping containers can reduce reliance on unsustainable resources such as steel. Furthermore, bamboo absorbs significant amounts of carbon dioxide during its growth, and its processing results in relatively low carbon emissions, contributing to the low-carbon and environmentally friendly goals of the container industry.

[0024] The specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is the engineering bamboo frame structure of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is the engineering bamboo frame structure of Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3This is the engineering bamboo frame structure of Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 This is the engineering bamboo frame structure of Embodiment 4 of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the door and panel arrangement in Embodiment 5 of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the door and panel arrangement in Embodiments 1-4 of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the FRP steel composite square tube support of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing the direction of bamboo fibers in the board material of the present invention;

[0033] Attached diagram notation: 1 is a corner post, 1-1 is a door-connecting corner post, 1-2 is a panel-connecting corner post; 2 is a center post, 2-1 to 2-4 are longitudinal side center posts, 2-5 is a transverse side center post; 3 is a longitudinal side beam, 3-1 is a bottom longitudinal side beam, 3-2 is a top longitudinal side beam; 4 is a transverse short beam, 4-1 is a bottom transverse short beam, 4-2 is a top transverse side short beam connecting to the door, 4-3 is a top transverse side short beam connecting to the panel, 4-4 is a middle transverse short beam; 5 is a longitudinal center short beam; 6 is an FRP steel sleeve bolt connection with corner fittings, 6-1 is an FRP steel sleeve bolt connection with corner fittings at the top, 6-2 is an FRP steel sleeve bolt connection with corner fittings at the bottom; 7 8 is a diagonal brace; 9 is an FRP steel composite square tube support; 10 is an FRP angle steel bolt connection; 11 is a right-angle FRP steel filler plate bolt connection; 12 is a right-angle FRP steel filler plate bolt connection connecting the longitudinal short beam and the transverse short beam; 13 is a right-angle FRP steel filler plate bolt connection connecting other components; 14 is an angled FRP steel filler plate bolt connection; 15 is a door; 16 is a side double door; 17 is a top automatic swing door; 18 is a bottom engineering bamboo longitudinal panel; 19 is a top engineering bamboo longitudinal panel; 10 is a side engineering bamboo longitudinal panel; 19 is a side engineering bamboo transverse panel; 10 is longitudinal bamboo fiber; 11 is transverse bamboo fiber. Detailed Implementation

[0034] Example 1

[0035] A type of engineering bamboo container suitable for sea transport, characterized in that: the engineering bamboo container is composed of an engineering bamboo frame structure, connectors, engineering bamboo panels, side double doors (12-1), and a top automatic swing door (12-2); the engineering bamboo frame structure is composed of corner posts (1), central posts (2), longitudinal side beams (3), longitudinal middle and short beams (5), transverse short beams (4), diagonal braces (7), and FRP steel composite square tube supports (8); door corner posts (1-1), panel corner posts (1-2), and door top... The transverse side short beams (4-2) are all connected to the top longitudinal side long beams (3-2) in a triangular manner by diagonal bracing (7); both ends of the top transverse side short beams (4-3) of the connecting plate are connected to the corner columns (1-2) of the connecting plate in a triangular manner by diagonal bracing (7); the eight longitudinal side middle columns (2-1) to (2-4) are all connected to the bottom longitudinal side long beams (3-1) in a triangular manner by diagonal bracing (7); the transverse side middle column (2-5) is connected to the top transverse side short beams (4-3) and the bottom transverse short beams (4-1) of the connecting plate; 2 FRP steel composite square tube supports (8) are symmetrically arranged at the bottom of the container and are fixed together with the bottom longitudinal side beams (3-1) and longitudinal middle short beams (5) by “L”-shaped FRP angle steel bolts (9); the corner columns (1), longitudinal side beams (3) and transverse short beams (4) are connected together by FRP steel sleeve bolts with corner fittings (6); other beams and beams, and beams and columns are connected by right-angle FRP steel filler plate bolts (10), and the diagonal braces are connected by angled FRP steel filler plate bolts (11). The side doors (12-1) are located between two corner posts (1-1), and the top automatic swing door (12-2) is located at the center of the top of the engineering bamboo frame structure. The engineering bamboo frame structure is surrounded by bottom engineering bamboo longitudinal panels (13), side engineering bamboo longitudinal panels (15), top engineering bamboo longitudinal panels (14), and side engineering bamboo transverse panels (16). The bamboo fibers of these panels are arranged in both directions. The outer surface protective coating of the engineering bamboo panels is a breathable superhydrophobic coating composed of polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA NPs) and polydimethylsiloxane-isophorone diisocyanate-boron trifluoride (PDMS-IPDI-TFB) supramolecular network (PIT). The water contact angle (WCA) of the breathable superhydrophobic coating is not less than 150°, and the sliding angle (SA) is not greater than 10°. Silicone sealant is filled at each splice joint of the container.

[0036] The bamboo frame structure of the project, if it is a 20-foot standard shipping container, can be composed of 4 corner columns (1), 9 central columns (2), 4 longitudinal side beams (3), 4 longitudinal medium short beams (5), 12 transverse short beams (4), 16 diagonal braces (7), and 2 FRP steel composite square tube supports (8); when the top is equipped with an automatic top-opening door (12-2), the number of transverse short beams (4) can be reduced as needed.

[0037] Example 2

[0038] The main difference between Example 2 and Example 1 is that the diagonal bracing (7) between the eight longitudinal side columns (2-1) to (2-4) and the bottom longitudinal side beam (3-1) has been removed.

[0039] Example 3

[0040] The main difference between Example 3 and Example 1 is that the longitudinal side beam (3) is made of two engineering bamboo beams connected by an FRP steel sleeve.

[0041] Example 4

[0042] The main difference between Example 4 and Example 3 is that the diagonal bracing (7) between the eight longitudinal side columns (2-1) to (2-4) and the bottom longitudinal side beam (3-1) has been removed.

[0043] Example 5

[0044] The main feature of Example 5 is that no automatic top-mounted swing door (12-2) is installed on the top of the container.

[0045] The above embodiments are merely specific manifestations of the present invention, and the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent transformations or improvements made based on the concept of the present invention without departing from the essence of the technical solution of the present invention should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A sea worthy engineered bamboo container, characterized in that: The engineering bamboo container suitable for sea transport consists of an engineering bamboo frame structure, connectors, engineering bamboo panels, and cargo access doors; the engineering bamboo frame structure consists of corner posts (1), central posts (2), longitudinal side beams (3), longitudinal middle and short beams (5), transverse short beams (4), diagonal braces (7), and FRP steel composite square tube supports (8); the door corner posts (1-1), panel corner posts (1-2), and the top transverse side short beams (4-2) are all connected to the top longitudinal side beams (3-2) by diagonal braces. (7) The two ends of the top transverse side short beam (4-3) of the connecting plate are connected to the corner column (1-2) of the connecting plate in a triangular manner through diagonal bracing (7); the eight longitudinal side middle columns (2-1) to (2-4) are connected to the bottom longitudinal side long beam (3-1) in a triangular manner through diagonal bracing (7); the transverse side middle column (2-5) is connected to the top transverse side short beam (4-3) and the bottom transverse short beam (4-1) of the connecting plate; two FRP steel composite square tube supports (8) are symmetrically arranged at the bottom of the container. The frame is connected to the bottom longitudinal side beam (3-1) and the longitudinal middle short beam (5) by "L"-shaped FRP angle steel bolts (9). The FRP steel composite square tube support (8) serves as both the bottom support of the frame and the forklift fork, facilitating forklift handling. The corner column (1), longitudinal side beam (3), and transverse short beam (4) are connected together by FRP steel sleeve bolts with corner fittings (6). Right-angle FRP is used between other beams and between beams and columns. The steel filler plate is bolted (10) and the diagonal brace is bolted (11) with an angled FRP steel filler plate. The side double doors (12-1) are located between the two door corner posts (1-1). The outer perimeter of the engineering bamboo frame structure is enclosed by the bottom engineering bamboo longitudinal plate (13), the side engineering bamboo longitudinal plate (15), the top engineering bamboo longitudinal plate (14), and the side engineering bamboo transverse plate (16). The bamboo fibers of these plates are arranged in both directions. Silicone sealant is filled at each splicing gap of the container.

2. The engineered bamboo container suitable for sea transportation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bamboo frame structure of the project, if it is a 20-foot shipping container, can be composed of 4 corner posts (1), 9 central posts (2), 4 longitudinal side beams (3), 4 longitudinal medium short beams (5), 12 transverse short beams (4), 16 diagonal braces (7), and 2 FRP steel composite square tube supports (8). When an automatic swing door (12-2) is installed on the top, the number of transverse short beams (4) can be reduced as needed. The corner posts (1), central posts (2), transverse short beams (4), longitudinal medium short beams (5), and diagonal braces (7) can be added or removed according to weight allowance and usage conditions. This structure can also be used as a house.

3. The engineered bamboo container suitable for sea transportation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The engineering bamboo material can be one or more of the following: bamboo laminated timber, bamboo reconstituted timber, bamboo woven plywood, bamboo-plastic composite, bamboo shavings composite, bamboo chip profiles, engineered timber, and straw; the FRP steel sleeve bolt connection (6), FRP steel composite square tube support (8), FRP angle steel bolt connection (9), right angle FRP steel filler plate bolt connection (10), and oblique angle FRP steel filler plate bolt connection (11) may not use FRP outer packaging if there is no service life requirement.

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