Supports and support structures

Abstract

The present invention provides a support and support structure that eliminates the need for integral molding using time-consuming molding methods, thereby shortening the molding cycle and reducing manufacturing costs and labor. [Solution] The support 10 according to this embodiment is constructed in a polygonal prism shape by joining a plurality of plate materials (first plate material 1 and second plate material 2) having joint portions (first groove portion 1a and second lower side groove portion 2a), and supports an object to be supported, with one bottom surface of the polygonal prism shape formed as a ground contact portion and the other bottom surface of the polygonal prism shape formed as a mounting portion for placing the object to be supported.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a support and a support structure having heat insulation and durability.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in order to support a tank for storing a low-temperature liquid such as liquefied hydrogen, a support having both heat insulation and durability has been used (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] As in the configuration described in the above patent document, in order to integrally mold a support capable of loading a tank with resin, molding of an integrated product by a molding method that requires a large number of man-hours was necessary. Further, in order to ensure the strength of the support, it was necessary to ensure the thickness of the resin plate material, so that the manufacturing configuration was large-scale and the manufacturing cost was high.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a support and a support structure that can be manufactured at low cost with a simple configuration without requiring a molding method that requires a large number of man-hours.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention constitutes the following support.

[0007] (1) A support body that supports an object to be supported, which is formed in a polygonal prism shape by joining a plurality of plate materials having joints, wherein one bottom surface of the polygonal prism shape is formed as a ground contact surface, and the other bottom surface of the polygonal prism shape is formed as a mounting surface for placing the object to be supported.

[0008] (2) The support according to (1), wherein three first plate members, each having two first grooves opening upward as the joints, and three second plate members, each having two second lower grooves opening downward as the joints, are joined alternately by interlocking the first grooves and the second lower grooves to form a hexagonal prism shape.

[0009] (3) The support according to (1) or (2), wherein the plate material is a resin plate.

[0010] (4) The support according to (1) or (2), wherein the resin plate is an FRP impregnated with a thermosetting resin.

[0011] (5) The support according to (1) or (2), wherein the compressive strength in the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the plate material is 50 MPa or more and 600 MPa or less.

[0012] (6) The support according to (1) or (2), wherein the proportion of the area of ​​the bottom that is occupied by the end face of the plate material is 1% or more and 50% or less.

[0013] (7) The support according to (2), which is formed in the shape of a regular hexagonal prism by joining together six of the aforementioned plate materials.

[0014] (8) The support according to (7), wherein the second plate material is provided with a fixing plate material having two second upper grooves that open upward and a connecting groove that opens downward formed at the same locations in the width direction as the second lower groove, and the first groove and the second upper groove are fixed to each other by interlocking the connecting grooves of the fixing plate material with the first groove and the second upper groove.

[0015] A third plate member having third groove portions opening downward at two positions is provided, and the third groove portions in the third plate member are engaged with and joined to the first groove portion and the second upper groove portion instead of the fixing plate member, whereby the support body and the other support bodies can be connected. The support body according to (8).

[0016] (10) The first plate member and the third plate member are formed in the same shape with the up-down direction reversed, The second plate member is formed in an up-down symmetric shape. The support body according to (9).

[0017] Further, in order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention constitutes the following support structure.

[0018] (11) A support structure in which a plurality of the support bodies according to (10) are arranged in a state of being connected via the third plate member.

[0019] (12) In a tank including an inner tank and an outer tank surrounding the periphery of the inner tank, the inner layer is supported as the support object inside the outer tank. The support structure according to (11).

Effects of the Invention

[0020] According to the support body and the support structure according to the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to manufacture at low cost with a simple configuration without requiring a laborious molding method.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021] [Figure 1] A cross-sectional view showing a tank using the support structure. [Figure 2] A perspective view showing the support structure. [Figure 3] (a) to (d) are perspective views showing various plate members. [Figure 4] A perspective view showing an assembled configuration of the first plate member and the second plate member. [Figure 5] (a) is a perspective view showing an assembled configuration of the first and second plate members and the fixing plate member, and (b) is a perspective view showing the support body. [Figure 6] Plan view of the first and second plate materials assembled and arranged side by side. [Figure 7] (a) and (b) are perspective views showing the assembly configuration of the support structure. [Figure 8] Plan view showing the support structure.

Embodiment for Carrying out the Invention

[0022] First, using FIG. 1, the tank 100 using the support structure 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the tank 100 cut in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 1, the tank 100 is provided on the upper surface of a concrete foundation 13 formed on the ground G.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the tank 100 is formed in a double structure including a metal inner tank 11 and an outer tank 12 surrounding the inner tank 11. An air is sucked through an exhaust pipe 14 between the inner tank 11 and the outer tank 12 to form a vacuum layer. A heat insulating material (not shown) is accommodated in the vacuum layer between the inner tank 11 and the outer tank 12. The tank 100 according to the present embodiment is used for storing substances such as liquefied hydrogen that require heat insulation and durability.

[0024] An inner tank bottom plate 11a is provided on the lower surface of the inner tank 11. An outer tank bottom plate 12a is provided on the lower surface of the outer tank 12. A support structure 20 is inserted between the inner tank bottom plate 11a and the outer tank bottom plate 12a. In other words, the inner tank 11 is supported by the outer tank bottom plate 12a via the support structure 20. That is, the support structure 20 supports the inner tank 11 as a supported object. It is also possible to arrange a plate material for stabilizing the supported object on the upper surface of the support structure 20.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2, the support structure 20 according to the present embodiment is arranged in a state where a plurality of supports 10 are connected (see FIGS. 6 and 7). In the present embodiment, the support structure 20 is configured by combining four types of rectangular plate materials (the first plate material 1, the second plate material 2, the third plate material 3, and the fixed plate material U) shown in FIGS. 3(a) to (d).

[0026] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 3(a) to 3(d), all four types of boards are formed to have the same height dimension. Furthermore, the first board 1, the second board 2, and the third board 3 are formed to have the same width dimension.

[0027] Figure 3(a) is a perspective view of the first plate material 1. The first plate material 1 has two first grooves 1a that open upward, which serve as joints. Figure 3(b) is a perspective view of the second plate material 2. The second plate material 2 has two second lower grooves 2a that open downward, which serve as joints. In addition, the second plate material 2 has two second upper grooves 2b that open upward, which serve as joints, at the same locations in the width direction as the second lower grooves 2a. In this embodiment, the second plate material 2 is formed in a vertically symmetrical shape.

[0028] In the support body 10 and support structure 20 according to this embodiment, the joint is the part where the plate materials are joined together, and its form is not limited as long as joining is possible. In this embodiment, a groove is formed, but other members (bolts, nuts, connecting members, adhesives, etc.) can also be used to join the plate materials.

[0029] Figure 3(c) is a perspective view of the fixed plate U. The fixed plate U has one connecting groove Ua that opens downwards. Figure 3(d) is a perspective view of the third plate 3. The third plate 3 has two third grooves 3a that open downwards, which serve as joints. In this embodiment, the first plate 1 and the third plate 3 are formed in the same shape but inverted vertically.

[0030] In this embodiment, the spacing between the first grooves 1a-1a in the first plate material 1, the spacing between the second lower grooves 2a-2a and the second upper grooves 2b-2b in the second plate material 2, and the spacing between the third grooves 3a-3a in the third plate material 3 are formed to be equal.

[0031] Furthermore, the sum of the lengths of the first grooves 1a-1a in the first plate material 1 and the lengths of the second lower grooves 2a-2a in the second plate material 2 is formed to be slightly larger than the height dimension of the first plate material 1 and the second plate material 2. Similarly, the sum of the lengths of the second upper grooves 2b-2b in the second plate material 2 and the lengths of the third grooves 3a-3a in the third plate material 3 is formed to be slightly larger than the height dimension of the second plate material 2 and the third plate material 3. In this embodiment, the sum of the lengths of each groove to be joined as described above is formed to be slightly larger than the height dimension of each plate material to be joined, but the sum of the lengths of each groove to be joined as described above may be the same as the height dimension of each plate material to be joined.

[0032] As shown in Figures 2 to 7, in this embodiment, the four types of plate materials (first plate material 1, second plate material 2, third plate material 3, and fixing plate material U) are marked with patterns on their upper surfaces for easy identification. These patterns are added for explanatory purposes only, and it is not necessary to add them when actually constructing the support structure 20.

[0033] The support body 10 according to this embodiment is constructed in a polygonal prism shape by joining together a plurality of plate materials having joints, and supports an object to be supported. Specifically, the lower bottom surface (lower base) of the polygonal prism shape is formed as the ground contact area, and the upper bottom surface (upper base) of the polygonal prism shape is formed as the mounting area on which the object to be supported is placed. In this invention, the ground contact area is the bottom surface of the support body 10 on the side on which the object to be supported is not placed and therefore does not directly receive the load of the object to be supported. The mounting area in this invention is the other bottom surface of the support body 10 that is opposite to the ground contact area and is the bottom surface that directly receives the load of the object to be supported. In this embodiment, the upper side shown in Figures 5(a) and (b) is the upper base of the support body 10, and the lower side is the lower base.

[0034] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the support 10 according to this embodiment is constructed in a strong regular hexagonal prism shape (honeycomb structure) by joining six plates, three first plates 1 and three second plates 2, at angles of 120 degrees to each other. The shape of the support is not limited to this embodiment, and other shapes such as a regular triangular prism, square prism, regular pentagonal prism, regular octagonal prism, etc. are also possible. Furthermore, the planar shape of the support does not need to be a regular polygon, and it is possible to have a polygon with different side lengths.

[0035] When joining the six plates, consisting of three first plates 1 and three second plates 2, the first groove 1a of the first plate 1 and the second lower groove 2a of the second plate 2 are interlocked and joined alternately, as shown in Figure 4. As a result, the support 10 is formed into a regular hexagonal prism shape, as shown in Figure 5(a).

[0036] As shown in Figure 5(a), the support 10 is joined to the first groove 1a and the second upper groove 2b by interlocking the connecting groove Ua of the fixing plate U with the first groove 1a and the second upper groove 2b, thereby fixing the first groove 1a and the second upper groove 2b to each other. As a result, the support 10 is configured as a support 10a with a stable shape on its own, as shown in Figure 5(b).

[0037] As shown in Figures 6 to 8, the support 10 can be connected to other support 10s by interlocking the third groove 3a of the third plate 3 with the first groove 1a and the second upper groove 2b, instead of using a fixing plate U. That is, by connecting multiple support 10s arranged at equal intervals at 60-degree angles using the third plate 3, the support structure 20 is constructed as shown in Figures 2 and 7. In this case, the first groove 1a and the second upper groove 2b, which do not interlock with the third groove 3a of the third plate 3, are fixed by a fixing plate U.

[0038] More specifically, according to this embodiment, as shown in Figure 6, multiple support members 10, each having a second plate 2 fitted onto a first plate 1, are laid at equal intervals, with the mounting portion facing upwards and the ground contact portion facing downwards. To connect the laid support members 10, a third plate 3 is fitted from above onto the joints between the first plate 1 and the second plate 2 of the laid support members 10, as shown in Figures 7(a) and (b), thereby forming a support structure 20 in which multiple support members 10 are connected, as shown in Figure 8.

[0039] If a support structure is to be connected in which the first plate 1 is fitted onto the second plate 2, the third plate 3 must be fitted from below the support structure. In this case, the support structure cannot be connected without lifting or turning it over after it has been assembled. In contrast, according to this embodiment, when connecting support structures 10, the connection can be made simply by fitting the third plate 3 from above, and there is no need to turn the support structure 10 over or lift it, resulting in improved assembly efficiency.

[0040] As described above, the support body 10 and support structure 20 according to this embodiment are constructed by combining multiple plate materials, so there is no need to form them integrally. Therefore, the manufacturing of the support body 10 and support structure 20 does not require integral molding using a time-consuming molding method, and the support body 10 and support structure 20 can be manufactured at low cost with a simple structure. In other words, since each plate material can be manufactured with small equipment and a time-saving molding method, it is possible to manufacture the support body 10 and support structure 20 at low cost without requiring a large-scale structure.

[0041] Furthermore, in the support body 10 and support structure 20 according to this embodiment, there is no need to use other members (bolts, nuts, connecting members, adhesives, etc.) to join the plate materials, and there is no need to perform welding or the like. As a result, the manufacturing process of the support body 10 and support structure 20 can be simplified, and costs during manufacturing and disassembly can be reduced.

[0042] Although the plate material in this embodiment has a grooved shape as described above, other shapes (for example, W-shaped, H-shaped, U-shaped, etc.) can be used as long as they can be joined together. Furthermore, the size and thickness of the plate material can also be different from those in this embodiment.

[0043] The shape of the plate material used in this invention can be a square, rectangle, trapezoid, polygon, or any other shape. From the viewpoint of low manufacturing cost, it is preferable to use a square or rectangular plate material.

[0044] The size of the plate material used in this invention is sufficient to withstand the load due to the weight of the object to be supported when assembled. More preferably, from the viewpoint of good assembly workability, the plate material is preferably set to have a height dimension of 100 mm or more and 1500 mm or less, a width dimension of 100 mm or more and 1500 mm or less, and a thickness dimension of 5 mm or more and 20 mm or less.

[0045] The grooves formed in the plate material used in this invention are not limited to grooves that are cut out from the middle of one end of the plate material to the other end, and the number of grooves provided is not limited as long as it does not impede strength or joining. However, from the viewpoint of enabling joining of plate materials and ensuring the strength of the support after assembly, it is preferable that the number of grooves provided in a single plate material be between 2 and 10.

[0046] The distance between the end face without a groove and the groove in the plate material used in this invention should be such that it does not break when a load is applied by the supported object after joining. In the groove, the thickness from the groove closest to the side end face of the plate material to the outer end of the plate material should be 5 mm or more, and it should be such that they can be fitted together, but it is preferable that it be 10 mm to 50 mm in order to ensure strength when supporting the supported object. Furthermore, the compressive strength in the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the plate material is preferably 50 MPa to 600 MPa. In this embodiment, the compressive strength in the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the plate material is tested and measured in accordance with JIS K 6911 for the plate material impregnated with epoxy resin in the substrate described below.

[0047] Furthermore, it is preferable that the proportion of the end face of the plate material to the area of ​​the bottom of the support 10 is 1% or more and 50% or less. More preferably, it is 1.5% or more and 35% or less. This makes it possible to achieve both strength and heat insulation effect through line contact in a support 10 made of combinable plate material.

[0048] The method of joining the plate materials is not limited as long as they can be joined with a member integrally provided with the plate material, such as recessed or concave-concave interlocking, bolting, or adhesive bonding. However, recessed or concave-concave interlocking is preferable from the standpoint of ease in post-processing to provide an integral joint with the plate material, as it only requires cutting the plate material, and from the standpoint of low manufacturing costs as it does not require additional members, as well as from the standpoint of ease in joining and connecting the plate material to the support and the combined support structures, as it only requires fitting the grooves of the plate materials together. In addition, in the support 10 and support structure 20 to which the plate material of the present invention is joined, an additional member may be provided inside the support 10. Furthermore, although the support 10 is connected horizontally in the present invention, it is also possible to adopt a multi-stage structure in which support 10s are stacked on top of each other depending on the weight of the object to be supported. Additional members may also be provided to improve heat insulation or to improve strength.

[0049] In the embodiment of the present invention, a resin plate is used as the plate material. More specifically, the plate material in this embodiment employs FRP (fiber-reinforced plastic) made of a prepreg in which a thermosetting resin is impregnated into a fibrous base material. The base material is a woven fabric made of multifilament or spun yarn warp and weft threads of inorganic fibers, and epoxy resin is impregnated into the warp and weft threads constituting this fabric.

[0050] The resin material used to construct the sheet material can be of any type as long as sufficient strength can be ensured. For example, thermoplastic resins such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polycarbonate, ABS, polyacetal, polyamide, PPS, PEEK, TPI, and TPU can be used. Thermosetting resins such as phenolic resin, epoxy resin, melamine resin, urea resin, unsaturated polyester resin, polyimide, and thermosetting polyurethane can also be used.

[0051] When using inorganic fibers as a base material, either natural or artificial inorganic fibers may be used, but artificial inorganic fibers are preferred from the viewpoint of ease of obtaining them as woven fabrics, and artificial mineral fibers are more preferred. Examples of artificial mineral fibers include glass fibers, basalt fibers, ceramic fibers, rock wool, slag wool, polycrystalline fibers, non-bio-persistent fibers, alumina fibers, silica fibers, silicon carbide fibers, and boron silicate fibers. Inorganic fibers may be used individually or in combination of two or more types. From the viewpoint of cost, glass fibers are preferred among artificial mineral fibers. Examples of glass fibers include E glass fibers, S glass fibers, R glass fibers, ECR glass fibers, C glass fibers, and AR glass fibers. Of these, E glass fibers are preferred from the viewpoint of cost and the availability of a wide variety of types.

[0052] When using organic fibers as a base material, it is possible to use cellulose (cotton, kapok, flax, ramie, hemp, jute, Manila hemp, sisal hemp, rayon, polynosic, cupro), fully aromatic polyamides, fully aromatic polyesters, polyimides, polyamideimides, polyether ether ketones, polyphenylene sulfide, polybenzimidazole, poly-p-phenylenebenzobisthiazole, poly-p-phenylenebenzobisoxazole, polytetrafluoroethylene, etc.

[0053] The warp and weft threads, composed of inorganic fibers, may be either multifilaments or spun yarns. Both are bundles of fibers. Multifilaments are bundles of long fibers (filaments), while spun yarns are bundles of short fibers (staples). This bundled structure allows for the impregnation of epoxy resin between the fibers. The structure of multifilaments is not particularly limited; they may be twisted or untwisted filaments (long fibers). Spun yarns may be made by twisting short fibers (staples) according to a standard method. The fiber diameters of the filaments and staples can be determined as appropriate.

[0054] Fabrics made from inorganic fibers are formed by the interlocking of warp and weft threads, and there are no particular limitations on the weave structure; various weave structures can be used. Examples include single weave, double weave, and leno weave. Of these, single weave is preferred. Examples of single weaves include the three basic weaves of plain weave, twill weave, and satin weave, variations of these, mixed weaves which are a mixture of the three basic weaves and variations, and weaves which do not use the three basic weaves or variations. Of these, plain weave is preferred from the viewpoint of ease of availability and because the weave is less likely to spread during compression molding when forming board material, and the base material can be kept in a denser state.

[0055] The sheet material is preferably formed from epoxy resin, considering manufacturing costs, short molding cycles, low outgassing when used as a support for liquefied gas, and ensuring strength. However, it may also contain other thermoplastic resins or curable resins. Alternatively, the epoxy resin may be replaced with other thermoplastic resins or curable resins. The epoxy resin can be prepared according to standard methods, but commercially available products can also be used. The epoxy resin used as the matrix is ​​not particularly limited; for example, general-purpose bisphenol A type epoxy resin can be used. Examples of other thermosetting resins include thermosetting polyimide, melamine resin, urea resin, silicone resin, furan resin, and benzoxazine resin. The other thermosetting resins may be used individually or in combination of two or more types.

[0056] Epoxy resins may contain a curing agent as needed. The curing agent is not particularly limited, and examples of curing agents in the case of epoxy resins include dicyandiamide, phenol resins such as phenol novolac resins and their nitrogen-containing compounds, acid anhydrides, imidazoles, amines, etc. Additives include, for example, flame retardants, inorganic fillers, ultraviolet absorbers, antioxidants, dyes, pigments, and foaming agents.

[0057] The plate material is preferably a laminated cured product of prepregs impregnated with epoxy resin. This laminated cured product can be manufactured using, for example, a prepreg obtained by the wet method as described below, but is not limited to this method. It can also be manufactured using a prepreg obtained by the hot melt method or spray coating. As long as a laminated cured product of prepregs impregnated with resin can be obtained, there are no limitations on the manufacturing method of the laminated cured product. Furthermore, a laminate may be formed by laminating other resin materials or components onto the obtained laminated cured product.

[0058] After impregnating the substrate with epoxy resin, the substrate is dried / solidified to obtain a prepreg impregnated with epoxy resin. The weight content (RC) of epoxy resin relative to the prepreg is not particularly limited, but it is preferably 30% to 70% based on solid content. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0059] 1. First plate 1a. First groove (joint) 2. Second plate material 2a. Second lower groove section (joint) 2b Second upper groove section (joint) 3 Third plate 3a Third groove part (joint part) 10 Support 10a Support (standalone) 11 Inner tank 11a Inner tank bottom plate 12 Outer tank 12a Outer tank bottom plate 13 Foundation 14 Exhaust pipe 20 Support structure 100 tanks U Fixing plate material Ua Connection groove G ground

Claims

1. A support structure that supports an object by joining together multiple plate materials having joints to form a polygonal prism shape, One of the base surfaces of the aforementioned polygonal prism shape is formed as a contact surface, A support in which the other bottom surface of the polygonal prism shape is formed as a mounting surface for placing the object to be supported.

2. The support according to claim 1, wherein three first plate members, each having two first grooves opening upward as the joints, and three second plate members, each having two second lower grooves opening downward as the joints, are alternately joined together by interlocking the first grooves and the second lower grooves to form a hexagonal prism shape.

3. The support according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the plate material is a resin plate.

4. The support according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the resin plate is FRP impregnated with a thermosetting resin.

5. The support according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the compressive strength in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the plate material is 50 MPa or more and 600 MPa or less.

6. The support according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the proportion of the bottom area occupied by the end face of the plate material is 1% or more and 50% or less.

7. The support according to claim 2, wherein the six aforementioned plate materials are joined together to form a regular hexagonal prism shape.

8. The second plate material has two second upper grooves formed in the same locations in the width direction as the second lower groove, which open upward. It is equipped with a fixing plate material having a connecting groove that opens downwards, The support according to claim 7, wherein the connecting groove portion of the fixing plate material is interlocked with the first groove portion and the second upper groove portion and joined together, thereby fixing the first groove portion and the second upper groove portion to each other.

9. It comprises a third plate material having two third grooves formed in which the third grooves open downwards, The support according to claim 8, wherein, in place of the fixing plate, the third groove of the third plate is joined to the first groove and the second upper groove, thereby enabling connection between the support and other support.

10. The first plate material and the third plate material are formed in the same shape but inverted vertically. The support according to claim 9, wherein the second plate material is formed in an up-and-down symmetrical shape.

11. A support structure in which a plurality of the supports described in claim 10 are arranged in a state in which they are connected via the third plate material.

12. In a tank comprising an inner tank and an outer tank surrounding the inner tank, The support structure according to claim 11, wherein the inner layer is supported as the object to be supported inside the outer tank.

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