AND THE LIKE

The present invention relates to a structure per¬ mitting transport of bulk or pourable goods and the like, such as oils, water, other liquids, suspensions, che¬ micals, cement, corn, flour and the like as well as live fish and the like in water, especially on conventional load vehicles for- piece goods and like solid goods but also on so-called load carrier platforms and other load carriers and in large-size containers, the bulk or pour¬ able goods being stored in one or more receptacles of flexible and foldable material arranged in the freight space.

In order to permit efficient utilization of load vehicles on transport distances where in one direction the cargo substantially consists of liquid substances, e.g. oil, whereas piece goods or the like is transpor¬ ted in the other direction, it has earlier been proposed to utilize foldable or collapsible containers adapted to be fitted on the lorry platform. A prior art system of this type includes cushion-like containers of rein- forced, rubberized fabric which are fastened on the platform. Agitation of the liquid caused by accelera¬ tion and retardation makes the vehicle move irregularly and this may jeopardize road safety. Another system in¬ cludes rigid tank compartments arranged adjacent and on the sides of the vehicle frame and a platform fitted on the top of the tank system. Lorries built according to this system are too expensive as compared to conventio¬ nal lorries. In connection with railway carriages it has also been proposed to arrange tanks with arched top side on a load surface in such a way that the tanks in empty condition could be raised with the aid of special lifting means in order to uncover an underlying piece- goods compartment. T.iat type of vehicles has not either been widely used because of the rise in price entailed

by lifting means and such tanks.

There is a need of a more efficient utilization of the return transports and this concerns not only load vehicles. Today large volumes of goods are transported on loose units such as platforms or load carriers, i.e. platforms provided with flaps or stationary side and end walls, which generally can be transported both by land vehicles and by boat. Large goods volumes are also transported in large-size goods containers which often are empty during the return trip since the only return load that may come in question consists of bulk or pour¬ able goods, such as e.g. oil.

The object of this invention is to provide a struc¬ ture permitting the most efficient utilization of ge- nerally conventional load vehicles, load carriers, large- size containers and the like and permitting transport of liquid goods without altering the stability and driv¬ ing properties of the vehicle in any degree worth men¬ tioning. The essential characteristic of the structure ac¬ cording to the invention is that it includes at least one generally parallelepipedic container consisting of tight and flexible fabric or foil material which is re¬ sistant to the pourable goods to be transported, said container being adapted to fit the load vehicle freight compartment which is provided with side walls, said con¬ tainer being suitably provided with projecting pieces of fabric or foil material, and a number of rigid or ridgidifiable elements which are substantially non-dis- placeably fixable relative to the base supporting the container, on a level corresponding to the level of the container, said elements constituting, together with the bottom and the side walls of the load compartment, a rigid screen-off structure enclosing the container from all sides.

Conventional lo d vehicles, load carriers and large- size containers intended for piece goods and the like

can according to the invention be utilized for the trans¬ port of pourable goods. Emergency situations may call for water transports in one direction, while transport of piece goods or even of persons may be called for in the other direction. The structure may also be used for oil transports from deposits where no other transport means are available, at the same time as there is a need of return transport of piece goods.

An embodiment of the structure according to the invention will be described more fully below with re¬ ference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a load vehicle provided with the structure according to the invention in position for pour-aTle goods transport; Figs. 2 - 8 show diagonal rear views of such a load vehicle seen in perspective; in which

Fig. 2 shows the vehicle being filled with bulk or pourable goods;

Fig. 3 shows how the container has been emptied and allowed to collapse;

Fig. 4 shows how the gate elements are disassemb¬ led from the position in which they engage the container and are moved into storing position;

Fig. 5 shows loading with piece goods; Fig. 6 illustrates how the empty container is pul¬ led up on the cover frame;

Figs. 7 and 8 show how the container is spread out and is applied as a cover;

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view through a odi- fied embodiment of the container;

Figs. 10 and 11 are cross-sectional views on a larger scale showing two embodiments of connecting means for the container according to Fig. 9; and

Figs. 12, 13 and 14 are cross-sectional views on a larger scale showing connecting means intended for the upper part of the same container.

The vehicle illustrated in the drawings has a plat-

form 1 provided with side flaps 2 and a front end 3 and a rear end (not shown) . Secured to the side flaps are posts 4 which are interconnected by cross-pieces 5 at the top and constitute together with these cross-pieces a cover frame.

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment where a coherent con¬ tainer 6 extends along the entire platform but it is possible instead to use two or more successively placed containers with intermediate detachably arranged parti- tions or bulkheads.

The container or containers consist of a closed sack-like unit made up of reinforced plastic material or other appropriate, tight, flexible fabric or foil material and adapted, when filled with pourable goods, to fill up the load compartment to a predetermined level, which compartment is defined by the platform 1 , the side flaps 2, the front end 3 and the rear end (not shown) . This will allow the static pressure exerted by the pour¬ able goods in the container to be absorbed by the plat- form and the rigid walls surrounding the platform. As the container consists of soft material any movement of the vehicle would immediately result in movements in the goods which would cause bulges or shrinkage in the upward face 7 of the container even if the container would be completely filled. To prevent this the side flaps 2 are provided with fittings 8 for attachment of rigid plate- or grid-like elements 9 which constitute a vertically unyieldable wall bearing on the upward face 7 of the container. Attached to the longitudinal edges 10 of the con¬ tainer 6 are foil material pieces 11 which, in the posi¬ tion shown in Figs. 1 and 2, are folded around the sides of the container and lie between the upper side 7 and the gate elements 9 and also protect the corners. As soon as the container 6 is emptied it will col¬ lapse on the platform 1. The emptied container is to be pulled out from the platform and thereupon, as shown in

Figs. 3, 6 - 7, be lifted and pulled up over the cover frame cross-pieces 5 which may be provided with rollers or the like 12 in order to facilitate the pulling-up operation. After the entire container has been pulled up in folded condition, the material pieces 11 are un¬ folded, as indicated in Fig. 8, and allowed to fall down outside the frame posts 4, whereupon the container and the side pieces 11 are anchored in an appropriate manner. The grid elements 9 are successively detached, as shown in Fig. 4, from the fittings 8 and are applied on abutments 13 situated immediately beneath the cross- pieces 5 where they may constitute intermediate supports for the container. As shown in Fig. 1, abutments 14 may also be disposed at a distance from the cross-pieces 5 and the elements 9 may be placed on these abutments in order to provide an intermediate load plane, which is especially convenient when transporting goods which are not apt for piling.

During transport of pourable goods the space on the top of the rigid elements 9 may be utilized for transport of light goods, e.g. empty wrappings or the like, if the loading capacity of the vehicle admits.

As has been mentioned above, the container may be divided up into two or more sections. A divided container may be easier to handle in con¬ nection with interior rearrangements and also permits transport of various types of pourable goods. When se¬ veral containers are used in a row, rigid partitions anchored in the platform and the side flaps and support- ing the interfacing walls of the containers are fitted in attachments provided therefor.

Containers adapted to the load space provided in¬ side the walls of open platforms and load carriers may be used in the same manner as described above. In case of large-size containers where it is not possible to utilize a receptacle filling up the entire container volume, the fittings arranged on the walls may be re-

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placed or completed with supporting struts between the gate elements and the roof of the container.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 9 the container is shaped so as to wholly or partly eliminate the need of special attachments or abutments for the gate elements as well as., in special cases, also the gate elements as such, because the container 6' is provided with po¬ wer-transmitting means making it possible to clamp the gate elements 9' or the like so that they will be ver- tically non-displaceable relative to the base 1 ' on which the container rests. Arranged on the bottom side 15 of the container is- a number of connecting means 16, for instance in the form of headed pins intended to be in¬ serted in and locked to attachment points 17, e.g. of key hole type countersunk in the base, Figs. 10, 11. The connecting means 16 have shank portions which have been passed sealingly through the lower container wall 15, and tied to the ends 18 extending into the container are steel wires adjusted in length or like pull-absorb- ing means 19. Connecting means 21, which are laterally displaced relative to the connecting means situated at the bottom, are arranged on the top side 20 of the con¬ tainer and also these means 21 have shank portions which extend sealingly through the container wall to internal wire attachments 22. The connecting means 21 situated on the top side of the container are adapted successive¬ ly, as the gate elements 9' are placed out, to be brought into engagement with complementary fittings 23 arranged therein. To distribute and spread out the stresses in the container material there are reinforcement bands

24, e.g. nylon bands or the like, arranged in alignment with the power-transmitting means, which are formed of the connecting means 16 and 21 and the pull-absorbing means 19 uniting said connecting means within the con- tainer, which reinforcement bands surround the container and may be laid in the container wall material or placed on the outside of it. The shank portions of the connec-

ting means are thus led through the reinforcement bands as well as sealingly through the container wall material. As the pull-absorbing wires 19 are inclined, a resistant lattice work construction, acting upwards against stres- ses, will be formed when the container is filled and keeps the gate elements lifted up. To prevent the gate elements 9' from being pushed down when the container is emptied, simple supporting legs or plates may be arranged between the load compartment walls and the long sides of the container. In certain cases, the gate elements may, as indicated in Fig. 13, be replaced by rigid beams, rods, pipes or the like 25 which are entered through con¬ necting means 21 ' and thus form part of the lattice work systems. A condition for their function is that they are appropriately spaced apart with respect to the container wall material. The reinforcement bands 24 enclosing the container may, as shown in Fig. 14, be provided, at their portions situated at the upper edges of the container, with anchoring means 26 which are clamped in a suitable way to the platform walls 2 or the like. This allows the reinforcement band portion 24 ' which is provided on the top of the container and may include rigidifying ele¬ ments of ^" appropriate type, to coact with the remaining lattice work system in such a way that the stresses and the demands on the gate elements will become insignifi¬ cant or so low that these may be dispensed with in cer¬ tain positions.

As an advantage in addition to those which are appa¬ rent from the foregoing it may be mentioned that the structure due to its most simple construction may be used without any instructions worth mentioning. No mech¬ anical aids are needed for interior rearrangement since the container will have low weight thanks to the relative¬ ly thin material used. As the static as well as the dy- namic stresses from the pourable goods are directly trans¬ mitted to the rigid enclosing walls or partitions the con¬ tainer may be made up of thin and consequently light ma¬ terial.

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