2353275 CONTAINER BODY This invention relates to containers for
transporting goods. More especially, but not in particular, the invention relates to swap body containers for carriage on inter alia, rail wagons, flat bed trailers or sea vessels.
In the haulage industry space is of principle economic importance. Empty running is the term used to describe the transport of empty trailers, swap bodies and container vessels and is a major cost disadvantage. However, it is unavoidable that once a container is emptied at one destination, it must remain on the transport vehicle until refilling at another.
One known form of container is the Lancashire Rat which conforms to ISO standards and comprises a roofless goods container wherein the front and the back walls fold in towards the centre of the container. The sides of the container and the roof are typically covered in tarpaulin sheeting.
One known form of swap body is the Conventional lilt which is a dismantleable body but comprises a plurality of component parts. None of the swap bodies presently available are stackable.
It is an object of the present invention to reduce the problem of empty running by providing inter alia, a swap body container, for example, a curtain-sided swap body, for positioning on a mode of transport, the container being collapsible when empty so as to occupy less volume, Accordingly, in one aspect, the invention provides a reversibly collapsible trailer body for containing goods for transport.
Typically, the collapsible trailer body comprises reversibly collapsible support members, for example, wherein the support members comprise one or more reversibly collapsible frame members.
2 In one embodiment, the trailer body takes the form of a swap body. The term swap body as used herein refers to a trailer body for containing goods which is transferable between trailer beds or other modes of transport.
In another aspect, the invention provides a reversibly collapsible trailer body for containing goods for transport, the body comprising a roof, a floor and reversibly collapsible support means connecting the roof and the floor.
In another aspect, the invention provides a unit comprising a trailer having a chassis and a reversibly collapsible trailer body for containing goods for transport.
In another aspect, the invention provides a reversibly collapsible trailer body for containing goods for transport, the body comprising a roof, a floor and a plurality of support members, the support members being collapsible such that the roof is lowerable without substantially any lateral displacement thereof.
In another aspect, the invention provides a reversibly collapsible trailer body for containing goods for transport, the body comprising a roof, a floor and a plurality of support members, the lower end of each support member being pivotally mounted to the floor and securable in a substantially vertical position, the upper end of each member being pivotally linked to reciprocating means which are movable along the length of the roof, such that lateral movement of the upper end of each member along the roof, raises or lowers the roof and erects or collapses the body respectively.
Typically, the trailer body is stackable when collapsed. This may allow a plurality (e.g. three or four) trailer bodies to be collapsed and stacked in the space of one conventional ISO standard container, thereby providing significant cost savings in the transport industry.
In yet another aspect, the invention provides a stackable, reversibly collapsible trailer body comprising a roof, a floor and a plurality of support members, the lower end of a support member being pivotally mounted to a comer of the floor at a floor pivot member and securable in a substantially vertical position, the upper end of the support member being pivotally linked to reciprocating means movable along the roof from a roof 3 pivot member, the roof pivot member positioned substantially vertically above the floor pivot member, such that when the trailer body is collapsed, the floor and roof pivot members abut.
When the trailer body is in its collapsed form, the two pivot members abut so that the weight of the roof is bome entirely by the pivot member(s) on the floor of the body and not by the collapsed support members. This ensures that collapsed trailer bodies can be stacked without the straining of, or'breakage of the support members.
Typically, the trailer body further comprises securing means in the floor and roof of the body such that when the trailer body is collapsed, one body may be stacked onto another collapsed body and the two may be fixed together via the securing means. In this way a stack of collapsed trailer bodies is, inter alia, volumetrically equivalent to one standard ISO container and may be transported and moved as such.
The securing means can be, for example, one or more comer castings of the type used on ISO containers for receiving twist bolts.
A support member may take the form of a frame member, for example a post, e.g.
a comer post.
Typically, the trailer body comprises four support members, one at each comer of the trailer body.
In one embodiment, a support member may take the form of the front and/or rear wall of the trailer body. In this case, the front and/or rear wall of the trailer body may be pivotally mounted to the floor and securable in a substantially vertical position, the upper end of the front and/or rear wall of the trailer body being pivotally linked to reciprocating means movable along the length of the roof, such that lateral movement of the upper end of the or each wall along the roof, raises or lowers the roof and erects or collapses the body respectively.
The trailer body may further comprise means to assist in the erection and collapse of the trailer body.
4 Typically, the assisting means is linked to the reciprocating means on at least one support member.
In one embodiment, the assisting means may be controlled by a biasing, hydraulic, air motor or electric mechanism.
The trailer body may further comprise restraining means for restraining the roof against lateral displacement.
For example, in one embodiment, the restraining means may take the form of a control lever, one end of the control lever pivotally mounted to the roof at a roof pivot member thereof, the other end of the control lever pivotally mounted to, and at a position bisecting, a support member, the support member pivotally mounted to the floor at a floor pivot member positioned substantially vertically below the roof pivot member.
Preferably, the reciprocating means may take the form of a sliding roller. The sliding roller may reciprocally move along a channel or rail in the roof. Typically, the channel or rail in the roof is also a curtain rail.
Preferably, the trailer body is curtain-sided.
The trailer body may be loaded with goods from either side and/or from the front and/or the rear.
In a still further aspect, the invention provides a stack of reversibly collapsible trailer bodies as defined hereinabove.
In another aspect, the invention provides a combination of a mode of transport and a reversibly collapsible trailer body or stack thereof as described above, for example, a flat bed trailer, a rail wagon, a sea vessel, or an aircraft and a trailer body or stack thereof.
In still a further aspect, the invention provides a method of collapsing a reversibly collapsible trailer body as defined above, the method comprising the steps of:- (a) releasing the support members from a substantially vertical position; (b) applying pressure to the roof of the body such that the upper end of the support members move inwardly along the roof as the roof is lowered; and (c) securing the roof to the floor.
Preferably, the trailer body further comprises means to secure the roof to the floor once the body is collapsed. Typically, the securing means may comprise at least one comer casting. Preferably, the or each comer casting is also used to fix stacked collapsed bodies together.
Some conventional trailers and swap bodies comprise a bottom lift facility which allows a crane or other transport apparatus to hook onto the body and move it. This is typically called a Hucka pack or grab pockets. However, when such containers are loaded onto Pocket Wagons, the conventional lift facility is no longer accessible. Typically, the lift facility comprises four lifting points on each type of load container which are positioned in such a way so as to support the full weight of the loaded swap body or trailer.
Unfortunately, these points will be below the sidewall of some types of carrying platforms, such as railway wagons, by at least 200mm. Thus, the present inventors have found a method of extending the lifting points above the sidewall on such carrying platforms.
Therefore, in another aspect, the invention provides a lift plate for a trailer body, the lift plate comprising a first flange for engaging the trailer body at a dedicated lift point, and a second flange engageable with a lifting apparatus, the distance between the two flanges being such that when the trailer body is positioned on a trailer platform, the second flange is accessible therefrom.
Typically, the trailer body is a swap body and/or the trailer platform is a railway wagon.
Preferably, the second flange of the lift plate, when in position, is at least 300min above a sidewall of the trailer platform.
In use, the lift plate will extend from the side of a trailer body. Therefore, the floor of the trailer body may be adapted to incorporate a storage compartment, for example a substantially horizontal channel, to store the lift plate when not in use.
6 Hence, the lift plate may work by sliding out of its storage compartment and engaging with the trailer body at the dedicated lift point so that it stands substantially vertically. The second flange may then be available to engage suitable lifting apparatus.
Preferably, the lift plate also comprises means to secure the lift plate in position with respect to the trailer body.
In another aspect, the invention provides a trailer body comprising a lift plate storage compartment as defined above.
In still a further aspect, the invention provides a combination of a trailer body as defined above and a lift plate as defined above.
The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Figure 1 shows the outside of a swap body in accordance with the invention when erected and positioned on a flat bed trailer; Figure 2 shows how a comer post of a swap body in accordance with the invention is attached to a comer of the floor; Figure 3 shows a comer post in the first stages of collapsing; Figure 4 shows a comer post in a later stage of collapsing; Figure 5 shows a comer post once collapsed; Figure 6 shows a flat bed trailer stacked with 4 collapsed swap bodies in accordance with the invention; and Figure 7 shows a lift plate engaged with a trailer body when loaded onto a carrying platform.
Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates an erected 13.6 metre swap 7 body 2 in accordance with the invention. The swap body 2 does not have its own wheels and therefore has to be crane loaded on to rail wagons, flat bed trailers or sea vessels.
When erected the body resembles a normal swap body and can be loaded from either side or from the rear. The benefit is that when the swap body is empty, it can be collapsed and stacked such that the space taken by one conventional body can be occupied instead by a plurality of (in this embodiment, four) collapsed swap bodies of the design of the invention (see Figure 6).
As shown in Figure 3, at each comer of the swap body there is a comer post 4.
The comer post 4 is pivotally mounted at one end 6 to a pivot mounting 8a of the floor 8.
The end 6 of the comer post 4 is linked to the floor 8 by two pins 10, 12. One pin 10 is fixed and allows pivotal movement of the post 4. The other pin 12 is removable and determines whether the post is maintained in a substantially vertical position when the body 2 is erected, or whether the comer post 4 can pivot during the collapse of the body 2.
The other end 14 of the comer post 4 is pivotally linked via a sliding roller 18 to the roof 16 of the body 2. The sliding roller 18 can move in either direction along a channel 20 in the roof 16. A guide lever 22 is pivotally attached to a pivot mounting 24a at the comer of the roof 24, and at the other end to the comer post at a generally mid-point position 26.
The sides of the swap body 2 are covered by curtains (not shown). To collapse the body 2, the curtains are pulled towards the centre of the sides and then tied across in line with the roof 16 using a strap (not shown) attached to the roof 16 of the body 2. To collapse the body 2 the roof 16 is lowered on to the floor 8. This is done by removing the pin 12 which maintains the comer post 4 in a vertical position, at each comer. The front and the rear comer posts may be locked in a vertical position by linked steel pins so that only one adjustment has to be made at the front and the rear of the body 2. The linked steel pins may be removed by means of a dedicated lever (not shown). Once the fixing pins 12 are removed, a small amount of downward pressure, for example, from the crane of a lifting device, will push the roof 16 downwards towards the floor 8. The comer posts 4 slide inwards, with the help of the guide lever 22, the pivot mountings 8a and 24a abut such that the weight of the roof is bome by the floor, and the roof 16 is locked to the floor by placing the fixing pins 12 into locating points (not shown).
8 When loaded or stacked onto a carrying platform 34, the body 2 can be lifted by a crane or such like by lift plates 30 engaged with grab pockets 32 set in the floor of the body (Figure 7). When the body is empty and in preparation for collapsing, the roof can be supported by a crane using lifting points (not shown), also known as twist lock points.
To erect a collapsible swap body of the invention, the same steps are taken but in reverse order.
It will be understood that the foregoing is merely exemplary of one embodiment of the invention and that modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.
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