Sea Container Support Frame for Horizontal Force Absorption

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional sea containers are limited in their ability to absorb horizontal forces and torques, restricting their use to transport and storage purposes, and cannot be safely positioned on ship decks without foundations, posing risks to the ship and crew.

Innovation Solution

A sea container design featuring a support frame with lashing means to absorb horizontally acting forces, allowing for the integration of heavy and large installations that exert tensile forces and torques, and enabling secure placement on ship decks without conventional foundations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If conventional sea containers are used for transport and storage, then they can be easily manufactured and operated, but they cannot absorb horizontal forces and torques effectively, limiting their use and posing safety risks

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuse of sea containersVSAvoidsafety of container placement
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The container structure is segmented into a basic framework and an additional support frame. The additional support frame is selectively added to containers that require enhanced force absorption capabilities, while standard containers continue to be used for simple transport and storage tasks.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The additional support frame with lashing means is pre-installed on the container before deployment. This preliminary structural enhancement ensures that when the container is placed on a ship deck, it is already equipped to absorb horizontal forces and torques, eliminating the need for post-installation modifications and ensuring immediate safety.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If additional support frame and lashing means are added to absorb horizontal forces, then the container can be used as mobile devices exposed to high forces, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuse of sea containers as mobile devicesVSAvoidcontainer structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The additional support frame and lashing means are designed to serve multiple functions: absorbing horizontal forces, providing mounting points for installations, and enabling secure placement on various ship decks. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by eliminating the need for separate structures for each function.

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

Solution Approach 2:

The additional support frame is not added to all containers uniformly, but only to those that require enhanced capabilities for specific applications. This localized enhancement allows standard containers to remain simple for routine tasks while specialized containers gain the necessary structural complexity for high-force applications.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If corner fittings and foundations are used to prevent slipping, then containers can be secured on ship decks, but they can only absorb horizontal forces to a very limited extent

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontainer stabilityVSAvoidhorizontal force absorption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The lashing means are designed to dynamically respond to horizontal forces and torques acting on the container. The lashing means can flex and adjust under load, distributing forces across multiple attachment points on the additional support frame, thereby significantly increasing the container's capacity to absorb horizontal forces compared to rigid corner fittings alone.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP2678252B1Sea container that can be closed on all sides
Publication Date: 2017.09.06 ATLAS ELEKTRONIK GMBH
  • EP2678252B1 patent drawingFigure 1~4
  • EP2678252B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP2678252B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

The invention relates to a sea container (10) that can be closed on all sides, comprising a base frame (28), which has four corner posts (44, 46, 48, 50), a top-side frame (32), and a bottom-side frame construction (42), wherein the corner posts are rigidly connected to the top-side frame (32) and to the bottom-side frame construction (42). The bottom-side frame construction (42) has a bearing frame (52), wherein installations in the container (10) are fastened to the bearing frame and the bearing frame (52) has tie-down means (54) for tying down and for absorbing forces acting horizontally. Thus the invention makes it possible to accommodate installations such as a deploying device for a trailing antenna in a sea container even though traditional sea containers are unsuitable therefor.