Modular Interlocking Panels for Large-Capacity Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current large-capacity holding containers are costly and time-consuming to manufacture, transport, and assemble, require special components that cannot be locally procured, have inflexible installation footprints, and are not scalable or resistant to microbial degradation when buried underground.
Innovation Solution
A modular holding container system using pre-formed, interlocking panels that can be easily assembled and disassembled, with a load-bearing, curved wall design resistant to microbial degradation, allowing for flexible sizing and shape variations, and constructed from materials like plastic and wood derivatives.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional large-capacity holding containers are manufactured and transported to installation sites, then they can provide storage capacity, but they are costly and time-consuming to manufacture, transport, assemble and disassemble
Solution Approach 1:
The holding container is divided into multiple modular panels that can be independently manufactured and assembled on-site. Each panel is a discrete unit that can be produced locally and quickly assembled together to form the complete container structure, eliminating the need to transport large pre-assembled containers.
Solution Approach 2:
The panels are pre-formed with interlocking features and curved configurations during manufacturing, but remain compact for transport. At the installation site, these pre-prepared panels are quickly assembled into the final container structure, combining advance preparation with rapid on-site deployment.
2Adaptability or versatility
If traditional holding containers use fixed-size components, then they can be manufactured, but they have a fixed, inflexible installation footprint and size
Solution Approach 1:
The container is segmented into standardized modular panels that can be assembled in different configurations. By varying the number and arrangement of these identical modular units, containers of different sizes and footprints can be created from the same basic component set.
Solution Approach 2:
The same standardized panel design serves multiple purposes and can be used to create containers of various sizes and shapes. These modular panels are universal components that can be reconfigured for different installation footprints and storage capacities without requiring custom-manufactured parts.
3Reliability
If traditional holding containers are buried underground, then they can be concealed, but they are subject to microbial or biological degradation or degradation due to the alkalinity of the earth
Solution Approach 1:
The panels are constructed from composite materials that combine the structural properties needed for load-bearing walls with chemical resistance to microbial and alkaline environments. This composite construction allows the container to be buried underground while protecting against biological degradation.
4Strength
If traditional holding containers use heavy curved steel wall components, then they can provide structural strength, but they are cumbersome and difficult to handle
Solution Approach 1:
The heavy curved steel wall is segmented into multiple lighter panels that can be individually handled and assembled. Each panel maintains the necessary structural strength through its curved design and material properties, but the segmentation makes them manageable for transport and installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The panels incorporate curved geometries that provide structural strength while being lighter than traditional heavy steel walls. The curvature distributes loads effectively and allows the panels to be formed from lighter materials that are easier to handle and assemble.
Data Source
AI summary
A holding container includes a plurality of pre-formed, releasably interlocking, load-bearing panels configured to form an at least partially curved, load-bearing wall extending around the perimeter of at least one storage area capable of containing at least 100,000 gallons of liquids, solids or a combination thereof. At least one among the width and length of each panel is less than 102 inches in a non-load-bearing state.