Steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for lifting and forklift
By adopting a container structure that combines engineered bamboo and steel, the problems of heavy weight and easy corrosion of traditional steel containers have been solved, achieving a lightweight, corrosion-resistant, low-carbon and environmentally friendly container design that meets the needs of lifting and forklift use.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- NANJING FORESTRY UNIV
- Filing Date
- 2025-06-18
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-09
AI Technical Summary
Traditional steel containers are heavy, which reduces the effective cargo capacity, increases transportation costs, and makes them prone to rust in humid environments, requiring frequent maintenance, and causing serious resource consumption and pollution. Aluminum alloy alternatives have high costs and limitations in strength.
The container structure is designed using a combination of engineered bamboo and steel, resulting in a lightweight and high-strength structure. It includes a combination of bamboo and steel frames, an anti-corrosion and anti-mildew coating, and a multi-functional design for lifting and forklift use.
It achieves a reduction of more than 20% in container weight, lower transportation costs, improved corrosion resistance, a 55% reduction in maintenance costs, and an extended service life of more than 10 years, meeting environmental protection and low-carbon requirements.
Smart Images
Figure CN224336239U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to a steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for lifting and forklift operation, belonging to the fields 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, although there have been some attempts to improve container materials, such as using lightweight materials like aluminum alloys, aluminum alloys are expensive and have certain limitations in terms of strength and impact resistance, making it difficult to fully meet the requirements of the complex operating environment of containers.
[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 a steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for hoisting and forklift operation, offering advantages such as lightweight, high strength, resource conservation, environmental protection, and ease of prefabricated production. This patent develops and protects a container and its manufacturing method using bamboo laminated timber 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 steel-engineered bamboo container that can be loaded and unloaded using both hoisting and forklift methods and accommodates various cargo loading needs.
[0008] The technical solution adopted in this invention is as follows:
[0009] A steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for hoisting and forklifting, characterized in that: the steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for hoisting and forklifting mainly consists of a "mesh" shaped bottom rectangular steel frame, a top engineered bamboo rectangular frame, engineered bamboo longitudinal middle beams, engineered bamboo transverse beams, engineered bamboo corner columns, engineered bamboo middle columns, diagonal braces, peripheral engineered bamboo boards, cargo access doors, and connectors; the "mesh" shaped bottom rectangular steel frame mainly consists of 2 longitudinal steel beams (3-1), 2 transverse steel beams (4-1), and 2 forklift-use FRP steel composite cylinders (8) symmetrically arranged through connectors, and the forklift-use FRP steel composite cylinders (8) cross the longitudinal steel beams (3-1), and the first engineered bamboo longitudinal middle beam (5-1), the second engineered bamboo longitudinal middle beam (5-2), and the fourth engineered bamboo transverse beam (4-5) are symmetrically arranged inside the bottom steel frame; the top engineered bamboo rectangular frame is mainly connected by 2 engineered bamboo longitudinal side beams (3-2), the first engineered bamboo transverse side beam (4-2), and the second engineered bamboo transverse side beam (4-3) through the third FRP steel connector (10-3), and the third engineered bamboo transverse beam (4-4) is arranged symmetrically inside; the "mesh" shaped bottom rectangular steel frame and the top engineered bamboo rectangular frame are mainly symmetrically arranged and connected by 2 first engineered bamboo corner columns (1-1) and 2 second engineered bamboo corner columns (1-2) to form a cuboid structure system. Along both sides of the long side direction of the structure system, not less than 4 first engineered bamboo middle columns (2-1), second engineered bamboo middle columns (2-2), third engineered bamboo middle columns (2-3), and fourth engineered bamboo middle columns (2-4) are used to connect the longitudinal steel beams (3-1) and the engineered bamboo longitudinal side beams (3-2), and 1 fifth engineered bamboo middle column (2-5) is used to connect the midpoints of the second engineered bamboo transverse side beam (4-3) and the transverse steel beam (4-1); the engineered bamboo diagonal braces (7) are used to connect the first engineered bamboo corner columns (1-1) and the second engineered bamboo corner columns (1-2) to the longitudinal steel beams (3-1) and the engineered bamboo longitudinal side beams (3-2), connect the first engineered bamboo middle columns (2-1), second engineered bamboo middle columns (2-2), third engineered bamboo middle columns (2-3), and fourth engineered bamboo middle columns (2-4) to the longitudinal steel beams (3-1), and connect the first engineered bamboo transverse side beam (4-2) and the second engineered bamboo transverse side beam (4-3) to the engineered bamboo longitudinal side beams (3-2); the outer surface of the container is treated with an anti-corrosion, anti-mildew, and anti-ultraviolet coating.
[0010] A steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for hoisting and forklift trucks. The longitudinal steel beams (3-1) of the "mesh" - shaped bottom rectangular steel frame can be replaced by engineered bamboo beams, but a longitudinal beam connecting the first engineered bamboo central column (2-1) and the second engineered bamboo central column (2-2) needs to be closely arranged above the FRP steel composite cylinder (8) for forklift trucks, and engineered bamboo diagonal braces (7) are respectively used to connect the first engineered bamboo central column (2-1), the second engineered bamboo central column (2-2) and the longitudinal beam; "door" - shaped holes are respectively arranged at both ends of the transverse steel beam (4-1) for easy use or fixing by forklift trucks; the bottom surface of the FRP steel composite cylinder (8) for forklift trucks needs to be on the same horizontal plane as the bottom surface of the longitudinal steel beam (3-1).
[0011] A steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for hoisting and forklift trucks. The engineered bamboo includes one or more composites of bamboo laminated lumber, bamboo recombined lumber, bamboo woven glued lumber, bamboo plastic composite, bamboo particleboard composite, bamboo shredded profile, or a multi - composite of bamboo recombined lumber, bamboo woven glued lumber, bamboo plastic composite, bamboo particleboard composite, bamboo shredded profile, engineered wood, ordinary wood, and straw.
[0012] A steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for hoisting and forklift trucks. The goods inlet and outlet door can be made of metal material, or can be made of one or more composites of bamboo laminated lumber, bamboo recombined lumber, bamboo woven glued lumber, wood, FRP, and straw.
[0013] A steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for hoisting and forklift trucks. When the steel-engineered bamboo container is used under special conditions, all components can be completely wrapped with FRP; when there is no requirement for the service life of the FRP steel composite cylinder (8) for forklift trucks and FRP steel connectors (10-3), they do not need to be externally wrapped with FRP. FRP includes one or more combinations of carbon fiber, glass fiber, aramid fiber, basalt fiber, etc.
[0014] A steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for hoisting and forklift trucks. The goods inlet and outlet door of the container can be set at the top or on the side or at the end face, or can be set at two or three positions among the top, side, and end face simultaneously; the arrangement quantity and method of the engineered bamboo longitudinal middle beam, engineered bamboo transverse beam, engineered bamboo central column, and engineered bamboo diagonal brace (7) can be increased or decreased according to the weight tolerance and usage conditions; this structure can also be used as a house.
[0015] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:
[0016] This patented container, constructed using steel-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 handcarts. It can be positioned on one or two of the top, sides, or ends, or even just one or two of these locations. Simultaneous placement in multiple locations increases loading efficiency and accommodates the loading and unloading of various types of goods. Using this engineered bamboo technology reduces the container's weight by more than 20%, allowing the same transport vehicle to carry more cargo compared to metal containers.
[0017] 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.
[0018] Engineered bamboo inherently possesses a certain degree of corrosion resistance. Combined with protective coatings and sealing treatments, its corrosion resistance in harsh environments such as humidity and salt spray far surpasses that of pure metal containers. In marine transport environments, steel containers typically require large-scale anti-corrosion maintenance every 3-5 years, while engineered bamboo frame containers can last for over 10 years without extensive anti-corrosion treatment, reducing maintenance costs by more than 55%. With proper and regular maintenance, their service life can reach over 20 years.
[0019] Bamboo absorbs a large amount 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. Due to its unique structure, this system can be used as both a shipping container and a mobile home.
[0020] The specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description
[0021] Figure 1 is The engineering bamboo frame structure of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
[0022] Figure 2 is The engineering bamboo frame structure of Embodiment 2 of the present invention;
[0023] Attached diagram labels: 1-1 is the bamboo corner post of the first project; 1-2 is the bamboo corner post of the second project; 2-1 is the bamboo central post of the first project; 2-2 is the bamboo central post of the second project; 2-3 is the bamboo central post of the third project; 2-4 is the bamboo central post of the fourth project; 3-1 is the longitudinal steel beam; 3-2 is the longitudinal edge beam of the bamboo structure; 4-1 is the transverse steel beam; 4-2 is the transverse edge beam of the bamboo structure of the first project; 4-3 is the transverse edge beam of the bamboo structure of the second project; 4-4 is the transverse edge beam of the bamboo structure of the third project; 4-5 is the transverse edge beam of the bamboo structure of the fourth project; 5-1 is the longitudinal central beam of the bamboo structure of the first project; 5-2 is the longitudinal central beam of the bamboo structure of the second project; 5-3... 6-1 is a steel longitudinal short beam, 6-2 is an FRP steel upper corner beam-column connector, 6-3 is an FRP steel lower corner beam-column connector, 7 is an engineering bamboo diagonal brace, 8 is an FRP steel composite cylinder for forklifts, 9-1 is an upper FRP steel sleeve connector, 9-2 is a lower FRP steel sleeve connector, 10-1 is the first FRP steel connector, 10-2 is the second FRP steel connector, 10-3 is the third FRP steel connector, 11 is a diagonal brace FRP steel connector, 12-1 is the first FRP steel welded assembly connector, 12-2 is the second FRP steel welded assembly connector, and 12-3 is the third FRP steel welded assembly connector. Detailed Implementation
[0024] Example 1
[0025] A steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for hoisting and forklift trucks, characterized in that: the steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for hoisting and forklift trucks mainly consists of a "mesh" - shaped bottom rectangular steel frame, a top engineered bamboo rectangular frame, engineered bamboo longitudinal middle beams, engineered bamboo transverse beams, engineered bamboo corner columns, engineered bamboo middle columns, diagonal braces, peripheral engineered bamboo plates, cargo access doors, and connectors; the "mesh" - shaped bottom rectangular steel frame mainly consists of 2 longitudinal steel beams (3 - 1), 2 transverse steel beams (4 - 1) and 2 forklift - used FRP - steel composite cylinders (8) symmetrically arranged through connectors, and the forklift - used FRP - steel composite cylinder (8) crosses the longitudinal steel beam (3 - 1), and the first engineered bamboo longitudinal middle beam (5 - 1), the second engineered bamboo longitudinal middle beam (5 - 2) and the fourth engineered bamboo transverse beam (4 - 5) are symmetrically arranged within the bottom steel frame; the top engineered bamboo rectangular frame is mainly formed by connecting 2 engineered bamboo longitudinal side beams (3 - 2), the first engineered bamboo transverse side beam (4 - 2) and the second engineered bamboo transverse side beam (4 - 3) through the third FRP - steel connector (10 - 3), and the third engineered bamboo transverse beam (4 - 4) is arranged symmetrically inside; the "mesh" - shaped bottom rectangular steel frame and the top engineered bamboo rectangular frame are mainly symmetrically arranged and connected by 2 first engineered bamboo corner columns (1 - 1) and 2 second engineered bamboo corner columns (1 - 2) to form a cuboid structure system. Along both sides of the long side direction of the structure system, at least 4 first engineered bamboo middle columns (2 - 1), second engineered bamboo middle columns (2 - 2), third engineered bamboo middle columns (2 - 3) and fourth engineered bamboo middle columns (2 - 4) are used to connect the longitudinal steel beam (3 - 1) and the engineered bamboo longitudinal side beam (3 - 2), and 1 fifth engineered bamboo middle column (2 - 5) is used to connect the mid - points of the second engineered bamboo transverse side beam (4 - 3) and the transverse steel beam (4 - 1); engineered bamboo diagonal braces (7) are used to connect the first engineered bamboo corner column (1 - 1), the second engineered bamboo corner column (1 - 2) to the longitudinal steel beam (3 - 1) and the engineered bamboo longitudinal side beam (3 - 2), connect the first engineered bamboo middle column (2 - 1), second engineered bamboo middle column (2 - 2), third engineered bamboo middle column (2 - 3) and fourth engineered bamboo middle column (2 - 4) to the longitudinal steel beam (3 - 1), and connect the first engineered bamboo transverse side beam (4 - 2), the second engineered bamboo transverse side beam (4 - 3) to the engineered bamboo longitudinal side beam (3 - 2); the outer surface of the container is treated with anti - corrosion, anti - mold and anti - ultraviolet coatings.
[0026] A steel - engineered bamboo container suitable for hoisting and forklift trucks, the two ends of the transverse steel beam (4 - 1) are respectively provided with "door" - shaped holes for the convenience of forklift use or fixed use; the bottom surface of the forklift - used FRP - steel composite cylinder (8) needs to be on the same horizontal plane as the bottom surface of the longitudinal steel beam (3 - 1).
[0027] A steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for hoisting and forklifting, wherein the engineered bamboo includes one or more composites of laminated bamboo, recombined bamboo, woven bamboo plywood, bamboo-plastic composite, bamboo particleboard composite, bamboo shred profile, or a composite of multiple materials including recombined bamboo, woven bamboo plywood, bamboo-shaped composite, bamboo particleboard composite, bamboo shred profile, engineered wood, ordinary wood, and straw.
[0028] A steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for hoisting and forklifting, wherein the cargo access door can be made of metal material, or a composite of one or more materials including laminated bamboo, recombined bamboo, woven bamboo plywood, wood, FRP, and straw.
[0029] A steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for hoisting and forklifting, when used under special conditions, all components can be completely wrapped with FRP; for the forklift FRP-steel composite cylinder (8) and FRP-steel connecting piece (10-3), when there is no requirement for service life, they can be not wrapped with FRP.
[0030] A steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for hoisting and forklifting, the cargo access door of the container can be set at the top or on the side or at the end face, or at two or three positions among the top, side, and end face simultaneously; the arrangement quantity and method of the longitudinal middle beam of engineered bamboo, the transverse beam of engineered bamboo, the middle column of engineered bamboo, and the diagonal brace of engineered bamboo (7) can be increased or decreased according to the weight tolerance and usage conditions; this structure can also be used as a house.
[0031] Embodiment 2
[0032] The main difference between Embodiment 2 and Embodiment 1 is that the longitudinal steel beam (3-1) of the "mesh" - shaped bottom rectangular steel frame is replaced by an engineered bamboo beam, but a longitudinal beam connecting the first engineered bamboo middle column (2-1) and the second engineered bamboo middle column (2-2) is closely arranged above the forklift FRP-steel composite cylinder (8), and the first engineered bamboo middle column (2-1), the second engineered bamboo middle column (2-2), and the longitudinal beam are respectively connected by engineered bamboo diagonal braces (7).
[0033] The above embodiments are only specific manifestations of the present invention, and the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent transformation, improvement, etc. made based on the concept of the present invention without departing from the essence of the technical solution of the present invention shall be covered within the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for lifting and forklift operation, characterized in that: The steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for hoisting and forklifts mainly consists of a "mesh"-shaped bottom rectangular steel frame, a top engineered bamboo rectangular frame, engineered bamboo longitudinal middle beams, engineered bamboo transverse beams, engineered bamboo corner columns, engineered bamboo middle columns, diagonal braces, peripheral engineered bamboo plates, cargo access doors, and connectors; the "mesh"-shaped bottom rectangular steel frame mainly consists of 2 longitudinal steel beams (3-1), 2 transverse steel beams (4-1), and 2 forklift-use FRP steel composite cylinders (8) symmetrically arranged through connectors, and the forklift-use FRP steel composite cylinder (8) crosses the longitudinal steel beam (3-1), and the first engineered bamboo longitudinal middle beam (5-1), the second engineered bamboo longitudinal middle beam (5-2), and the fourth engineered bamboo transverse beam (4-5) are symmetrically arranged within the bottom steel frame; the top engineered bamboo rectangular frame is mainly formed by connecting 2 engineered bamboo longitudinal side beams (3-2), the first engineered bamboo transverse side beam (4-2), and the second engineered bamboo transverse side beam (4-3) through the third FRP steel connector (10-3), and the third engineered bamboo transverse beam (4-4) is arranged symmetrically horizontally inside; the "mesh"-shaped bottom rectangular steel frame and the top engineered bamboo rectangular frame are mainly symmetrically arranged and connected by 2 first engineered bamboo corner columns (1-1) and 2 second engineered bamboo corner columns (1-2) to form a cuboid structure system. Along both sides of the long side direction of the structure system, at least 4 first engineered bamboo middle columns (2-1), second engineered bamboo middle columns (2-2), third engineered bamboo middle columns (2-3), and fourth engineered bamboo middle columns (2-4) are used to connect the longitudinal steel beam (3-1) and the engineered bamboo longitudinal side beam (3-2), and 1 fifth engineered bamboo middle column (2-5) is used to connect the midpoints of the second engineered bamboo transverse side beam (4-3) and the transverse steel beam (4-1); engineered bamboo diagonal braces (7) are used to connect the first engineered bamboo corner column (1-1) and the second engineered bamboo corner column (1-2) to the longitudinal steel beam (3-1) and the engineered bamboo longitudinal side beam (3-2), connect the first engineered bamboo middle column (2-1), second engineered bamboo middle column (2-2), third engineered bamboo middle column (2-3), and fourth engineered bamboo middle column (2-4) to the longitudinal steel beam (3-1), and connect the first engineered bamboo transverse side beam (4-2) and the second engineered bamboo transverse side beam (4-3) to the engineered bamboo longitudinal side beam (3-2); the outer surface of the container is treated with an anti-corrosion, anti-mildew, and anti-ultraviolet coating.
2. A steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for lifting and forklift operation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The longitudinal steel beam (3-1) of the "eye"-shaped bottom rectangular steel frame may be replaced with an engineered bamboo beam. However, a longitudinal beam connecting the first engineered bamboo middle column (2-1) and the second engineered bamboo middle column (2-2) needs to be tightly arranged above the forklift FRP-steel composite cylinder (8), and the first engineered bamboo middle column (2-1), the second engineered bamboo middle column (2-2), and the longitudinal beam are respectively connected by engineered bamboo diagonal braces (7); "door"-shaped holes are respectively arranged at both ends of the transverse steel beam (4-1) for convenient forklift use or fixed use; the bottom surface of the forklift FRP-steel composite cylinder (8) needs to be on the same horizontal plane as the bottom surface of the longitudinal steel beam (3-1).
3. A steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for lifting and forklift operation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The engineered bamboo includes one of laminated bamboo lumber, recombined bamboo lumber, bamboo woven glued lumber, bamboo-plastic composite lumber, bamboo particleboard composite lumber, bamboo shred profile, or one of engineered wood, common wood, and straw.
4. A steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for lifting and forklift operation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The goods door may be made of metal or one of laminated bamboo lumber, recombined bamboo lumber, bamboo woven glued lumber, wood, FRP, and straw.
5. A steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for lifting and forklift operation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The steel-engineered bamboo container may be entirely wrapped with FRP; when there is no service life requirement for the forklift FRP-steel composite cylinder (8) and the FRP-steel connector (10-3), they may not be wrapped with FRP; FRP includes one of carbon fiber, glass fiber, aramid fiber, and basalt fiber.
6. A steel-engineered bamboo container suitable for lifting and forklift operation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The goods door of the container may be set at the top, or on the side, or at the end face, or at two or three positions of the top, side, and end face at the same time; the arrangement quantity and method of the engineered bamboo longitudinal middle beam, the engineered bamboo transverse beam, the engineered bamboo middle column, and the engineered bamboo diagonal brace (7) may be increased or decreased according to the weight tolerance and usage conditions; this structure may be used as a house.