40' Containers

[L17Aurora]

Being nosey again. I've seen under a 40' steel container and it looks like there was only 2 longditudenal members, the 4"x2" Channels on the outsides. Everything else on the base seemed to run across it. My question is if they weigh 10 ton and are lifted from the ends, what are the buckling conditions like in the cladding, and the bending of the whole container?

 

[JAE]

Perhaps the whole container works like a full box beam and the floor channels/beams only serve to stiffen the floor locally?

Just guessing.

 

[cvg]

are you sure they only weigh 10 tons? That would be a very light loading for a 40 foot long container

 

[Ron]

JAE..that's exactly the way they work. We did some testing (load/strain) on one years ago and found that to be the case.

L17...The sides are not "cladding". They act more as diaphragms.

 

[youngstructural]

I've been working with these of late, cutting them up and re-building them. They are indeed diaphragms, both roof and walls. Also, the steel is very thin gauge; Along the lines of 1.5 to 2mm thick.

Cheers,

YS

B.Eng (Carleton)
Working in New Zealand, thinking of my snow covered home...

 

[L17Aurora]

Excuse my ignorance. Just googled DIAPHRAM with respect to box girders and it says these are transverse members. Can you explain what a diaphram does. Does it just give it a torsional stiffness, and how do the container sides become diaphrams?
Thanks