FRAME CONTAINER AND METHOD OF LOADING SEMI-TRAILER CHASSIS INTO A FRAME CONTAINER
A frame container for shipping chassis includes a base frame and corner posts. The base frame includes two bottom side beams each extending in a longitudinal direction between two corner posts and beams extending between two bottom side beams in a direction that is perpendicular to the bottom side beams. Each bottom side beam includes an upper surface and a lower surface extending in the longitudinal direction between the two corner posts and a locking hole defined between the upper and lower surfaces for receiving a twist lock of a chassis.
Latest Patents:
- TOSS GAME PROJECTILES
- BICISTRONIC CHIMERIC ANTIGEN RECEPTORS DESIGNED TO REDUCE RETROVIRAL RECOMBINATION AND USES THEREOF
- CONTROL CHANNEL SIGNALING FOR INDICATING THE SCHEDULING MODE
- TERMINAL, RADIO COMMUNICATION METHOD, AND BASE STATION
- METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSMITTING SCHEDULING INTERVAL INFORMATION, AND READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM
This is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/095,606, filed Apr. 1, 2005, which claims priority of Chinese Application No. 200510052317.0, filed Feb. 5, 2005, and Chinese Application No. 200420049821.6, filed Apr. 6, 2004, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe invention relates to an apparatus and method for shipping semi-trailer chassis, and more particularly to a frame container used to ship semi-trailer chassis and method for loading the semi-trailer chassis into a frame container.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONSemi-trailer chassis are widely used as tools for transporting containers. During use, a semi-trailer chassis can be hauled by a trailer vehicle, and a container can be fixed onto the semi-trailer chassis.
At the present time, the manufacture of semi-trailer chassis has been transferred to developing countries to reduce production costs; however, the main consumer markets still remain in the industrialized countries. Because various modes of transportation, e.g., via highway, railway, or by sea, are required to ship semi-trailer chassis from the location of manufacture to the marketplace, the cost of shipping is a key factor that affects the final cost of the product. Usually, high shipping costs will significantly increase the final cost of the product and therefore cause a loss in market competitiveness.
Conventionally, semi-trailer chassis are shipped by sea using bulk cargo ships, where five units of semi-trailer chassis are secured and stacked on top of one another for shipping. By using this method, the shipping process can be complicated and the shipping costs are high. Also, because there is a shortage of bulk cargo shipping lines, it is difficult to schedule and satisfy the demand for shipping semi-trailer chassis using only bulk cargo shipping lines instead of container lines. As a result, this directly affects the production costs of semi-trailer chassis. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt an efficient and low-cost shipping method.
Containers are standard international, general-purpose shipping tools used in various modes of transportation. Containers can be stacked to maximize the storage capacity, e.g., on the deck of a ship, so that the shipping costs can be reduced and shipping efficiency can be enhanced.
By using containers to ship semi-trailer chassis, provided that the size of the container after loading meets the length, width, and height requirements for standard container shipping, it is possible to use various modes of transportation, containerize the transportation of semi-trailer chassis, and reduce shipping costs. However, due to the special structure of semi-trailer chassis, the design of the container and the loading method will directly determine whether it is possible to ship the semi-trailer chassis. The design of the container and the loading method will also determine the overall size of the container after the semi-trailer chassis have been loaded, and the maximum quantity of semi-trailer chassis that can be shipped by a container.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn one exemplary embodiment, a frame container for shipping chassis includes a base frame and corner posts. The base frame includes two bottom side beams each extending in a longitudinal direction between two corner posts and beams extending between two bottom side beams in a direction that is perpendicular to the bottom side beams. Each bottom side beam includes an upper and a lower surface extending in the longitudinal direction between the two corner posts and a locking hole defined between the upper and lower surfaces for receiving a twist lock of a chassis.
In another embodiment, a frame container for shipping chassis includes a base frame and corner posts, the base frame having two side beams extending in a longitudinal direction between two corner posts, two end beams extending between the two side beams, a middle beam between the two side beams, and beams extending between the middle beam and a side beam. Each side beam includes an upper and a lower surface extending in the longitudinal direction between two corner posts and a locking hole defined between the upper and lower surfaces for receiving a twist lock of a chassis.
In a method used for loading semi-trailer chassis into a shipping container according to one example of the present disclosure, where the container includes a base frame and four frame structures attached to corner posts secured to the base frame, four semi-trailer chassis are loaded into the container in order from bottom to top, where the first semi-trailer chassis is placed upside down, the second chassis is placed right-side up and turned horizontally at a 180 degree angle, the third chassis is placed upside down, and the fourth chassis is placed right-side up and turned horizontally at a 180 degree angle.
In a preferred embodiment of this invention, in the above-described method used for loading semi-trailer chassis into a container for shipping, a rear end of the first semi-trailer chassis where wheels are installed (the wheel end) is placed close to corner posts at one end of the container and is supported by a carrying face of bottom side beams of the container. A lock located at the wheel end of the semi-trailer is locked into a lock hole located on the bottom side beam of the container.
According to one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the second semi-trailer chassis is placed on top of the first semi-trailer chassis, and the wheels of the second semi-trailer chassis are in contact with a gooseneck beam of the first semi-trailer chassis, and the wheels of the first semi-trailer chassis are in contact with a gooseneck beam of the second semi-trailer chassis. A rear end of the second semi-trailer chassis is positioned adjacent to two corner posts of the container. The method used for loading the first and second semi-trailer chassis is repeated for loading the third and fourth semi-trailer chassis.
According to one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, in which the semi-trailer chassis are positioned in order from bottom to top, an axle of a wheel suspension frame and reinforcing plates of legs of the first semi-trailer chassis are in contact with reinforcing plates of legs and an axle of a wheel suspension frame of the second semi-trailer chassis, respectively. The same arrangement can be used for loading the third and fourth semi-trailer chassis.
According to one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the second semi-trailer chassis and the first semi-trailer chassis are positioned in reverse order from tail to head. The rear end of the second semi-trailer chassis is positioned adjacent to the two corner posts at the other end of the container, its wheels are supported by a carrying face of the bottom side beams of the container, and the legs of the second semi-trailer chassis are adjusted so that they are supported by the base frame of the container. The same arrangement can be used for loading the third and fourth semi-trailer chassis.
After the four semi-trailer chassis are loaded into the container, the four semi-trailer chassis may be fastened to the container.
By adopting the above-mentioned technical solution, the loading space of the container can be effectively used to load four semi-trailer chassis with a length of 40 feet, 20 feet, or a telescopic chassis with a length of 45 feet, 53 feet, or any other size. The loading capacity is enhanced, shipping costs have been significantly reduced compared with bulk cargo shipping, and the requirements for containerization used in various modes of through-shipping are satisfied. The scheduled use of various modes of through-shipping can be realized by using container lines, thus satisfying the shipping demands for semi-trailer chassis.
A better understanding of the technical features and other benefits of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of this invention in combination with the attached drawings.
To further understand the technical aspects of this invention, please refer to the following detailed description and the attached drawings. The attached drawings are provided for reference and illustration purposes only, and are not intended to limit the scope of this invention.
To make full use of the space within a frame-type container for effectively loading semi-trailer chassis with a length of 40 feet, 20 feet, or a telescopic length of 45 feet, 53 feet, or any other specification, a new type of container and method for loading semi-trailer chassis is described in this disclosure.
As shown in
Numerous alternative methods may be used for fixing bottom side beams 6, doorsills 5, and corner posts 2. For example, the first alternative method is to have the ends of two bottom side beams 6 fixed to two base corner parts 3 located at the ends of two corner posts 2 at one end of base frame 4, and having a doorsill 5 installed between two base corner parts 3; the second alternative method is to have the ends of two bottom side beams 6 fixed to two base corner parts 3 located at the ends of two corner posts 2 at one end of base frame 4, and have doorsill 5 installed directly between two bottom side beams 6, so that the space between the two bottom side beams 6 can be reduced, therefore reducing the length of bottom cross beams 7 and saving materials; the third alternative method is to have bottom side beams 6 and doorsills 5 directly fixed onto corner posts 2. There are other options for assembling the container. A first embodiment of an assembled container is shown in
One embodiment of a method for loading semi-trailer chassis is illustrated in
In order to satisfy the requirements for transportation in various modes, the external width, height, and positions of the corner parts of an ISO 1 AAA-type container is adopted, whereas the external length meets or exceeds the standards of an ISO 1 AAA-type container.
In order to load four semi-trailer chassis into the container, upon loading, every two semi-trailer chassis are arranged in reverse order from head to tail and placed opposing each other, so that the wheels of the first semi-trailer chassis and a gooseneck beam of the second semi-trailer chassis can be in contact to form a unit. Then the two units, each containing two semi-trailer chassis, are stacked and loaded inside the container. This specific loading method is described as follows.
First, as illustrated in
Secondly, as illustrated in
Thirdly, as illustrated in
Fourthly, as illustrated in
Finally, the four semi-trailer chassis are fastened to the container body.
During loading, an axle of wheel suspension frame 205 and reinforcing plates 203 of legs of the first semi-trailer chassis 20 are in contact with reinforcing plates 213 of legs and an axle of wheel suspension frame 215 of the second semi-trailer chassis 21, respectively.
The dimension parameters used in
Z: an internal width of the container, i.e., the distance between the internal side face of the left and right corner posts 2.
H1: a vertical distance between the carrying face of the first semi-trailer chassis 20 and the tangent point of the axle of the wheel suspension frame 205 of the first semi-trailer chassis 20 and the reinforcing plates 213 of the legs of the second semi-trailer chassis 21. The axle of the wheel suspension frame has a circular shape, and the reinforcing plates of the legs are beveled; therefore, the position of the point of tangent of the two is fixed each time the semi-trailer chassis are positioned in the same manner, i.e., H1 is a constant determined by the structure parameter of the semi-trailer chassis.
H2: a vertical distance between the point of tangent mentioned in H1 and the orthogonal projection of gooseneck beam 212 of the second semi-trailer chassis 21 on left corner posts 2 of the container, where the position of the above-mentioned point of tangent on the reinforcing plates of the legs will change according to the relative horizontal stacking position of the two units of semi-trailer chassis, i.e., it will change when the width Z changes.
H3: a vertical distance between the carrying face of the third semi-trailer chassis 22 and the point of tangent of the axle of the wheel suspension frame of the third semi-trailer chassis 22 and the reinforcing plates of the legs of the fourth semi-trailer chassis 23; it is identical or related to H1.
H4: a vertical distance between the point of tangent mentioned in H3 and the top of the handle plate of the fourth semi-trailer chassis 23; it is related to H2.
h: height of the bottom side beam.
H: external height of the container.
To meet the standard required for shipping the container, the stacking of the four semi-trailer chassis should not exceed the top surface of top corner part 1, i.e., H is the total (or greater than the total) of h, H1, H2, H3, and H4.
The width Z determines the relative position of the stacking of each group of semi-trailer chassis (the first and the second, the third and the fourth), i.e., H2 is determined by the height of the tangent of the axle of the wheel suspension frame 205 of the first semi-trailer chassis 20 and the reinforcing plates 213 of the legs of the second semi-trailer chassis 21. That is to say, H2 is dependent on the variable Z. H4 is also dependent on the variable Z.
H2=F1(Z)
H4=F2(Z)
h is specified by a national standard, where h equals H minus H1, H2, H3, and H4; therefore, h is also dependent on the variable Z.
h=F3(Z)
To load a semi-trailer chassis with a length of 40 feet, or a telescopic length of 45 feet or 53 feet, there are at least two requirements regarding the structural parameters of the container: first, the rear end cross beam of the first semi-trailer chassis 20, which is supposed to be loaded upside down as the bottom unit, should be adjacent to the two corner posts 2 at one end of the container and should rest on bottom side beams 6. The rear end of the second semi-trailer chassis 21, which is loaded right-side up in a reverse direction, should be adjacent to the two corner posts 2 at the other end of the container, where its wheels are positioned on bottom side beam 6. By loading the four semi-trailer chassis in such a manner, it ensures that the loading height of the four semi-trailer chassis will not exceed the surface height of top corner part 1. In one embodiment, the distance between the lowest point of the carrying face of bottom side beam 6 and the bottom face of the base corner part 3 is less than or equal to 365 mm. Secondly, the horizontal distance between the internal surfaces of the two opposing corner posts 2 of the container should be no greater than or equal to 11836 mm. The requirements for loading are ideally met when the horizontal distance is 11846 mm.
As illustrated in
Different designs for the cross section for corner post reinforcing structure 8 may be employed, for example, as shown in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
To ensure that the ISO strength requirements are met regarding the container body, while also ensuring that the carrying face of the bottom side beam 6 is at the required height, in one exemplary embodiment, a base frame structure with three or more pieces can be adopted. In
To ensure that ISO strength requirements are met regarding the container body, while also ensuring that the carrying face of the bottom side beam 6 is at the required height, different designs of the cross section of the bottom side beam 6 can be used to meet these requirements.
The so-called “fastening” mentioned above may refer to connection methods that meet the requirements for structure strength described above, including weld connection, bolt connection, rivet connection, adherence, etc.
In the method used for loading semi-trailer chassis with telescopic lengths of 45 or 53 feet, the length of the semi-trailer chassis may be contracted to 40 feet, and then the same steps used for loading a 40-foot semi-trailer chassis can be used.
First, as illustrated in
Secondly, as illustrated in
Thirdly, as illustrated in
Fourthly, as illustrated in
Finally, the four semi-trailer chassis may be fastened to the container.
Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described herein with reference to the attached drawings, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various other changes and modifications may be affected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A frame container for shipping chassis, comprising:
- a base frame and corner posts, the base frame including two bottom side beams each extending in a longitudinal direction between two corner posts, and beams extending between two bottom side beams in a direction that is perpendicular to the bottom side beams,
- wherein each bottom side beam includes an upper surface and a lower surface extending in the longitudinal direction between the two corner posts and a locking hole defined between the upper and lower surfaces for receiving a twist lock of a chassis.
2. A frame container of claim 1, wherein the locking hole includes an opening facing upward in a direction parallel to the corner post.
3. A frame container of claim 1, further comprising a beam attached to two corner posts at two ends and extending in a direction parallel to the beams extending between the two bottom side beams.
4. A frame container of claim 3, wherein the beam attached to the two corner posts is attached to the two corner posts at a height adapted to support a gooseneck beam of a second chassis loaded in the frame container, with a first chassis being loaded in an inverted manner on the base frame of the container and wheels of the first chassis placed adjacent a first end of the base frame, and the second chassis being loaded in a non-inverted manner on the first chassis and wheels of the second chassis placed adjacent a second end of the base frame.
5. A frame container of claim 3, further comprising reinforcing structures attached to the beam attached to the corner posts and the corner posts.
6. A frame container of claim 1, further comprising reinforcing structures attached to the corner posts.
7. A frame container of claim 1, wherein the container is configured to receive:
- a first semi-trailer chassis in an inverted manner on the base frame of the container, wherein wheels of the first semi-trailer chassis is adjacent a first end of the base frame;
- a second semi-trailer chassis in a non-inverted manner on the first semi-trailer chassis, wherein wheels of the second semi-trailer chassis is adjacent a second end of the base frame of the container;
- a third semi-trailer chassis in an inverted manner on the second semi-trailer chassis, wherein the wheels of the third semi-trailer chassis is adjacent the first end of the base frame of the container; and
- a fourth semi-trailer chassis in a non-inverted manner on the third semi-trailer chassis, wherein wheels of the fourth semi-trailer chassis is adjacent the second end of the base frame of the container.
8. A frame container of claim 7, wherein the container has a height that is not less than the height of the four stacked chassis.
9. A frame container of claim 1, wherein the side beams each has a cross-section, which has a shape selected from a group consisting of an I-shape, a channel shape, and a rectangular shape.
10. A frame container for shipping chassis comprising:
- a base frame and corner posts, the base frame having two side beams extending in a longitudinal direction between two corner posts, two end beams extending between the two side beams, a middle beam between the two side beams, and beams extending between the middle beam and a side beam,
- wherein each side beam includes an upper surface and a lower surface extending in the longitudinal direction between two corner posts and a locking hole defined between the upper and lower surfaces for receiving a twist lock of a chassis.
11. A frame container of claim 10, wherein the locking hole includes an opening facing upward in a direction parallel to the corner post.
12. A frame container of claim 10, further comprising a beam attached to two corner posts at two ends and extending in a direction parallel to the end beams.
13. A frame container of claim 12, wherein the beam attached to the two corner posts is attached to the two corner posts at a height adapted to support a gooseneck beam of a second chassis loaded in the frame container, with a first chassis being loaded in an inverted manner on the base frame of the container and wheels of the first chassis placed adjacent a first end of the base frame, and the second chassis being loaded in a non-inverted manner on the first chassis and wheels of the second chassis placed adjacent a second end of the base frame.
14. A frame container of claim 13, further comprising reinforcing structures attached to the beam attached to the corner posts and the corner posts.
15. A frame container of claim 10, further comprising reinforcing structures attached to the corner posts.
16. A frame container of claim 10, wherein the container is configured to receive:
- a first semi-trailer chassis in an inverted manner on the base frame of the container, wherein wheels of the first semi-trailer chassis is adjacent a first end of the base frame;
- a second semi-trailer chassis in a non-inverted manner on the first semi-trailer chassis, wherein wheels of the second semi-trailer chassis is adjacent a second end of the base frame of the container;
- a third semi-trailer chassis in an inverted manner on the second semi-trailer chassis, wherein the wheels of the third semi-trailer chassis is adjacent the first end of the base frame of the container; and
- a fourth semi-trailer chassis in a non-inverted manner on the third semi-trailer chassis, wherein wheels of the fourth semi-trailer chassis is adjacent the second end of the base frame of the container.
17. A frame container of claim 16, wherein the container has a height that is not less than the height of the four stacked chassis.
18. A frame container of claim 10, wherein the side beams each has a cross-section, which has a shape selected from a group consisting of an I-shape, a channel shape, and a rectangular shape.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 29, 2010
Publication Date: Sep 9, 2010
Applicant:
Inventors: Sidong HE (Shenzhen), Shulin Yang (Shenzhen), Feng Wang (Shenzhen), Xuezhong Ye (Shenzhen)
Application Number: 12/696,949
International Classification: B61D 3/18 (20060101);