Vacuum Container Sidewall Beads Impact Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vacuum-sealed food and beverage containers are vulnerable to impacts during processing, labeling, and transport, which can break the hermetic seal and lead to leakage and spoilage, and they must also withstand various forces and pressure differentials during manufacturing, filling, and thermal retort processes without deforming.
Innovation Solution
A food or drink can design featuring a metal sidewall with strategically positioned beads and features that increase the width at specific points, providing enhanced resistance to deformation and impact, and a closure system that maintains a vacuum through a pressure differential and is suitable for both hot fill and thermal processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the container material is made thicker to resist deformation from external atmospheric pressure and impacts, then the strength and resistance to deformation improve, but the container weight and raw material cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by positioning beads at specific locations on the container sidewall where structural support is most needed. These beads create localized areas of increased thickness and strength without requiring the entire container wall to be thicker, thus maintaining overall lightweight construction while providing targeted resistance to deformation from external pressure and impacts.
Solution Approach 2:
The beads are pre-formed as integral features of the container sidewall during manufacturing, creating predetermined reinforcement zones before the container is subjected to vacuum or external forces. This preliminary structural preparation ensures the container can withstand atmospheric pressure and handling impacts without requiring additional material throughout the entire structure.
2Reliability
If the container material is made thicker to protect against impacts during processing and transport, then the reliability and protection against seal breakage improve, but the manufacturing cost and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than uniformly thickening the entire container wall which would increase material costs, the patent implements localized beads at strategic positions where impact protection is critical for maintaining seal integrity. This targeted approach provides necessary reliability protection while minimizing additional manufacturing costs by using material only where structurally required.
Solution Approach 2:
The beads act as pre-positioned cushioning elements that absorb and distribute impact forces before they can reach critical areas such as the vacuum seal. This beforehand protection mechanism prevents seal breakage during handling and transport without requiring excessive material throughout the entire container structure.
3Strength
If features are added to the container sidewall to enhance structural strength, then the resistance to compressive deformation improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The beads are integrated directly into the container sidewall as a single unified structure during the forming process, rather than being added as separate components. This merging of the reinforcement features with the base container structure provides enhanced compressive strength while minimizing device complexity, as the beads become an intrinsic part of the container geometry rather than additional attached elements.
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 effectively maintains a vacuum seal and resists deformation and impact, ensuring the integrity of the container's contents and extending its usability across different processing conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a closure (60) secured to a body (10) by a pressure differential
Data Source
AI summary
A container including a metal sidewall is provided. The metal sidewall includes a first end; a second end; a center portion having a principal width; a first feature positioned between the center portion and the first end, the first feature extending from the sidewall such that the maximum width of the sidewall at the first feature is greater than the principal width; and a second feature positioned between the center portion and the second end, the second feature extending from the sidewall such that the maximum width of the sidewall at the second feature is greater than the principal width. The container further includes a first bead located in the center portion of the sidewall; and a second bead located in the center portion of the sidewall.