GB2246161A

GB2246161A - Means for securing freight containers together

Info

Publication number: GB2246161A
Application number: GB9113968A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Philip Cowan
Original assignee: BLAIR GEORGE Ltd
Current assignee: BLAIR GEORGE Ltd
Priority date: 1990-07-06
Filing date: 1991-06-28
Publication date: 1992-01-22
Anticipated expiration: 2011-06-28
Also published as: GB2246161B; GB9113968D0

Abstract

Means for securing together freight containers (10) provided with standard upper and lower corner fittings 12, 14 each having apertures 16, 18, (20, 22, 24) of different sizes and configuration in the upper or lower, end and side walls comprises a rotatable threaded shaft 30 on which are mounted a pair of clamping heads 34, 36 movable relative to one another along the shaft, each clamping head including first and second arm portions 40, 46 angularly spaced from one another and configured to accommodate therein and therebetween the defining walls of any combination of apertures 16, 18, (20, 22, 24) of two adjacent corner fittings 12, 14. Thus the clamping may be effected either by the generally 'T' shaped parts 46 and/or by the hooked parts 40 of the clamping heads. <IMAGE>

Description

MEANS FOR SECURING FREIGHT CONTAINERS TOGETHER This invention relates to means for securing freight containers together, and more particularly to such means for effecting said securing by co-operation with apertures provided in the containers adjacent the corner regions thereof.

Freight containers are produced in a series of standard sizes and are known as I.S.O. containers, such containers being provided with a standard fitting at each corner thereof, which fittings are formed with apertures for the reception therein of securing means to enable the securing together of adjacent containers or the securing of a container to a supporting platform or the like.

Each corner fitting comprises a hollow, generally cubic shaped component provided with apertures in the outwardly facing faces thereof for receiving the securing means - i.e. in the top, end and side faces of a top corner fitting, and in the bottom, end and side faces of a bottom corner fitting.

The geometries of the corner fittings, and in particular the locations anz dimensions of the apertues therein, are determined in accordance with British Standards, and the apertures vary from one another.

Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings show in detail the shapes and dimensions of a top corner fitting and a bottom corner fitting respectively of an I.S.O.

container, from which the varying shapes and locations of the apertures can be appreciated. More particularly, Figs.

la, lb and lc are, respectively, a side view, an end view and a plan view from above of an upper corner fitting showing the different sizes and configurations of the apertures in the side wall, end wall and top wall of the fitting. Similarly, Figs. 2a, 2b and 2c are, respectively, a side view, an end view and a plan view from below of a lower corner fitting showing the different sizes and configurations of the apertures in the side and end walls compared with the aperture in the bottom wall.

Various situations arise when it is necessary to secure stacked containers together to prevent relative movement therebetween. For example, when unladen containers are stacked vertically for transportation, they need to be secured together to resist wind forces, while containers stacked on a platform such as ship's deck must be secured together to withstand the undulating and rolling movement associated with ships at sea.

It is also desirable to secure together the individual container-type modules that comprise a larger modular structure such as a mobile hospital or the like.

Heretofore it has been common practice to utilise securing means in the form of bridge fittlns interconnect two adjacent corner fittings in the fore and aft or side to side directions, such bridge fittings comprising a pair of hook-like clamping heads each mounted on, for relative movement along, a common threaded shaft whereby the distance between the clamping heads can be varied, one clamping head being received within an aperture in a corner fitting of one container and the other clamping head being received within an aperture in the adjacent corner fitting of the other container. Hook portions of the clamping heads are dimensioned and configured to project through the associated apertures and to engage around the defining walls of said apertures to co-operate with said walls and to effect the desired securing together of the containers.

However, because of the different shapes and sizes of the apertures in the various walls of the corner fittings, it is usually necessary to provide a series of different bridge fittings dependent upon the connection to be effected, while it has not proved practical to utilise a bridge fitting to secure together corner fittings located one above the other because of the lack of purchase area within the fittings for engagement by the clamping heads.

It would be desirable to be able to provide means for securing together freight containers, such means being in the form of a bridge fitting capable of accommodating any combination of apertures in adjacent corner fittings of the containers.

According to the present invention there is provided means for securing together freight containers e=or provided with standard corner fittings as hereinbefore defined, the securing means comprising a rotatable threaded shaft on which are mounted, to be movable relative to one another along said shaft, a pair of clamping heads, each clamping head including first and second arm portions angularly spaced from one another and configured to accommodate therein and therebetween the defining walls of any combination of apertures of two adjacent corner fittings.

Preferably the major axes of the two arm portions of a clamping head are perpendicular to one another and to the longitudinal central axis of the threaded shaft.

Conveniently a transverse section through the first arm portion of each clamping head is of generally channel shape, while a transverse section through the second arm portion of each clamping head is of asymmetric, generally I-shape with the opposed channels to each side of the I-section being of different widths.

In one embodiment of the invention, the threaded shaft may comprise a turnbuckle, each clamping head being internally threaded to be movable towards or away from one another on rotation of the shaft.

Alternatively the threaded shaft may be provided with an increased diameter head at one end thereof, one of the clamping heads being located on the shaft adjacent the head of the shaft to be freely slidable along the shaft, the other clamping head being internally threaded to be movable along the shaft on relative rotation between the shaft and the other clamping head.

Preferably one at least of the clamping heads is provided with a lubrication channel therethrough communicating onto the threaded shaft and whereby lubricant can be fed to said shaft.

By way of example only, an embodiment of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to Figs. 3 to 12 of the accompanying drawings of which: Fig. 3 shows a plurality of stacked containers each incorporating standard corner fittings and showing, schematically, six different applications, numbered 1 to 6, of the securing means according to the invention; Fig. 4 is a front view in the direction of arrow IV in Fig. 5 of securing means according to the invention; Fig. 5 is a plan view from above in the direction of arrow V in Fig. 4 of the securing means of Fig. 4; ; Fig. 6 is an end view in the direction of arrow VI in Fig. 4 of the securing means of Fig. 4, and Figs. 7 and 7b to 12a and 12b are detailed views and sections respectively of the securing means of Figs. 4 to 6 in the applications shown schematically in Fig. 3, Figs. 7 to 12 corresponding to applications 1 to 6 respectively.

Referring to Fig. 3, there is shown a series of I.S.O.containers 10 each provided with standard upper corner fittings 12 and lower corner fittings 14, adjacent pairs of corner fittings being secured together by the securing means of the invention.

Application 1 shows a securing means reacting between the end aperture 16 of an upper corner fitting 12 and the end aperture 18 of a lower corner fitting 14.

Application 2 shows a securing means reacting between the side aperture 20 of an upper corner fitting 12 and the side aperture 22 of a lower corner fitting 14.

Application 3 shows a securing means reacting between the top apertures 24 of two adjacent upper corner fittings 12 located side by side.

Application 4 shows a securing means reacting between the side apertures 20 of two adjacent upper corner fittings 12 located end to end, but has equal application to the side apertures 22 of two adjacent lower corner fittings 14 located end to end.

Application 5 shows a securing means reacting between the top apertures 24 of two adjacent upper corner fittings 12 located end to end.

Application 6 shows a securing means reacting between the end apertures 16 of two adjacent upper corner fittings 12, but has equal application to the end apertures 18 of two adjacent lower corner fittings 14.

Referring to Figs. 4 to 6, there is shown securing means according to the invention comprising a threaded shaft 30 provided with an increased-diameter hexagonal head 32. Mounted on the shaft 30 is a first clamping head 34 provided with an internally-threaded bore therethrough by which said head 34 can be moved along the shaft 30 on rotation thereof.

Also mounted on the shaft 30, adjacent the head 34, is a second clamping head 36 provided with a cylindrical bore therethrough whereby the head 36 can move freely along the shaft 30.

Each clamping head 34,36 includes a substantially square section body portion 38 from which projects a first arm portion 40 of generally channel shape, or hook shape in section as best seen in Fig. 5, said first arm portion 40 including a nose portion 42 and a recess 44.

Also projecting from the body portion 38 of each clamping head 34,36, perpendicular to the first arm portion 40, is.a second arm portion 46 of generally asymmetric I-shape in a plane containing the central longitudinal axis of the shaft 30 and including opposed channel-section recesses 48,50 of different widths therein, the recesses 48,50 being determined between the body portion 38 and associated nose portions 52,54 respectively.

The configurations of the recesses 48,50 and the nose portions 52,54 of the arm portions 46, as well as the configurations of the recesses 44 and the nose portions 42, enable the application of the clamping heads 34 and 36 to all possible combinations of corner fitting apertures as can be seen from Figs. 7 to 12.

More particularly, the arm portions 40 are used in relatively conventional manner in applications 3 to 6, with the arm portions 46 being redundant in these applications and lying above or to the sides of the corner fittings being secured together.

However applications 1 and 2 utilise the arm portions 46 to enable the securing together of upper and lower corner fittings 12,14 located one on top of the other and through either the end apertures 16,18 of said fittings or the side apertures 20,22 of said fittings.

Referring to Fig. 7a, which is a view on the front faces of upper and lower corner fittings 12,14, and Fig.

7b, which is a section on the line VII-VII of Fig. 7a, the arm portions 46 of the clamping heads 34, 36 are shown projecting through the end apertures 16,18 of the upper corner fitting 12 and the lower corner fitting 14 respectively, the recesses 48 receiving therein the thickness of the upper and lower defining walls 56,58 of the apertures 16,18, with the nose portions 52 engaging over said walls 56,58 into the upper aperture 60 of the upper corner fitting 12 and the lower aperture 62 of the lower corner fitting 14.

The clamping heads 34,36 are moved into clamping engagement with the two corner fittings 12,14 by appropriate rotation of the shaft 30 by way of the hexagonal head 32.

Referring to Fig. 8a, which is a view on the sides of upper and lower corner fittings 12,14, and Fig. 8b which is a section on the line VIlI-VIlI of Fig. 8a, the clamping heads 34,36 have been reversed on the shaft 30 so that the recesses 50 in the two arm portions 46 face one another.

The arm portions 46 of the clamping heads 34,36 are shown projecting through the side apertures 20,22 of an upper corner fitting 12 and a lower corner fitting 14 respectively, the recesses 50 receiving therein the thickness of the upper and lower defining walls 64,66 of the apertures 20,22 with the nose portions 54 engaging over said walls 64,66 into the upper aperture 60 of the upper corner fitting 12 and the lower aperture 62 of tp.e lower corner fitting 14.

Again the clamping heads 34,36 are moved into clamping engagement with the two corner fittings 12,14 by appropriate rotation of the shaft 30.

As mentioned above, applications 3 to 6 of Figs. 9 to 12 utilise the arm portions 40 to effect the securing together of two containers.

Fig. 9a is a view from above of two adjacent side-byside upper corner fittings 12,12', while Fig. 9b is a section on the line IX-IX of Fig. 9a. The arm portions 40 of the clamping heads 34,36 project through the top apertures 24,24 of the two fittings 12,12.

Fig. lOa is a side view of two adjacent upper corner fittings 12,12' located end-to-end, while Fig. lOb is a section on the line X-X of Fig. lOa. The arm portions 40 of the clamping heads 34,36 project through the side apertures 20,20' of the two fittings 12,12'. This arrangement is equally applicable to the interconnection of two lower corner fittings 14 utilising the side apertures 22 therethrough.

Fig. lla is a top view of two adjacent upper corner fittings 12,12' in end to end relationship, while Fig. llb is a section on the line XI-XI in Fig. lla. The arm portions 40 of the clamping heads 34,36 project through the top apertures 24,24 of the two fittings 12,12'.

Fig. 12a is an end view of two side-by-side upper corner fittings 12,12', while Fig. 12b is a section on the line XII-XII in Fig. 12a. The arm portions 40 of the clamping heads 34,36 project through the end apertures 16,16' of the two fittings 12,12'. This arrangement is equally applicable to the interconnection of two lower corner fittings 14 utilising the end apertures 18 therethrough.

One or both of the clamping heads 34,36 may be provided with means for lubricating the shaft 30. In the illustrated arrangement, the arm-portion 46 of the clamping head 34 is provided with a lubrication channel 68 therein supplying oil from a reservoir 70 to an outlet adjacent the shaft 30, the reservoir 70 being closed by a removable cap 72 (Fig. 4).

Conveniently, the body portion 38, first arm portion 40 and second arm portion 46 of each clamping head 34,36 comprise a unitary construction.

Thus there is provided å substantially universal clamping device capable of bridging the adjacent corner fittings of two containers regardless of the apertures to be used to effect the connection. The precise construction of the securing means may be varied from that shown without departing from the scope of the basic invention. For example both clamping heads 34,36 may be internally threaded with the shaft 30 being threaded to act as a turnbuckle whereby rotation of the shaft 30 results in the clamping heads being moved towards one another or away from one another depending upon the direction of rotation of the shaft 30.

Other modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. Means for securing together freight containers provided with standard corner fittings each having apertures of different sizes and configurations in the outer normally horizontal wall in the and two outer normally vertical walls as hereinbefore defined, the securing means comprising a rotatable threaded shaft on which are mounted, to be movable relative to one another along said shaft, a pair of clamping heads, each clamping head including first and second arm portions angularly spaced from one another and configurated to accommodate therein and therebetween the defining walls of any combination of apertures of two adjacent corner fittings.

2. Securing means as claimed in claim 1 in which the major axes of the two arm portions of a clamping head are perpendicular to one another and to the longitudinal central axis of the threaded shaft.

3. Securing means as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 in which a transverse section through the first arm portion of each clamping head is of generally channel shape, and a transverse section through the second arm portion of each clamping head is of asymmetric, generally I-shape with the opposed channels to each side of the I-section being of different widths.

4. Securing means as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 in which the threaded shaft comprises a turnbuckle, each clamping head being internally threaded to be movable towards or away from one another cn rotations of the shaft.

5. Securing means as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 in ' which the threaded shaft is provided with an increased diameter head at one end thereof, one of the clamping heads being located on the shaft adjacent the head of the shaft to be freely slidable along the shaft, the other clamping head being internally threaded to be movable along the shaft on relative rotation between the shaft and the other clamping head.

6. Securing means as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 in which at least one of the clamping heads is provided with a lubrication channel therethrough communicating onto the threaded shaft whereby lubricant can be fed to said shaft.

7 Securing means as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 in which each clamping head comprises a unitary construction.

8. . Means for securing together freight containers substantially as described with reference to and as illustrated by Figs. -3 to 12 of the accompanying drawings.