Plastic Container Reinforced Base Heel Geometry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bulk product containers made of metal lack alternatives that offer ease of manufacturing, lighter weight, and cost savings while maintaining structural integrity under vertical top loads and extreme temperature conditions during transport and storage.
Innovation Solution
A plastic container with a reinforced base and angled shoulder design, featuring radially asymmetrical projections and recesses on the heel portion, and a closure system with a spring portion and flexible center area, optimized to distribute vertical loads effectively and maintain structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If plastic material is used instead of metal, then ease of manufacturing, lighter weight, and cost savings are achieved, but structural integrity under vertical top loads and extreme temperature conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a heel portion at the bottom of the container with increased wall thickness and radially asymmetrical projections and recesses. This localized reinforcement provides enhanced structural integrity at the critical load-bearing area without requiring the entire container to be thicker or heavier, thus maintaining ease of manufacturing while improving strength where most needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material design by combining plastic material with a reinforced heel structure that has different geometric properties than the rest of the container. The heel portion with radially asymmetrical projections and recesses creates a composite-like structure within the plastic container, providing metal-like strength at the base while maintaining the overall plastic construction for ease of manufacturing.
2Strength
If vertical top load capacity is increased through reinforcement, then structural integrity under stacking conditions is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by incorporating the radially asymmetrical projections and recesses into the heel portion during the initial container forming process. This preliminary structural feature is built-in before the container is stacked or subjected to loads, allowing the container to withstand vertical top loads without requiring additional reinforcement steps or complex manufacturing processes later.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses parameter changes by modifying the geometric parameters of the heel portion, specifically creating radially asymmetrical projections and recesses with specific dimensional relationships. These parameter changes optimize the load distribution and structural strength while maintaining compatibility with standard manufacturing processes, avoiding increased manufacturing complexity.
3Strength
If heel portion rigidity is increased with thicker walls, then vertical load support is improved, but material usage and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating the increased wall thickness and structural reinforcement specifically in the heel portion at the bottom of the container, rather than uniformly throughout the entire container. This localized approach provides the necessary rigidity for vertical load support while minimizing the overall material usage and associated manufacturing costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs asymmetry by creating radially asymmetrical projections and recesses in the heel portion. This asymmetric geometry optimizes the distribution of vertical loads through the heel structure, providing enhanced rigidity and load-bearing capacity with more efficient material usage compared to a symmetric design, thereby reducing overall material requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A plastic container and closure, and system and method of making the same. Container can include a solid bottom end, an outer sidewall extending from solid bottom end, a shoulder portion extending from outer sidewall, and neck portion extending from shoulder portion, forming an open end of container. Solid bottom end includes a circumferential heel portion having a plurality of radially asymmetrical projections and recesses disposed on an outer periphery of the heel portion, the plurality being configured to increase heel portion rigidity while maintaining substantially uniform material thickness. Shoulder portion forms an angle with a plane perpendicular to the container central axis. At an angle of 50° a desirable failure mode may be achieved where the yield strength of the shoulder portion is balanced against that of the heel portion and the outer sidewall to maximize the top load strength of the container.