Pallet Container Fire Protection Insulating Mat

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing pallet containers for storing and transporting flammable liquids lack adequate flame protection, as components like the screw cap and removal fitting remain exposed, leading to inadequate protection against external fires, and their complex designs result in high production costs and short fire resistance durations.

Innovation Solution

A pallet container design featuring a fire protection insulating mat that encloses the plastic inner container on all sides, including the screw cap area, with overlapping cover flaps to protect these components, and an electrically conductive textile fabric layer for charge dissipation, ensuring complete coverage and enhanced thermal insulation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If a thin-walled thermal insulation consisting of cardboard and aluminum foil is arranged between the plastic inner container and the wire mesh cage, then the insulating layers provide some heat transfer imp ediment, but the screw cap and filling nozzle remain completely exposed and unprotected to flames

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveflame protectionVSAvoidfire resistance duration
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The fire-resistant insulating mat is divided into multiple sections (front wall section, rear wall section, two side wall sections, and base section) that can be separately assembled to completely enclose the plastic inner container, ensuring all components including the screw cap are protected

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The fire-resistant insulating mat combines glass fiber fleece (fire resistance) with polyethylene outer layers (weather resistance), creating a composite material that provides both flame protection and durability while completely enclosing the container

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Object-affected harmful factors

If sheet metal panels are arranged between the inner container and the wire mesh frame with additional fire insulation, then fire protection is improved, but the design becomes complex and costly with multiple components

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefire protectionVSAvoidnumber of components
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The fire-resistant insulating mat integrates multiple functions into a single component: fire insulation (glass fiber fleece), weather protection (polyethylene outer layers), and electrical charge dissipation (conductive coating), eliminating the need for separate sheet metal panels and simplifying the overall design

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The fire-resistant insulating mat serves multiple purposes simultaneously: thermal insulation, flame barrier, weather resistance, electrical charge dissipation, and structural support within the wire mesh cage, reducing the total number of components needed

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If the plastic inner container is enclosed by a grid-like covering made of thin metal wire for electrical charge dissipation, then electrical charges are dissipated, but the weight and complexity of the container increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveelectrical charge dissipationVSAvoidcontainer weight
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of using a complete grid-like metal wire covering, the conductive coating is applied only to the inner surface of the fire-resistant insulating mat that contacts the plastic container, providing electrical charge dissipation locally where needed without adding unnecessary weight

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The mechanical grid-like metal wire structure is replaced with a conductive coating applied to the insulating mat, achieving the same electrical charge dissipation function with significantly reduced weight and complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

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 design provides improved flame protection, reducing the risk of leaks and damage during fires, with the pallet container maintaining tightness for at least 25 minutes, and is simpler and more cost-effective to produce, with fewer components and reduced weight.

Implementation Method 1

a fire-resistant insulating mat which encloses the plastic inner container

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal insulation: Thermal Insulation

Implementation Method 2

an electrically conductive textile fabric layer for charge dissipation

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectrical conduction: Conduction (electrical)

Data Source

PatentEP3337735B1Pallet container
Publication Date: 2019.08.14 MAUSER WERKE GMBH
  • EP3337735B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3337735B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3337735B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

A pallet container (10) for the storage and transportation of in particular combustible or easily ignitable liquid goods, having a thin-walled rigid inner container composed of thermoplastic material, having a tubular lattice frame (12) which tightly surrounds the plastics inner container and which serves as a supporting shell, and having a base pallet (14) on which the plastics container lies and to which the tubular lattice frame (12) is fixedly connected, wherein the plastics inner container is enclosed on all sides by a fire protection insulation mat (20) which, with a sheet-metal shell casing on all sides being omitted, is arranged directly between the tubular lattice frame (12) and the plastics inner container, wherein the fire protection insulation mat (20) is of two-layer form and has an inner layer composed of heat-resistant nonwoven (30) and an outer heat-resistant textile fabric layer (28).