FRAMELESS SHIPPING CONTAINER

• US 3,801,177 A
• Filed: 06/04/1971
• Issued: 04/02/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gunderson LLC (Greenbrier Cos., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Donald R. Fylling, Donald W. Youmans, John R. Einarsson
• Inventors: Youmans, Donald W., Fylling, Donald R., Einarsson, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frazier, Roy D.
• Application Number:
  US05/149,986
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 211/13 105/366,363,367,368R,409-411,368T 220/1.5,1V 296/1A,35A 214/38C,38CA,38CC,40,41,390,392 206/46R,46M,46T,65R 312/351
• US Class Current: 312/351
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2585/6867 automobiles
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 88/12 specially adapted for transport associated with vehicles, see the relevant subclasses of B60 - B64
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2201/0294 Vehicle bodies

Abstract

A frameless shipping container adapted to be mounted on a railroad flatcar for preventing vandalism and accidental damage to a plurality of heavy articles, such as vehicles, that are separately supported by the container in vertical stacked relationship. The container is completely enclosed except for one end which is open to receive the articles. The container includes a pair of inwardly directed article engaging and supporting torsion beams which serve the double function of supporting the associated articles in tiers and acting as torsion members which evenly distribute torsional forces and minimize wracking of the containers. The vertical weight supporting side walls and end wall are fabricated from a plurality of sheet metal panels each having a channel formed therein. The sheet stock for each of the panels are identically dimensioned and differ only after the channels have been formed therein in that certain panels have one narrow flanges directed outwardly whereas other panels have their narrow flanges directed inwardly, and certain of the panels have fork lift receiving openings therein.

Claims

1. A frameless railroad shipping container comprising an end wall, a pair of side walls rigidly secured to the end wall at rear corners, a roof rigidly secured to the side walls and the end wall, each side wall being fabricated from a plurality of vertically elongated rigidly interconnected sheet metal panels, each sheet metal panel being formed from identically dimensioned stock and having an integral vertically extending channel formed therein and extending the full height thereof, said rear wall being formed from two of said panels and a flat plate rigidly connected together, and tier defining article supporting means secured to the inner surfaces of said walls intermediate the base and upper edges of said walls for supporting a heavy aRticle such as a motor vehicle, each rear corner being formed from two of the panels disposed at 90* to each other with the channel on one panel rigidly secured directly to a planar edge portion of the other panel.

2. A shipping container according to claim 1 wherein said tier defining means is disposed in excess of the height of an article above the lower edges of said walls, and second tier defining article supporting means secured to said walls at a point above said first mentioned tier defining means spaced approximately the same distance away from said first mentioned tier defining means as said first tier defining means is spaced from the lower edges of said walls for supporting another heavy article.

3. A shipping container according to claim 2 and additionally comprising a third tier defining article supporting means secured to each wall near its base and being upwardly inclined toward said end wall.

4. A shipping container according to claim 2 wherein each tier defining means is adapted to support a vehicle weighing about fifty-five hundred pounds.

5. A shipping container according to claim 1 wherein said sheet metal panels are formed from twelve guage stock.

6. A shipping container according to claim 1 wherein said container has one end open for receiving or discharging articles, and wherein said tier defining article supporting means includes a pair of horizontally elongated torsion box beams for precluding lateral folding of the ends of said walls which define said open end, each torsion beam being rigidly secured throughout its length to the inner surface of one of said side walls and projecting inwardly a sufficient distance to directly contact and support the article, said torsion beams cooperating with said side walls to distribute torsional forces imparted to the container equally throughout their lengths for minimizing localized stresses and for maintaining such stresses below critical buckling stresses.

7. A shipping container according to claim 6 wherein said torsion box beams are generally V-shaped with the apex of each beam facing inwardly, and wherein the article is a motor vehicle with its wheels being supported directly upon said torsion beams.

8. A frameless railroad shipping container having one end open for receiving and discharging articles comprising only one transverse wall, a pair of spaced side walls lying in parallel substantially vertical planes and being rigidly secured to said one transverse wall, a roof rigidly secured to the side walls and said one transverse wall, each side wall being constructed from sheet metal having a plurality of vertical stiffening channels formed therein, and tier-defining article-supporting means secured to the inner surfaces of said vertical side walls intermediate the base and upper edges of said walls for supporting a heavy article thereon, said tier-defining article-supporting means including a pair of horizontally elongated torsion box beams which extend the full length of said side walls and serve to minimize lateral deflection of the ends of said walls which define said open end, each torsion box beam being rigidly secured throughout its length to the inner surfaces of one of said side walls and to said one transverse wall, each said beam projecting inwardly a sufficient distance from the inner surface of said one side wall to directly contact and support the article, said torsion beams cooperating with said sheet metal side walls and vertical stiffening channels for distributing torsional forces imparted to the container more evenly throughout their lengths and for minimizing localized stresses and maintaining such stresses below critical buckling stresses.

9. A shipping container according to claim 9 wherein said torsion box beams are generally V-shaped with the apex of each beam facing inwardly, and wherein the article is a motor vehicle with its wheels being supported directly upon said torsion beams.

10. In a frameless railroad shipping container the combination of:

a pair of spaced longitudinally extending side walls lying in parallel substantially vertical planes, a single laterally extending supporting means for rigidly securing only one end of each of said side walls in an upright position allowing the upper portion of the other open end of the side walls to deflect laterally, each side wall being constructed from sheet metal having a plurality of vertical stiffening legs integrally formed therein, and tier-defining article-supporting means secured to the inner surfaces of said walls intermediate the base and upper edges of said walls for supporting a heavy article thereon, said tier-defining article-supporting means including a pair of horizontally elongated torsion box beams which extend the full length of said side walls and serve to minimize lateral deflection of the other ends of said walls, each torsion box beam being rigidly secured at points throughout its length to the inner surfaces of one of said side walls and to said laterally extending supporting means, each said beam projecting inwardly a sufficient distance to directly contact and support the article, said torsion beams cooperating with said sheet metal side walls and vertical stiffening legs for distributing torsional forces imparted to the container more evenly throughout their lengths for minimizing localized stresses and for maintaining stresses below critical buckling stresses.

11. A frameless railroad shipping container comprising a pair of spaced side walls lying in parallel substantially vertical planes, a rigid transverse end wall secured to the rear end portions of said side walls to hold said end portions in spaced relation and to prevent lateral movement of either end portion toward the other, said end wall being the only transverse wall in said container, a torsion beam extending along the inner face of each side wall intermediate its upper and lower edges from the forward end of the side wall to the rear end portion, each beam being rigidly secured to the associated side wall at spaced intervals along the length of the wall and to the end wall near the connection of the end wall to the side wall, said torsion beams resisting any tendency of a forward portion of either side wall to move laterally out of their parallel undeflected configurations by setting up a torsional stress in the beams which will be resisted by the beams due to their rigid connection to the walls.