Self-Supporting Shipping Container Liner With Distributed Anchors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional shipping container liners require rear-mounted steel bars for support, leading to economic and environmental waste due to inconsistent placement, folding, and loss of product during discharge, and inefficient discharge processes.
Innovation Solution
A self-supporting container liner system with a distributed anchor system that tensions the liner to maintain a flat configuration and an improved discharge hopper design to optimize chute positioning and prevent tearing, eliminating the need for rear steel bars and enhancing discharge efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If rear-mounted steel bars are used to support the liner, then the liner can be retained within the container during filling and discharge, but economic and environmental waste occurs due to inconsistent placement, folding, and loss of product
Solution Approach 1:
The support function is segmented from the rigid steel bars to the flexible liner material itself. The liner is divided into multiple functional zones including a flattened interior chamber, vertical boundary walls, and a deflection limiter that collectively provide structural support without requiring external steel bars, thereby eliminating product loss associated with bar placement and folding
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces rigid steel bar support with a flexible liner construction that uses a deflection limiter and vertically-oriented boundary walls to maintain structural integrity. The flexible material conformally supports the cargo load while eliminating the harmful folding effects of rigid bars, thus preventing product loss
2Ease of operation
If conventional liner systems are used with steel bars, then the liner can be secured in the container, but the interior of the liner develops folds that slow discharge and trap product residue
Solution Approach 1:
The liner interior is pre-flattened before cargo loading using a deflection limiter that maintains the vertical boundary walls in a smooth, fold-free configuration. This preliminary flattening action prevents the formation of folds that would otherwise slow discharge and trap residue, thereby improving productivity without compromising ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of allowing the liner to fold naturally under cargo weight and then trying to manage the folds during discharge, the invention inverts the approach by pre-establishing a flattened configuration that resists folding during both loading and discharge operations, thereby maintaining high discharge rates
3Ease of manufacture
If the liner is loosely hung within the container, then installation is simple, but the liner deflects and bulges out of the back of the container during filling
Solution Approach 1:
The liner is pre-configured with a deflection limiter and vertically-oriented boundary walls that maintain structural stability before cargo loading. This preliminary structural preparation allows the liner to resist bulging and deflection during filling while maintaining installation simplicity, as the stabilizing features are integrated into the liner design rather than requiring complex external support structures
Data Source
AI summary
A shipping container liner system for use in the shipping of bulk flowable products is described. The system comprises a specially adapted shipping container liner that is self-supporting without the need of rear-mounted rigid supportive bars to retain the liner within the shipping container during filling and discharge. The system comprises an arrangement of interior support baffles operating in conjunction with a plurality of exterior anchor straps adapted to distribute the cargo load throughout the length of the liner. A specialized hopper for unloading the bulk material is also disclosed.