Folded Liner Floor for Bulk Cargo Unloading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for loading and unloading bulk cargo from containers, particularly large containers, face challenges such as cohesive materials sticking together, requiring complex and costly tilting equipment, and inefficient use of space, leading to increased handling costs and safety risks due to instability and incomplete unloading processes.
Innovation Solution
A liner floor system with a distal end attached to the container end wall and a proximal portion extending through the discharge end, featuring multiple stacks of folded sections with varying weight and surface area, designed to unfold and create voids for easy unloading, and a loading apparatus with conveyor screws to distribute bulk cargo effectively across the container.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If tilting equipment is used to unload bulk cargo from large containers, then unloading capability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the tilting function from complex mechanical equipment and transfers it to the cargo itself by forming an inclined plane within the container. The bulk cargo is configured to form an inclined plane that extends from the rear wall toward the front wall, allowing gravity to naturally drive unloading without requiring external tilting mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The bulk cargo serves its own unloading function by forming an inclined plane structure that enables self-unloading. The cargo configuration itself creates the mechanical advantage needed for discharge, eliminating the need for separate tilting equipment and reducing system complexity.
2Productivity
If tilting equipment is used to unload bulk cargo, then unloading efficiency is improved, but safety risks increase due to tipping and falling hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the safety hazards associated with external tilting equipment by extracting the tilting function and embedding it within the cargo configuration itself. The inclined plane is formed by the bulk cargo arrangement rather than by tilting the entire container or vehicle, eliminating tipping risks.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of tilting the container to enable unloading, the invention inverts the approach by creating an inclined plane within the stationary container using the cargo itself. This reverses the traditional method and eliminates the instability and safety risks of tilting loaded vehicles.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional liner floors are used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but unloading effectiveness deteriorates due to material adhesion
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by providing a release coating specifically on the inclined plane surface where bulk cargo contact occurs. This targeted coating application maintains manufacturing simplicity while significantly improving unloading effectiveness by reducing adhesion between the cargo and liner floor at the critical discharge area.
Data Source
AI summary
A liner floor for use in a container liner is provided. The liner floor includes a floor portion arranged between a distal end and a proximal portion and the floor portion is configured for being arranged on a floor of the container. The floor portion includes a plurality of stacks of folded sections. The stacks are folded such that a top fold of one stack is connected to a bottom fold of a proximal neighbouring stack. A weight of the folded sections varies along the floor portion with each of the folded sections having at least the same weight as a proximal neighbouring folded section. Also provided are methods for unloading cargo from a container including a liner, and methods and apparatuses for loading cargo into a container.