Patent Application
20210396067
The present invention relates to construction elements for containers and specifically the upper element and the lower element of the container. The invention further relates to containers.
Safe or secure storage of articles, goods or property is important to protect valuable articles, to secure high value, to prevent access to unauthorized or unqualified persons, or for burglary protection. Further reasons to store content in a controlled environment could also include protecting the contents from damage during a flood, fire, or natural disaster.
For specific articles, such as weapons certain medical and/or chemical articles and explosives, access prevention is required by law in many locations/jurisdictions. Access prevention for certain articles could also be required for insurance purposes.
A safe is commonly used for storing the valuable articles, and the safety level of the safe is commonly tested by a certification company/organization such as UL, TÜV or RISE (formerly SP Sveriges Tekniska Forskningsinstitut in Sweden) in accordance with a specific standard, such as EN 1143-1. Commonly the safe or lock is graded with a certain protection level. A safe with a high protection grade requires a long time and much effort to force.
An example of a storage container arranged with a construction element is described in patent application WO2005/069747 A1. A drawback with currently existing solutions according to WO2005/069747 A1 is that the described construction element has a wide cross section, leading to thick walls with large amount of concrete that is thus leading to heavy containers.
Further problems which the present invention aims to solve will be elucidated below in the detailed description of the various embodiments.
It is desirable to provide a novel and improved construction, element for a container and specifically a safe container.
The invention relates, according to an aspect thereof, to a lower construction element for a container as mentioned in the introduction, where the lower construction element comprises a first surface, and a second surface, arranged at a distance from one another, forming a space where at least one non-concrete composite bar is arranged, and where a metal component is arranged that at least partly surround the composite bar, and where concrete is arranged in the space between the first wall, the second wall, the metal component and the composite bar.
According to further aspects of the improved lower construction element for a container, the construction element further comprises that;
the metal component at least partly surround three out of four surfaces of the non-concrete composite bar in the longitudinal direction of the composite bar.
several of the non-concrete composite bars are arranged with a separating distance between them.
the separating distance is between 200 mm to 300 mm.
the thickness of the construction element is in the range of 130 mm-170 mm.
the non-concrete composite is a composite comprising at least two of the components; a polymer, an organic material, and a metal.
the polymer is polyethylene,
the organic material is wood fibre.
the metal is aluminium.
at least one of the first surface (10) and the second surface (20) is made of steel plate armour.
the concrete (40) comprises at least one additive selected from wood pellets, plastic pellets, and/or metal pellets.
The invention further relates, according to an aspect thereof, to an upper construction element for a container where the construction element comprises a first surface, and a second surface, arranged at a distance from one another, forming a space where at least one non-concrete composite bar is arranged perpendicularly to a metal component, and where the composite bar is arranged to pass through an opening arranged in the metal component, and where concrete is arranged in the space between the first wall, the second wall, the metal component and the composite bar.
According to further aspects of the improved upper construction element for a container, the construction element further comprises that;
several of the non-concrete composite bars are arranged with a separating distance between them.
the separating distance is between 200 mm to 300 mm.
the thickness of the construction element is in the range of 130 mm-170 mm.
the non-concrete composite is a composite comprising at least two of the components; a polymer, an organic material, and a metal.
the polymer is polyethylene.
the organic material is wood fibre.
the metal is aluminium.
the first surface and the second surface is made of steel plate armour
the concrete comprises at least one additive selected from wood pellets, plastic pellets and/or metal pellets.
The invention further relates, according to an aspect thereof, to an improved container comprising at least one lower construction element and at least one upper construction element.
Advantages of aspects of the present invention includes that safety of containers is improved and that the wall thickness of the construction element is reduced which results in lower total weight of the construction element and thus the container.
The invention will be described in greater detail below with reference to the attached figures, in which:
Intermodal containers share a number of key construction features to withstand the stresses of intermodal shipping, to facilitate their handling and to allow stacking, as well as being identifiable through their individual, unique reporting mark according to ISO 6346.
Lengths of containers vary from 8 to 56 feet (2.4 m to 17.1 m). Most commonly used containers are twenty (6.1 m) or forty (12.2 m) foot standard length boxes of general purpose or “dry freight” design. These typical containers are rectangular, closed box models, with doors fitted at one end, and made of corrugated weathering steel (commonly known as corten) with a plywood floor. Corrugating the sheet metal used for the sides and roof contributes significantly to the container's rigidity and stacking strength.
Standard containers are 8-foot (2.44 m) wide by 8-foot and 6 inches (2.59 m) high or the taller “High Cube” “hi-cube” units measuring 9 feet 6 inches (2.90 m).
ISO containers have castings with openings for twistlock fasteners at each of the eight corners, to allow gripping the box from above, below, or the side, and they can be stacked up to ten units high. Regional intermodal containers, such as European and U.S. domestic units however, are mainly transported by road and rail, and can frequently only be stacked up to three laden units high.
Container capacity is often expressed in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU, or sometimes teu).
As seen in
in a container utilizing the described lower construction element 1 there is no specific need to utilize corrugated surface since the rigidity of the containers is increased by the described lower construction element 1. Corrugated surface elements could nevertheless be used in the described construction element 1 to further increase rigidity, or so that a container manufactured with the described lower construction element 1 gives the visual impression to be an ordinary container.
Commonly the material used in the surface elements 10, 20 is corten steel or some other material with an increased resistance to corrosion compared to ordinary steel. The surface elements 10, 20 could also be armoured steel to further increase the resistance of the lower construction elements 1 to external forces.
Armoured steel must be hard, yet resistant to shock, in order to resist high velocity metal projectiles. Steel with these characteristics is produced by processing cast steel billets of appropriate size and then rolling them into plates of required thickness. Hot rolling homogenizes the grain structure of the steel, removing imperfections which would reduce the strength of the steel. Rolling also elongates the grain structure in the steel to form long lines, which distribute stress loaded onto the steel throughout the metal, avoiding a concentration of stress in one area. This type of steel is called rolled homogeneous armour or RHA. RHA is homogeneous because its structure and composition is uniform throughout its thickness. The opposite of homogeneous steel plate is cemented or face-hardened steel plate, where the face of the steel is composed differently from the substrate. The face of the steel, which starts as an RHA plate, is hardened by a heat-treatment process.
A number of non-concrete, composite bars 30 are arranged side by side in the lower construction element 1 between the surface elements 10, 20. The composite bars 30 are, in the preferred embodiment generally flat, with a rectangular cross-section. Hence they have two larger surfaces 32 and two narrow side surfaces 34. In the preferred embodiment shown in
The lower construction element 1 is filled with concrete, i.e. a composite of at least cement and construction aggregate. Construction aggregate is a broad category of coarse to medium grained particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and/or geosynthetic aggregates. Aggregates are a component of composite materials such as concrete and asphalt concrete; the aggregate serves as reinforcement to add strength to the overall composite material. As an option, the concrete may also comprise a concrete additive, selected from wood pellets, plastic pellets, and/or metal pellets. Concrete additives with a low density serve to reduce the total weight of the lower construction element 1. Concrete additives with a high density will increase the total weight, but are an option for providing the concrete with desirable properties, such as an increased resistance to cutting.
The bars 30 are non-concrete, i.e. not made from a composite of cement and construction aggregate. The non-concrete composite material is preferably a composite, preferably a bio-composite, comprising plastic, wood fibre and an additive. An alternative plastic could be polyethylene. The additive is preferably a metal, such as aluminium. A commercial example of a bio-composite is DuraSense™ but other alternatives of composites or bio-composites are also possible to use. The wood fibre content of the non-concrete composite could be in the range of 10%-60%. Bio-composite is a composite material formed by a matrix (resin) and a reinforcement of natural fibres. Bio-composites often mimic the structure of the living materials involved in the process keeping the strengthening properties of the matrix that was used, but always providing biocompatibility. The matrix phase is formed by polymers derived from renewable and non-renewable sources.
The matrix is important to protect the fibres from environmental degradation and mechanical damage, to hold the fibres together and to transfer the loads on it. In addition, bio-fibres are the principal components of bio-composites which are derived from biological origins, for example fibres from crops (cotton, flax or hemp), recycled wood, waste paper, crop processing by products or regenerated cellulose fibre (viscose/rayon). Benefits of bio-composites are that they are renewable, cheap, recyclable, and biodegradable. Bio-composites can be used alone, or as a complement to standard materials, such as carbon fibre, Bio-composites have lower density compared to wood.
The lower construction element 1 comprises at least five elements, two steel surfaces 10, 20, concrete 40, metal component 12, and the non-concrete composite bars 30. In case there is an intention to force or break through the lower construction element 1, the first surface element 10 is the first surface that has to be forced. To penetrate the steel surface 10, a gas burner or blowtorch or other heat generating means could be used. When the first surface element 10 is penetrated the next step would be to penetrate the concrete 40. Concrete is preferably penetrated by drilling and/or sawing or some other cutting operation.
By adequate selection of the material of the metal component and the non-concrete composite such as to inhibit the cutting operation, the time needed to penetrate the concrete metal/non-concrete combination of the lower construction element 1 is prolonged. When the concrete/metal/non-concrete composite combination has been penetrated, the second surface 20 has to be penetrated and heat generating means needs to be used once again.
In one embodiment a first side surface and a second side surface, not shown in the figures, are arranged at the lateral ends of the first surface 10 and the second surface 20, to form a mould or die formed space in which the metal component 12 and the non-concrete composite bars 30 are arranged together with rebar 22, 24 or reinforcing bars. The rebar 22, 24 is preferably arranged to hold the metal component 12 and the non-composite bars 30 in the intended places before pouring of the concrete 40. The concrete is poured into the void space made up of the surface elements and the metal components 12 and the non-concrete composite bars 30.
The general idea of the construction element is hence making penetration thereof as complicated, and as time-consuming, as possible. Thereby there is an increased risk of discovery of an attempt of forced entry before it has been completed. The different materials in the construction element require different means for the penetration thereof. The heat generating means required to penetrate the outer first and second walls 10, 20 are inefficient for penetration of the concrete 40.
The cutting means required for penetration of the concrete will be adversely affected by the metal component and the non-concrete composite material encountered when the metal components 12 and the bars 30 are reached.
As seen in
In a container utilizing the described construction element 1000 there is no specific need to utilize corrugated surface since the rigidity of the containers is increased by the described upper construction element 1000. Corrugated surface elements could nevertheless be used in the described construction element 1000 to further increase rigidity, or so that a container manufactured with the described upper construction element 1000 gives the visual impression to be an ordinary container.
Commonly the material used in the surface elements 1010, 1020 is corten steel or some other material with an increased resistance to corrosion compared to ordinary steel. The surface elements 1010, 1020 could also be armoured steel to further increase the resistance of the upper construction elements 1000 to external forces.
A number of non-concrete, composite bars 1030 are arranged side h side in the upper construction element 1000 between the surface elements 1010, 1020. The composite bars 1030 are, in the preferred embodiment generally flat, with a rectangular cross-section. Hence they have two larger surfaces 1032 and two narrow side surfaces 1034. In the preferred embodiment shown in
Rebar 1022, 1024 or reinforcing bars of at least two different diameters are arranged in the concrete 1040. A first rebar 1022 is preferably of 8 mm diameter and a second rebar 1024 is preferably of 16 mm diameter. Preferably the rebar 1022, 1024 are arranged to hold the metal component 1012 and the bar 1030 in the right place. The rebar 1022, 1024 are also arranged to form a net like structure conventionally used when casting reinforced concrete.
The upper construction element 1000 comprises at least five elements, two steel surfaces 1010, 1020, concrete 40, metal component 1012, and the non-concrete composite bars 1030. In case there is an intention to force or break through the upper construction element 1000, the first surface element 1010 is the first surface that has to be forced. To penetrate the steel surface 1010, a gas burner or blowtorch or other heat generating means could be used. When the first surface element 1010 is penetrated the next step would be to penetrate the concrete 40. Concrete is preferably penetrated by drilling and/or sawing or some other cutting operation.
By adequate selection of the material of the metal component and the non-concrete composite such as to inhibit the cutting operation, the time needed to penetrate the concrete/metal/non-concrete combination of the upper construction element 1000 is prolonged. When the concrete/metal/non-concrete composite combination has been penetrated, the second surface 1020 has to be penetrated and heat generating means needs to be used once again.
In one embodiment a first side surface and a second side surface, not shown in the figures, are arranged at the lateral ends of the first surface 1010 and the second surface 1020, to form a mould or die formed space in which the metal component 1012 and the non-concrete composite bars 1030 are arranged together with rebar 1022, 1024 or reinforcing bars. The rebar 1022, 1024 is preferably arranged to hold the metal component 1012 and the non-composite bars 1030 in the intended places before pouring of the concrete 40. The concrete is poured into the void space made up of the surface elements and the metal components 1012 and the non-concrete composite bars 1030.
The general idea of the construction element is hence making penetration thereof as complicated, and as time-consuming, as possible. Thereby there is an increased risk of discovery of an attempt of forced entry before it has been completed. The different materials in the construction element require different means for the penetration thereof. The heat generating means required to penetrate the outer first and second walls 1010, 1020 are inefficient for penetration of the concrete 40.
The cutting means required for penetration of the concrete will be adversely affected by the metal component and the non-concrete composite material encountered when the metal components 1012 and the bars 1030 are reached.
The invention is not limited to the embodiments specifically shown, but can be varied in different ways within the scope of the patent claims.
It will be appreciated, for example, that the size, material and how the components of the construction element are arranged, as well as the integral elements and component parts, is adapted to the needs of the user and/or customer of the construction element, and other current design characteristics.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930005-2 | Jan 2019 | SE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/SE2019/051224 | 12/3/2019 | WO | 00 |
