Technical Field

The present invention relates to an improvement in shipping containers, containers for transporting goods, and to improvements in trailers to be used for transporting shipping containers.

Background Art

Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification is not an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in the field.

Shipping containers (hereinafter referred to simply as "containers"), when transported by road, usually are mounted on a semitrailer truck, also called an articulated truck. In a typical articulated truck, a tractor unit (which provides an engine, transmission, and a driver's cab) is releasably connected to a trailer by means of a king pin/fifth wheel coupling located at the rear of the tractor unit.

A container is secured to the trailer by securing components in the form of twist locks which are mounted on the trailer and which engage securing components in the form of corner castings provided on the container. Usually, these corner castings are provided at the front and rear of each container on each side of the container, and the trailer bed on which the twist locks are mounted must therefore extend the full length of the container. Typically, containers can weigh up to 40 metric tonnes, and since the container is secured to the trailer only by its own inertia and the twist locks, a great deal of stress can be placed on the trailer around the location of the twist locks; this requires a correspondingly strong trailer construction and in turn means that the trailer is comparatively heavy.

Obviously, the heavier the trailer, the greater the load which the tractor unit has to pull, and the greater the wear on road surfaces and the higher the fuel consumption. Further, since most countries impose a limit on the maximum laden vehicle weight, the heavier the trailer, the lower the carrying capacity of the vehicle. Disclosure of Invention

An object of the present invention is the provision of a container which permits the use of a lighter weight trailer without compromising safety; and the provision of a trailer for carrying such a container.

The present invention provides a container each side of which is provided with securing components for securing the container to a trailer, two or more of said securing components being located intermediate the ends of each side of the container. Preferably, each side of the container is provided with a securing component at each end of the container, a securing component on the portion of the side adjacent the fifth wheel coupling when the container is mounted on a trailer, and one or more securing components on the portion of the side of the container adjacent the trailer axle group when the container is mounted on a trailer.

The term "securing component" includes any suitable means for releasably securing the container and trailer together. The most commonly-used type of securing component is the known corner casting/twist lock combination, as hereinafter described. The usual arrangement would be for the corner casting to be secured to the container, and the twist lock to be secured to the trailer; however, this could be reversed. Another possibility is to replace corner castings on the container with an apertured bottom side rail on the container, used in combination with twist locks on the trailer.

In the most preferred form of the invention, each side of the container is provided with securing components as follows:-

- a pair of spaced securing components located adjacent the fifth wheel coupling when the container is mounted on a trailer;

- a securing component located adjacent the trailer landing legs when the container is mounted on a trailer;

- a pair of spaced securing components adjacent the trailer axle group when the container is mounted on a trailer.

Preferably, each side of the container is also provided with a securing component at each end of the container, for use when the container is being carried on standard trailers or on railway wagons. The present invention further provides a trailer adapted to support and transport a shipping container in accordance with the present invention, wherein said trailer is of lightweight construction and each side of said trailer is provided with at least two securing components for securing the container to the trailer, said securing components being located intermediate the ends of the side of the trailer.

Preferably, one securing component is located adjacent the fifth wheel coupling, and at least one securing component is provided adjacent the trailer axle group. Each side of the trailer may also be provided with at least one securing component adjacent the trailer landing legs.

In a preferred form of a trailer in accordance with the present invention, each side of the trailer is provided with securing components as follows:-

- a pair of spaced securing components located adjacent the fifth wheel coupling;

- a securing component located adjacent the trailer landing legs;

- a pair of spaced securing components adjacent the trailer axle group.

Most preferably, the trailer has a width of less than the standard width of a shipping container, except in the vicinity of said securing components.

Preferably also, said trailer provides a support section equal to the width of a standard container in the region of the fifth wheel coupling, in the region of the trailer landing legs, and in the region of the trailer axle group.

Preferably also, the support section in the region of the fifth wheel coupling includes a platform which extends at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the trailer and which is equal in length to the width of a standard container; said platform supports a pair of opposed securing components. Alternatively, said platform may support two spaced pairs of opposed securing components.

Preferably also, the support section in the region of the trailer landing legs includes a pair of opposed outriggers mounted one on each side of the trailer so as to provide a support equal in width to the width of a standard container and extending at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the trailer.

Preferably, each said outrigger supports a trailer landing leg. Preferably also, the support section in the region of the trailer axle group comprises two spaced pairs of outriggers, with one pair of outriggers in front of the foremost axle of the trailer axle group and the other pair of outriggers to the rear of the rear most axle of the trailer axle group; each pair of outriggers provides a support equal in width to the width of a standard container and supports a securing means.

The trailer may have a deck shorter in length than the overall length of the container.

Brief Description of Drawings

By way of example only, preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side view of an articulated truck and trailer carrying a container, in accordance with the prior art;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic side view of an articulated truck having a trailer in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, and carrying a container in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 3 is a plan view from below of a container in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic exploded side view of part of a container and a trailer in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic exploded side view showing part of a container, and part of the trailer of Figure 4 on a larger scale;

Figure 5a is a side view of part of Figure 3 on a larger scale, but with the container resting on the trailer;

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic plan view of the trailer of Figure 4.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, an articulated truck 10 in accordance with the prior art includes a tractor unit 1 1 and a trailer 2, connected together in known manner by a king pin/fifth wheel coupling 13. The tractor unit has three axles:- one axle 14 (the steering axle) under the cab 15, and a pair of axles 16, 17 (the driving axle group) one either side of the kingpin. The trailer 2 has three axles 18, 19, 20 (the trailer axle group) towards the rear of the trailer; the deck 4 of the trailer, on which a container 3 is supported, extends from a forward end in front of the kingpin/fifth wheel connector 13 to a rear end, to the rear of the axle 20.

The trailer 2 is the usual heavy weight solid structure, designed to support the weight of the container and at least equal in length to the container 3.

In each country, road regulations specify how much weight can be carried respectively by the steering axle (s) of the truck, the driving axle group, and the trailer axle group; each axle group load shares between the axles of the group. The key to correct weight distribution, to comply with the regulations for any particular country, is to design so that the correct proportion of the weight is carried by each axle group. This is achieved by three major design considerations:-

1 ) Positioning the fifth wheel coupling 13 so that the load carried by that coupling is spread correctly between the steering axle(s) 14 and the drive axle(s) 16, 17, to maximise the carrying capacity of the articulated truck without overloading those axles.

2) Setting the trailer axle group 18, 19, 20 the right distance away from the tractor 1 1 to achieve the maximum carrying capacity of the trailer axle group but still complying with the relevant road regulations for that country; in general, there are specific country regulations for the maximum permissible wheelbase spacing.

3) Positioning the container 3 in such a position that the correct proportion of its weight is carried by the fifth wheel coupling 13 and the trailer axle group 18, 19, 20. The further forward (i.e. the further towards the tractor) the container is placed, the greater the weight on the tractor. Moving the container further away from the tractor places more weight on the trailer. The trailer is directly supported only at the fifth wheel coupling 13 and at the trailer axle group 18, 19, 20:- in between these areas, the load is supported by the trailer deck 4. It follows that the trailer must have the structural strength in the trailer frame to carry the load between the twist lock positions at the front and rear of the trailer and the fifth wheel coupling and the trailer axle group suspension mounts respectively. In the prior art construction shown in Figure 1 , the trailer deck 4 extends the full length of the container 3, and pairs of twist locks are mounted on the front and rear of the trailer, corresponding to the corner castings 5, 6 on the container 3. It will be appreciated that the part of the trailer which extends between the front of the trailer and the fifth wheel coupling 13, and the part of the trailer which extends between the trailer axle group 18/19/20 and the rear of the trailer, must be of heavy construction, to carry the weight of the container 3.

Each of the corner castings 5, 6 is of known type:- it consists of a heavy duty block built into the container, the block providing an oval hole. In use, a twist lock, which is ovoid in shape and slightly smaller than the oval hole in the corner casting, is inserted through the oval hole and then rotated through 90 ° so that it cannot be withdrawn from the hole, locking the twist lock to the corner casting. Each twist lock is mounted on the trailer. The design of twist lock and corner casting is well-known, and therefore is not described in detail.

Figure 2 shows a first embodiment of the present invention. The arrangement of tractor 1 1 , the various wheel axles 14, 16, 17 - 20, and the fifth wheel coupling 13 are exactly the same as in Figure 1 and the same reference numerals have been used. However, the trailer 21 is of different construction, as is the container 22, as described below.

The container 22 of the present invention is provided with corner castings 25, 29 at its ends, in case the container is to be transported upon a conventional trailer, train or ship. However, in accordance with the present invention, the container 22 is also provided with additional corner castings 26, 27 and 28:- corner casting 26 is located above the kingpin/fifth wheel coupling 13, since this is one of the strongest parts of the trailer. Corner castings 27 and 28 are located at positions directly above the suspension mounts for the trailer axle groups 18/19 and 19/20, where the trailer must be strongly constructed to support the axles. As noted above, the trailer 21 is directly supported at the fifth wheel coupling 13 and at the trailer axle groups.

It will be noted that the forward end 22a of the container overhangs the forward end 23 of the trailer deck, and the rear end 22b of the container overhangs the rear end 24 of the trailer. The use of a shorter trailer deck significantly reduces the overall weight of the trailer. However, the important feature is that the overall weight of the trailer is reduced, rather than simply reducing the length of the trailer. Thus, it would be possible to have a trailer of conventional length, or even longer than conventional length, which nevertheless was of a comparatively light weight construction and therefore overall provided a trailer of reduced weight. The significant factor is that, by providing additional corner castings on the container, the trailer needs to be strong enough to bear the weight of the container only directly above the fifth wheel coupling and the rear axle groups, and that the rest of the length of the trailer does not need to be sufficiently strong to be load bearing. For example, the portion of the trailer between the fifth wheel coupling 13 and the trailer axles 18, 19, 20 can be a comparatively lightweight construction (e.g. a spaceframe) to reduce the overall weight of the trailer. Thus, the weight of the trailer can be minimised whilst ensuring that the container is located in the position which will provide the optimum weight distribution between the truck and trailer axles. This is in contrast to the conventional arrangement in which the trailer structure has to be strong enough to be load bearing at its extreme ends, to engage with the end corner castings. Nevertheless, in the design of the present invention, the container is securely and safely attached to the trailer, at positions where the trailer is strong enough to take the loading of the twist locks.

It will be appreciated that the positions of the corner castings 26, 27, 28 need not be exactly as described above, and may be varied, to suit particular designs of trailer and/or particular designs of container, and also to meet the load distribution required by the road regulations in the country of use.

Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of a container design in accordance with the present invention. In this embodiment, a container 39 is provided with conventional corner castings 45, 46, 47, 48, in case the container is carried on a conventional trailer or by rail or ship.

In addition, portions 40, 41 , 42, 43, of the bottom side rails of the container 39 are of heavy duty construction and provide a series of spaced twist lock securing apertures 44. It will be appreciated that the length of portions 40 ~ 43 can be increased or decreased depending upon the intended area of use of the container. This type of construction would be suitable for multi-country use because it would accommodate a very wide range of possible twist lock positions.

The present invention is particularly well suited to articulated trucks designed to carry containers at least 30 foot in length, since the longer the trailer, the greater the potential for weight saving by using the designs of the present invention. However, the present invention could be used for shorter trailers, although the potential benefits of the invention would of course be reduced.

Referring to Figures 4-6 of the drawings, a trailer 121 in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention is designed to be significantly lighter than a conventional trailer (typically approximately 1 tonne lighter) but without any reduction in the weight carrying capacity of the trailer when used in combination with the container 121 a of the present invention.

The trailer 121 is fitted with a conventional fifth wheel coupling 122 and with a conventional triple rear axle 123, 124, 125. The trailer 121 is made of a lightweight spaceframe construction.

The overall weight of the trailer is further reduced by reducing the width of the trailer over the entire length of the trailer, except where a container is to be connected to the trailer:- the trailer provides a support section equal to the width of a container in the region of the fifth wheel coupling 122, in the region of the landing legs 127 and in the region of the triple axle 123, 124, 125.

It will be appreciated that the region of the trailer axle group, and the connection of that section of the trailer to the fifth wheel coupling are areas where there are particularly high stresses on a trailer chassis when the trailer changes direction and turns relative to the tractor 1 1 ; it is therefore important that there is a strong connection between the container and the trailer in these areas, so that the container contributes to the rigidity of the combined structure, so as to lessen the requirements of the trailer chassis.

In the region of the fifth wheel coupling 122, the upper surface of the trailer is formed with a platform 128 which extends at right angles to the longitudinal axis X - X of the trailer and which is equal in length to the width of a container to be carried on the trailer. The platform 128 is fitted with two opposed pairs of twist locks 129, 130, which correspond in position to two pairs of corner castings 131 , 132 provided adjacent to the forward end of the container (see Figure 5). Alternatively, the platform 128 may be provided with a single pair of twist locks and the container provided with a single pair of corner castings. The twist locks and corner castings are of known design and operate in known manner.

The upper surface of the platform 128 is formed with three parallel risers 133, 134, 135 which extend across the platform (i.e. perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the trailer) adjacent the twist locks 129, 130. Each of the risers 133, 134, 135 is a solid block with a flat top 137. The underside of the container has its cross-members 138, 139, spaced (see Figure 5a) to receive these risers, and when the container is in position on the trailer, the risers locate between two spaced cross members 138, 139 built into the underside of the container. This greatly strengthens the connection between the trailer and the container, without increasing the overall height of the trailer, and the intermeshing between the risers and the cross members assists in locating the container correctly on the trailer when the container is being loaded.

It will be appreciated that it is advantageous to reduce the overall height of the trailer/container compilation, since many countries impose overall height restrictions for road transport.

The trailer 121 also is increased in width in the area of the landing legs 127. The landing legs 127 are of conventional design, but instead of being mounted on the main body of the trailer, they are mounted on outriggers 140, so that the landing legs 127 lie beneath the outer sides of the container. Each outrigger 140 ends in a side portion

141 which extends parallel to, but spaced from, the longitudinal axis X - X of the trailer, at the level of the trailer deck. Each side portion 141 supports the upper end of the corresponding landing leg 127 and also supports a twist lock 142. The twist locks

142 correspond in position to a pair of corner castings 143 formed one on each side of the container.

Each side of the container is reinforced in the area of the corner castings 143, so that if by accident a trailer loaded with the container is disconnected from the tractor unit without lowering the landing legs 127, the shock of the trailer/container combination hitting the ground will be alleviated by these reinforced portions and by the walls of the container, thus reducing or even eliminating serious damage.

Immediately in front of and behind the triple rear axles 123, 124, 125, the trailer is widened by a pair of outriggers 144 in front of the foremost axle 123, and a pair of outriggers 145 to the rear of the rearmost axle 125. The outriggers 144 carry a pair of twist locks 146 and the outriggers 145 carry a pair of twist locks 147. The length of each pair of outriggers 144, 145 is equal to the width of the container, so that the twist locks 146, 147 corresponding position to corner castings 146a, 147a fitted to the container. It will be appreciated that the container is secured to the trailer by two separate pairs of twist lock/corner casting fastenings over the region of the rear axle, giving a very strong connection between the trailer and container over this region.

At the end of the trailer, a telescopic section 150 is mounted to accommodate longer containers; when the section 150 is extended as shown in Figure 4, it meets regulatory needs for the proximity of rear under-run protection, i.e. provides a rear bumper to stop a car running too far under the unit. It also provides a support for rear trailer lights. If the trailer is always required for shorter containers, this section can simply be removed. If the section 150 is sometimes required, but not always required, it can be telescoped into the chassis so that it does not impede loading of a shorter container.

It will be appreciated that the above described trailer and container in combination provide a light weight but extremely robust unit.