Thermoplastic Container Base with Variable Thickness for Vacuum Paneling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Thermoplastic containers experience deformation and loss of stackability due to paneling when filled with hot liquids that cool, as the vacuum created causes sidewall collapse, especially in thin-walled containers where manufacturing constraints limit the use of thicker walls or additional strengthening elements.
Innovation Solution
Designing a container with a base having varying thicknesses, where the thinner sections act as flex lines to deform under vacuum pressure, allowing controlled deformation at the base rather than the sidewalls, maintaining structural integrity and appearance while enabling thinner walls for reduced weight and material efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If the container walls are made thinner to reduce material use and weight, then material efficiency and weight are improved, but the container becomes susceptible to paneling and deformation under vacuum pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The base is designed with non-uniform thickness, featuring a first portion with greater thickness and a second portion with lesser thickness. This local variation in material distribution allows the thinner section to deform under vacuum pressure while the thicker section maintains structural integrity, preventing overall container collapse and paneling.
2Strength
If the container walls are made thicker to prevent paneling and deformation, then structural strength is improved, but material costs and container weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than uniformly thickening the entire base, the invention applies material strategically only where needed - the first portion has greater thickness for structural support, while the second portion remains thinner to allow controlled deformation. This localized approach provides necessary strength without proportionally increasing overall weight.
3Strength
If strengthening elements are added to prevent paneling, then structural integrity is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention modifies the geometric parameter of base thickness rather than adding separate strengthening elements. By varying the thickness parameter across different portions of the base, the design achieves enhanced structural performance through the base geometry itself, avoiding additional components and simplifying manufacturing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The container effectively manages paneling by directing deformation to the base, maintaining the container's appearance and stackability without the need for thicker walls or additional strengthening elements, allowing for lightweight and efficient liquid storage.
Implementation Method 1
the contents reduces in volume as it cools. The hot gas in the cup cools, resulting in a vacuum inside the cup and deformation to the sidewalls
Implementation Method 2
the base deforms at the second portion due to the second thickness being less than the first thickness
Data Source
AI summary
A container including a sidewall having a top and bottom ends, a base attached to or proximate the bottom end defining a cavity bounded by the sidewall and by the base, and the base including at least a first portion having a first thickness and a second portion having a second thickness, such that the second thickness is less than the first thickness. A method for controlling deformation in a container including the steps of manufacturing the container as described above, filling the container with a substance, sealing the container at a top end thereof, inverting the container such that the container rests on its top end, allowing the substance to undergo a volume reduction resulting in a vacuum pressure within the container, wherein when subjected to the vacuum pressure, the base deforms at the second portion due to the second thickness being less than the first thickness.