Multi-Container Interlock Frame for Weld-Free Weather-Tight Housing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current modular housing systems require significant manual labor and specialized tools for cutting and welding shipping containers, leading to high production costs and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A modular multi-container housing structure that uses a connector frame with vertical and horizontal struts and interlocks to securely attach containers without cutting or welding, allowing for field assembly with handheld power tools and ensuring a weather-tight seal capable of withstanding hurricane winds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If cutting and welding containers together is used to assemble modular housing, then structural strength and weather-tightness are improved, but manual labor requirements and production costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is divided into multiple functional segments: container engagement portions that interface with container corners, a body portion that provides structural support, and fastening portions that secure the connection. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized independently while simplifying assembly through modular installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector acts as an intermediary component between adjacent containers, providing a standardized interface that eliminates the need for direct welding between container walls. The connector includes container engagement portions that attach to container corners and a body portion that bridges the gap between containers, with fastening portions that secure the connection using bolts or other fasteners instead of welding.
2Strength
If cutting and welding containers together is used to assemble modular housing, then structural strength and weather-tightness are improved, but manual labor and specialized tools requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is pre-assembled with all necessary components (engagement portions, body portion, fastening portions) manufactured and configured before site installation. Container corners are prepared in advance with appropriate opening shapes, and the connector is designed to be installed as a complete unit, reducing on-site assembly complexity to simple fastening operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector serves as a pre-engineered intermediary component that simplifies the joining process. Instead of requiring workers to perform complex cutting and welding operations on container walls, the connector provides a standardized interface that attaches to container corners and secures adjacent containers together through simple fastening operations.
3Strength
If containers are reinforced to meet hurricane wind forces, then structural strength is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is designed to resist hurricane-force winds by creating a rigid triangular bracing structure between adjacent containers. The diagonal bracing portions of the connector act as counteracting elements that distribute wind loads across multiple container walls, preventing the structure from being pushed apart by high-velocity winds up to 150 mph.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector utilizes composite construction combining steel or aluminum structural elements with weather-resistant coating materials. The body portion and engagement portions are made from high-strength metals that provide both structural integrity and corrosion resistance, while surface coatings protect against environmental degradation, creating a composite material system that meets hurricane resistance requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular multi-container housing structure connector for containers, which each have sides including a roof, a floor, and four lateral sides, includes a connector frame comprising vertical and horizontal struts shaped to connect to at least one of the sides of two adjacent containers and at least one interlock configured to secure the connector frame to the side of one container. The at least one interlock may be a plurality of interlocks. The connector frame may comprise two vertical struts and two horizontal struts each shaped and configured to connect to a respective edge of an adjacent side of two adjacent containers and, responsive to the connector frame being connected to two adjacent sides of two adjacent containers by the plurality of interlocks, the connector frame and interlocks form a container-to-connector frame-to-container connection to establish a weather-tight housing structure with the two or multiple connected containers.