Air cargo containers have been used for the transportation of cargo by aircraft for many years. Cargo such as cartons, smaller shipping containers, etc. is first loaded into containers. The containers are then loaded into an aircraft. Use of air cargo containers is much faster than loading cargo directly into the cargo space of the aircraft, since the individual cartons need not be separately placed and secured within the aircraft. Air cargo containers can also be loaded at locations remote from the airport. Furthermore, because the cargo containers are typically designed and constructed to correspond to the interior dimensions of the aircraft cargo space, the containers fit more securely in the cargo space and do not shift during flight. These and other advantages of air cargo containers have made air cargo containers widely used in the air freight and airline industry.
A door is typically provided over an opening in the front wall of the container so that cargo may be loaded into, and unloaded out of, the container. Typically the door is a flexible so-called curtain door, often provided with reinforcing straps. The door slides to one side, like a window curtain, to uncover the opening in the front wall, for loading and unloading cargo. Although these designs have worked well in the past, sliding the door can sometimes become difficult, especially if cargo has shifted during transport applying significant tension to the door. Accordingly, engineering challenges remain in the design of air cargo containers.
An air cargo container has a head rail extending between the left and right walls, and a curtain door supported by or suspended on a plurality of sliders within the head rail. The head rail may be a square or rectangular tube having a bottom wall, and a slot in the bottom wall, and with a part of each slider in the slot. A tab or riser is optionally provided and extends down from a bottom surface of the slider into the slot. The sliders provide a high-strength attachment for the curtain door and also allow the curtain door to slide easily.
As shown in
Turning to
A riser or protrusion 34 may extend down from the body 32 into the slot 26, to keep the slider 30 aligned with the longitudinal axis of the head rail 22. In this case, as shown in
As shown in
A backing plate 42 is provided between the nuts 44 and the body 32 to better distribute compression forces on the body 32. The backing plate 42, typically made of metal or other material of higher strength than the low friction material body. The backing plate, for example a 2-6 mm thick steel or aluminum plate, allows the body of the slider to be made of a low-friction material for smooth sliding operation, while still maintaining the structural integrity of the door. During normal operations the backing plate 42 does not carry significant load. However, under extreme load conditions, such as during air turbulence or a hard landing, the low-friction material may yield. The load is then carried primarily via the backing plate 42 to the head rail.
Referring back to
The container 10 may also have a foot rail 50 at the front opening, at or near the floor 13. In this case, the lower ends of the straps 18 can be attached to the foot rail 50 using detachable fittings or hooks, so that both the top and bottom of the door 14 can be securely attached to the structure of the container during transit.
Thus, a novel air cargo container has been shown and described. Various changes and modifications may of course be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention, therefore, should not be limited, except by the following claims and their equivalents.
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Entry |
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DE_2119536_translation.pdf. |
DE_19514587_translation.pdf. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20170113870 A1 | Apr 2017 | US |