Reconfigurable IBC Lid Structure for Top and Front Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing containers, such as wooden pallets and intermediate bulk containers (IBCs), face challenges in stacking due to irregularly shaped goods, risk of piercing by fork lift trucks, and the need for continued hazardous material handling regulations even after emptying, which increases transport costs and safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
A container with a reconfigurable design featuring a liquid impervious bladder, a latch mechanism for secure access, and a locking system, allowing for both top and front loading configurations, and the ability to collapse for reduced transport volume, thereby minimizing piercing risks and adhering to hazardous material regulations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional IBC is used to carry bulk liquids, then the container can be loaded and transported, but the IBC is prone to accidental piercing by forklift trucks
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into a rigid outer shell and an inner bladder, separating the protective function (rigid shell) from the containment function (bladder). This segmentation allows the rigid shell to protect against piercing while the bladder provides flexible containment.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid outer shell acts as a pre-established protective barrier against potential piercing by forklift trucks. This beforehand cushioning prevents direct contact between the forklift and the vulnerable bladder, eliminating the piercing risk before it can occur.
2Reliability
If an IBC is used for hazardous materials, then the container can transport the materials safely, but after emptying the IBC must still be transported in accordance with hazardous material requirements, increasing transport costs
Solution Approach 1:
The bladder is extracted as a removable component from the container system. After emptying, the bladder can be removed and discarded separately, while the rigid outer shell can be reused without hazardous material restrictions. This extraction separates the contamination risk from the reusable container structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The bladder is designed as a disposable component that can be discarded after use, while the rigid outer shell is recovered and reused. This allows the expensive reusable portion of the system to be freed from hazardous material transport restrictions, reducing ongoing transport costs.
3Adaptability or versatility
If goods of irregular shape are loaded onto a pallet, then the pallet can accommodate the goods, but stacking one loaded pallet on top of another is not possible
Solution Approach 1:
The container serves multiple functions: it can accommodate goods of irregular shape through its flexible bladder, provide a stable base for stacking through its rigid outer shell, and enable both top and front loading through its dual-access lid structure. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction between loading flexibility and transport efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The lid structure is designed to be dynamic, capable of transforming between different configurations (top-loading mode and front-loading mode). This dynamic adaptability allows the container to optimize its loading approach based on the specific goods being transported, while maintaining stackability.
4Weight of moving object
If the container walls are made thin to reduce weight, then the container is lighter and more economical, but the risk of piercing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The container is segmented into two protective layers: a thin but strong rigid outer shell for structural integrity and weight efficiency, and an inner bladder for containment. This segmentation allows each layer to be optimized for its specific function, with the outer shell providing piercing resistance without excessive weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The container uses a composite structure combining a rigid plastic outer shell with a flexible inner bladder. This composite design provides superior piercing resistance compared to a single-material construction, while keeping the overall weight manageable through the thin-walled outer shell.
Data Source
AI summary
The container (10) has a lid structure (18) comprising two lid panels (20f) and (20t). The first lid panel (20t) forms at least a part of the top wall (14). The second lid panel 20f forms at least part of one of the side walls (16d). When the container (10) is in the erected condition the lid structure (18) can have one of, and be moved between, a closed configuration; top load configuration; and, front load configuration. The front load configuration has two variants. In a first front load configuration the first and second lid panels (20t) and (20f) remain connected to each other and are moved so that they are in a substantial face to face relationship. In the second front load configuration the second lid panel (20f) is pivoted to lie on top of the first lid panel (20t).