Plastic Container Support Columns for Axial Load Strength
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plastic containers require increased wall thickness and additional structural members to resist deformation during shipment, leading to increased weight, manufacturing cost, and environmental impact.
Innovation Solution
A blow-molded plastic container design featuring top, bottom, and middle container portions with longitudinally aligned support columns, including strut members and annular ribs, which reduce material usage while maintaining structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If container wall thickness is increased to resist deformation during shipment, then container strength is improved, but container weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The container wall is segmented into multiple thin-walled support columns arranged in a circular pattern, each column containing internal ribs. This segmentation allows the structure to achieve high strength through geometric configuration rather than increasing overall wall thickness, thus maintaining strength while reducing weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a two-dimensional thick wall approach to a three-dimensional structured approach with multiple support columns containing internal ribs. This dimensional change enables the container to achieve superior strength-to-weight ratio by utilizing spatial configuration rather than simply increasing material thickness.
2Strength
If additional structural members are added to resist deformation, then container strength is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support columns and internal ribs are merged into a single integrated blow-molded structure. This combining of elements into one manufacturing process eliminates the need for separate assembly steps, reducing manufacturing complexity and cost while maintaining the structural strength benefits of multiple components.
Solution Approach 2:
The blow-molding process itself creates the complex multi-column ribbed structure in a single operation. The molding process serves multiple functions simultaneously - forming the container body, creating support columns, and adding internal ribs - thereby reducing manufacturing cost despite the structural complexity.
3Strength
If additional plastic material is used to prevent container deformation, then container strength is improved, but environmental sustainability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the structural parameters from a simple thick-walled design to a multi-column ribbed configuration. This parameter change allows the container to achieve equivalent or superior strength with reduced overall material usage, as the structured design distributes loads more efficiently through the support columns and ribs.
Solution Approach 2:
The container structure functions as a composite system combining thin walls with strategically placed support columns and internal ribs. This composite approach optimizes material distribution, placing plastic only where structurally necessary, thereby reducing total material usage while maintaining strength requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A plastic container including a top container portion having a plurality of spaced top strut members, a bottom container portion having a plurality of spaced bottom strut members, and a middle container portion located between the top and bottom container portions. The top, bottom and middle container portions oriented along a container axis. The middle container portion includes a plurality of annular rib members each rib member being separated from longitudinally adjacent rib members by an annular groove, each groove having a number of middle strut members disposed along a length of the groove, adjacent middle strut members of adjacent grooves being longitudinally aligned. Each container portion comprises a plurality of first columns comprised collectively of a top strut member, middle strut members and a bottom strut member the top strut member, middle strut members and bottom strut member comprising each of the first columns are longitudinally aligned.