JP7381456B2 - Methods and means of locking together intermodal containers transported by ship - Google Patents

Description

The object of the invention is a method of locking together intermodal containers transported by ship by means of corner castings of the intermodal containers, whereby containers stacked one above the other can be secured with twist locks to the corner castings. locked together.

On cargo ships, intermodal containers are transported both in holds under hatch covers and on decks above hatch covers, stacked in multiple parallel rows and lines and in multiple tiers. There is a removable hatch cover on the deck that closes the lower hold. Containers on deck are carried on top of hatch covers. This application focuses on, but is not limited to, the transportation of intermodal containers on the deck of a cargo ship.

Intermodal containers have corner castings on all eight corners, which allow the containers to be locked together. Typically, two containers stacked one on top of the other are locked together with twist locks installed in the corner castings of the containers. A twist lock is placed between the corner castings of two containers above and below, and the twist lock is locked in a hole in the horizontal plane of the corner casting.

Twist locks known in the art are disclosed in, among others, US Pat.

Intermodal containers that are adjacent to each other are usually not locked to each other. However, in special situations there are devices that mutually support containers that are next to each other. One possible solution is disclosed in US Pat.

At sea, when ships and their corresponding stacks of containers on deck tilt, large compressive and tension forces are applied to twist locks and container corner castings. In order to increase the transport capacity of ships, attempts are being made to transport increasingly higher and heavier stacks of containers on the deck of ships. However, the strength of the twist lock is limited. A typical maximum allowable tension for a twist lock is 250 kN. This imposes limits on the increase in container stack size and thus also on improving the efficient utilization of ships.

EP0776302B1 DE102004001A1 WO8907079A1 EP1194353B1

The aim of the invention is to provide a method for locking intermodal containers together, so that the locking can withstand greater waterway-induced tensions than before, in which case intermodal containers transported on cargo ships You can increase the number of modal containers. The method according to the invention is characterized in that it is defined in independent claim 1. Preferred embodiments of this method are defined in dependent claims 2-6.

The object of the invention is to provide a coupling means for carrying out this method. The coupling means are characterized in that they are defined in independent claim 7. Preferred embodiments of the coupling means are defined in dependent claims 8-17.

Therefore, in the present invention, locking two or more intermodal containers stacked one above the other, side by side and/or end to end with their corner castings to each other in order to increase the overall locking force is carried out simultaneously in two or more separate coupling devices.

Twist locks installed according to current practice between the corner castings of two stacked intermodal containers and, in addition, separate coupling means installed in the grip holes on the vertical front faces of the corner castings apply the coupling method. I can do it.

Alternatively, twist locks installed according to current practice between the corner castings of two stacked intermodal containers, and in addition separate coupling means installed in the grip holes on the sides of the corner castings apply the coupling method. be able to.

Alternatively, twist locks installed according to current practice between the corner castings of two stacked intermodal containers and separate coupling means installed in the grip holes at the front and sides of the corner castings. A combination method can be applied.

Also, stack two containers arranged horizontally and another two containers arranged horizontally so that a twist lock is installed between the corner castings of the containers above and below (4 corner castings). It is also possible to connect them together, and in addition to this, separate connecting means can also be installed on the same corner casting, which are fixed in the grip holes in the vertical faces of all four corner castings.

Operation of this method is conditioned on the fact that the clearance between the twist lock and the bearing surface of the corner casting of the container is substantially the same as the clearance between the coupling means and the bearing surface of the corner casting of the container. and takes into account the structural flexibility and deformation of all these components under tension. Therefore, the dimensions of the coupling means are determined according to the dimensions of the twist lock and the corner casting of the intermodal container. In this case, the lifting forces applied from the upper container to the lower container are distributed as evenly as possible between the twist lock and the coupling means.

The invention therefore provides for the use of stacked, side-by-side and It also relates to coupling means fixed between corner castings of end-to-end intermodal containers.

Alternatively, it is an object of the invention to provide a connection fixed between corner castings stacked one above the other, such that, with a twist lock connected between the corner castings, the connection means withstand loads (generally tensile stresses) between the corner castings. It is a means.

One of the advantages of the invention that may be mentioned is that it allows the transport of larger container loads on the deck of a ship than before, thereby increasing the ship's loading capacity and loading efficiency. It can be improved. The present invention can be used with currently used intermodal containers and twist locks. The coupling means according to the invention are structurally simple and operationally reliable.

In the following, the invention will be explained in detail using some examples of its preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG.

FIG. 1 shows a corner casting where two containers are stacked one on top of the other, and the castings are locked together with twist locks in a conventional manner. FIG. 2 is the same as FIG. 1, but the corner castings are also locked together with the coupling means according to the invention via grip holes on the front side of the corner castings. FIG. 3 is the same as FIG. 1, but the corner castings are also locked together with the coupling means according to the invention via grip holes in the sides of the corner castings. Figure 4 shows an embodiment in which the coupling means are attached to both the front and side grip holes. FIG. 5 shows a cross section of two corner castings stacked one above the other in an idle state, the castings being locked with a conventional twist lock and a coupling means according to the invention. Figure 6 is the same as Figure 5, but under tension.

FIG. 1 thus shows the corner casting of two intermodal containers one above the other. The upper corner casting 1 belongs to the upper container, and the lower corner casting 2 belongs to the lower container. Although the actual container is not shown in these drawings, as is known in the art, intermodal containers have corner castings at each corner, and the castings are secured using twist locks 3. Containers can be locked. The twist lock is used by the operating wire 4 in a manner known per se in the art. The twist lock 3 thus locks the container corner castings 1, 2 located above and below together.

Furthermore, there are so-called grip holes 5, 5'; 6, 6' on the sides of the corner castings. The grip holes marked with reference numbers 5, 5' are located at the ends of the container at the so-called front side, and the grip holes marked with reference numbers 6, 6' are located at the longitudinal sides of the container at the so-called side faces.

In FIG. 2 the corner castings 1, 2 are locked with coupling means 7 according to the invention as well as with a conventional twist lock 3. The coupling means 7 was installed between the grip hole 5 on the front side of the upper corner casting 1 and the grip hole 5' on the front side of the lower corner casting 2.

Also in FIG. 3 the corner castings 1, 2 are locked with coupling means 7 according to the invention as well as with a conventional twist lock 3. In this case, the coupling means 7 were installed between the side grip holes 6 of the upper corner casting 1 and the side grip holes 6' of the lower corner casting 2.

FIG. 4 shows, as part of its part, a combination of the solutions of FIGS. 2 and 3, i.e. there are two units of coupling means 7, one between the front grip holes 5, 5' and the other. One is located between the side grip holes 6, 6'.

Figure 5 shows that the corner casting 1 at the lower corner of the upper container is idle on the body 8 of the twist lock, and the body 8 of the twist lock is resting on the corner casting 2 at the upper corner of the lower container. A cross section is shown. Connecting means 7 are mounted and fixed in the grip holes 6, 6' on the side surfaces of the corner castings 1, 2. The coupling means 7 rest on the inner surface 11 of the upper corner casting 1.

In the idle state, a clearance A remains between the upper retaining clip 9 of the twist lock and the inner surface 11 of the upper corner casting, and a corresponding clearance A between the lower retaining clip 10 of the twist lock and the inner surface 12 of the lower corner casting 2. Clearance B remains in between. These clearances allow the twist locks to be locked and opened at the port. Furthermore, in the idle state, a clearance C remains between the lower part of the coupling means 7 and the inner surface 12 of the lower corner casting 2. The dimensions of the coupling means 7 are such that the clearance C is equal to the sum of the clearances A and B.

FIG. 6 shows the tension loading of the device according to FIG. 5, the tension being therefore applied in the direction of arrow V. A tension load can be generated, for example, when the ship heels at sea by a sufficient amount and the second end of the upper container begins to rise upwards (as the container stack begins to fall). In such case, the upper corner casting 1 lifts the twist lock 3 and the coupling means 7 upwards until they collide with the inner surface 12 of the lower corner casting 2. In this situation, the clearances A, B, C shown in FIG. 5 no longer exist and the movement of the upper corner casting 1 relative to the lower corner casting 2 is impeded. The coupling means 7 are thus fixed between the corner castings 1, 2 in such a way as to withstand loads between the corner castings, such as tensile stresses, with the twist lock 3 connected between the corner castings 1, 2. Since both the twist lock 3 and the coupling means 7 bear loads at the same time, it is possible to increase the height and/or weight of the stack of containers compared to conventional devices where only twist locks are used.

The embodiments presented above are those in which the coupling means 7 are installed on the front or side surfaces of the corner castings 1, 2, or on both surfaces. There is also an option to combine two containers side by side and two containers stacked together. In this case, there are four units of corner castings in the same group, with twist locks installed according to current practice between the corner castings of containers stacked on top of each other, in addition to which the same corner castings have separate means of connection. installed, the coupling means are fixed in the grip holes on the horizontal plane of all four corner castings.

The coupling means 7 according to the invention can therefore be installed between corner castings of intermodal containers that are one on top of one another, next to one another and/or end-to-end with one another. The coupling means can be fixed in the grip holes 5, 5'; 6, 6' of the corner castings of the intermodal container by rotatable locking elements or by fixed locking pawls (not shown in the drawings). can. It is also possible to fix it with a magnet.

Furthermore, it is possible to provide the coupling means 7 with support arms (not shown in the figures) to facilitate handling. The support arm can be fixed directly or indirectly at one of its ends to the ship's hull structure or to the lashing bridge. The coupling means with support arms are capable of transmitting forces between the intermodal container and the ship's hull structure or lashing bridge.

The coupling means 7 are essentially U-shaped parts, the free ends of which are fixed in the grip holes 5, 5'; 6, 6' of the corner castings of the intermodal container.

It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but can be modified within the scope of the claims presented below. The need to use the coupling means 7 at different points of the stack of containers is determined inter alia on the basis of the height of the container stack and on the weight of the containers. Instead of steel, the coupling means can also be manufactured from a more flexible material, and this needs to be taken into account when dimensioning the dimensions of the clearances A, B, C. Furthermore, the coupling means include clearance adjustment features, for example implemented in a screw-like structure.

Feature features that may be presented in the description in conjunction with other feature features may also be used separately from each other, if desired.

Claims (6)

A coupling structure for locking together the corner castings (1, 2) of an intermodal container transported on board a ship, comprising a coupling means (7), a twist lock (3) and a corner casting (1, 2) of the container. The intermodal containers stacked one above the other are locked together with twist locks (3), said coupling means (7) being connected between the corner castings (1, 2) of the intermodal containers stacked one above the other; Fixed to grip holes (5, 5'; 6, 6') of corner casting,
In the idle state, the clearance between the twist lock (3) and the support surface of the corner castings (1, 2) of the intermodal container is substantially the same size as the clearance between the
Said coupling means (7) include corner castings (1, 2) arranged on top of each other to withstand loads between the corner castings (1, 2), with a twist lock (3) connected between the corner castings (1, 2). A connecting structure, characterized in that it is fixed between the castings (1, 2) . A clearance (A) exists between the upper retaining clip (9) of the twist lock (3) and the lower inner surface (11) of the upper corner casting (1), and the lower retaining clip (10) of the twist lock (3) A clearance (B) exists between the upper inner surface (12) of the lower corner casting (2) and a clearance (C) exists between the lower part of the coupling means (7) and the inner surface (12) of the lower corner casting. A coupling structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the clearance C is substantially equal to the sum of the clearances A and B. Coupling structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the coupling means (7) are mounted in grip holes (5, 5') in the vertical front faces of the corner castings (1, 2). Coupling structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the coupling means (7) comprises a support arm to facilitate handling of the coupling means. Said support arm is fixed directly or indirectly at one end of said support arm to the ship's hull structure or to the lashing bridge, so that said coupling means (7) with support arm is connected to the intermodal container and the ship. 5. A coupling structure according to claim 4, characterized in that it transmits forces to and from a hull structure or a lashing bridge. 4. The joint structure according to claim 3, wherein the load is a tensile stress.

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