INNER CONTAINER MADE OF PLASTIC AND TRANSPORT AND STORAGE CONTAINER FOR LIQUIDS HAVING AN INNER CONTAINER MADE OF PLASTIC

Abstract

The invention relates to an inner container (15) made of plastic for transporting and storing liquids, the inner container (15) having an outlet socket (18) for connecting an outlet fitting (17) on a front side, a bottom wall (20) connecting two side walls (23, 24), a rear wall (22) and a front wall (16) of the inner container (15) and serving to support the inner container (15) on a pallet floor (21) of a transport pallet (11) provided with an outer jacket (14) for receiving the inner container (15), and a top wall (25) located opposite the bottom wall (20) and provided with a filling opening, wherein the side walls (23, 24) each have a horizontal corrugation (47, 48), the horizontal corrugations (47, 48) being disposed in a shared central horizontal plane.

Claims

1. An inner container (15) made of plastic for transporting and storing liquids, the inner container (15) having an outlet socket (18) for connecting an outlet fitting (17) on a front side, a bottom wall (20) connecting two side walls (23, 24), a rear wall (22) and a front wall (16) of the inner container (15) and serving to support the inner container (15) on a pallet floor (21) of a transport pallet (11) provided with an outer jacket (14) for receiving the inner container (15), and a top wall (25) located opposite the bottom wall (20) and provided with a filling opening, characterized in that the side walls each have a horizontal corrugation (47, 48), the horizontal corrugations (47, 48) being disposed in a shared central horizontal plane.

2. The inner container according to claim 1, characterized in that the front wall (16) has two diagonal corrugations (45, 46) below a horizontal wall axis (52) of the front wall (16), the horizontal wall axis (52) being disposed in a shared horizontal plane with the horizontal corrugations (47, 48), the diagonal corrugations (45, 46) extending between a lower container edge (55) and the wall axis (52) and approaching each other.

3. The inner container according to claim 2, characterized in that the rear wall (22) has two diagonal corrugations (45, 46) below a horizontal wall axis (52) of the rear wall (22), the horizontal wall axis (52) being disposed in a shared horizontal plane with the horizontal corrugations (47, 48), the diagonal corrugations (45, 46) extending between a lower container edge (55) and the wall axis (52) and approaching each other.

4. The inner container according to claim 3, characterized in that the front wall (16) and the rear wall (22) each have two diagonal corrugations (43, 44) above the wall axes (52) of the front wall (16) and the rear wall (22), the wall axes (52) being disposed in a shared horizontal plane with the horizontal corrugations (47, 48), the diagonal corrugations (43, 44) extending from the upper container edge (54) to the horizontal wall axis (52) and approaching each other.

5. The inner container according to claim 2, characterized in that the diagonal corrugations (43, 46; 44, 45) on the front wall (16) and the rear wall (22) each run parallel to a surface diagonal.

6. The inner container according to claim 2, characterized in that each two diagonal corrugations (43, 46; 44, 45) coming from a shared lateral container edge (50, 51) form a pair of corrugations (57, 58, 59, 60) and have longitudinal axes forming an isosceles triangle with the container edge (50, 51).

7. The inner container according to claim 6, characterized in that the diagonal corrugations (43, 46; 44, 45) of each pair of corrugations (57, 58, 59, 60) are disposed at an angle of 45° to the lateral container edge (50, 51).

8. The inner container according to claim 6, characterized in that the diagonal corrugations (43, 46; 44, 45) of a pair of corrugations (59, 60) have longitudinal axes intersecting with the horizontal wall axis (52) in a shared horizontal intersection M.

9. The inner container according to claim 6, characterized in that the pairs of corrugations (57, 58) disposed on the front wall (16) and the rear wall (22) have a distance x between the horizontal intersections S.sub.1 and S.sub.2 of their longitudinal axes with the horizontal wall axis (52).

10. The inner container according to claim 2, characterized in that distal corrugation ends (61) of the diagonal corrugations (43, 44, 45, 46) extend into the lateral container edge (50, 51).

11. The inner container according to claim 2, characterized in that distal corrugation ends (61) of the diagonal corrugations (43, 44, 45, 46) extend into container corners (33, 34).

12. The inner container according to claim 2, characterized in that the diagonal corrugations (43, 44, 45, 46) have a corrugation bottom (64) continuously rising toward a wall surface (63) at their proximal corrugation ends (62).

13. The inner container according to claim 2, characterized in that corrugation ends (65) of the horizontal corrugations (47, 48) extend into the container edges (50, 51).

14. The inner container according to claim 13, characterized in that the horizontal corrugations (47, 48) have a concave corrugation bottom (64) which has an enlarged profile radius (67) for forming corrugation widenings (66) at the corrugation ends (65).

15. The inner container according to claim 14, characterized in that the corrugation widenings (66) have at least a radial corrugation (68) running in the corrugation bottom (64).

16. The inner container according to claim 14, characterized in that at least a horizontal corrugation (69) is formed in the front wall (16) and the rear wall (22) adjacent to the corrugation widenings (66).

17. A transport and storage container for liquids, the transport and storage container comprising an inner container made of plastic according to claim 1.

18. A method for folding an inner container according to claim 1, characterized in that a point load P is externally applied to the surface centers of the front wall (16) and the rear wall (22) and a linear load L is externally applied along the horizontal corrugations (47, 48) of the side walls (23, 24) in such a manner that the front wall (16) and the rear wall (22) are moved toward each other and the side walls (23, 24) are moved toward each other, a surface load F being simultaneously exerted on the bottom wall (20) and the top wall (25) in such a manner that the bottom wall (20) and the top wall (25) move toward each other.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0028] Hereinafter, the invention will be described in more detail based on an example of an embodiment illustrated in the drawing.

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a transport and storage container for liquids with an inner container made of plastic inserted into an outer jacket of a transport pallet;

[0030] FIG. 2 is an isolated illustration of the inner container illustrated in FIG. 1;

[0031] FIG. 3 shows the inner container of FIG. 2 in a folded state;

[0032] FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of the inner container for clarifying the folding process;

[0033] FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of the inner container with diagonal corrugations disposed on a front wall and a horizontal corrugation disposed on a side wall;

[0034] FIG. 6 is an isometric illustration of an embodiment of the inner container;

[0035] FIG. 7 is a front view of the inner container illustrated in FIG. 6;

[0036] FIG. 8 is a side view of the inner container illustrated in FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] FIG. 1 shows a transport and storage pallet 10 having, as essential components, a transport pallet 11 on which an outer jacket 14 is disposed, outer jacket 14 being realized as a cage having vertical bars 12 and horizontal bars 13. An inner container 15 made of plastic is disposed on transport pallet 11 within outer jacket 14, inner container 15 having an outlet socket 18 provided with an outlet fitting 17 in a front wall 16 on a front side, as shown in FIG. 2 in particular.

[0038] Outlet socket 18 is located in a lower wall portion 19 of front wall 16 in an area of transition to a bottom wall 20 of inner container 15, bottom wall 20 of inner container 15 being disposed on a pallet floor 21 of transport pallet 11. Bottom wall 20 connects front wall 16 to a rear wall 22, which is formed on the rear side of inner container 15, and two opposing side walls 23 and 24. A top wall 25 provided with a filling opening 26 is formed opposite bottom wall 20. For securing inner container 15 when it is received in outer jacket 14, traverses 27 connected to an upper circumferential edge 28 of outer jacket 14 extend above top wall 25.

[0039] FIG. 3 shows inner container 15 in the folded state, in which inner container 15 has a defined folded configuration 29 having wall folds 30 which are formed in side walls 23 and 24 and which extend into the drawing plane parallel to container bottom 20 in the illustration of inner container 15 according to FIG. 3. Moreover, inner container 15 has container edge folds 31 and 32 which extend from an upper container corner 33 to side wall fold 30 and from a lower container corner 34 to side wall fold 30 and which are formed in a front plane of inner container 15. Furthermore, when in the folded state, inner container 15 has inner folds 35 and 36 which extend from an upper container corner 33 into a fold space 37 and from a lower container corner 34 into a fold space 38. Fold spaces 37 and 38 are formed between an edge fold 40 formed on an upper container edge 39 of inner container 15 and adjacent container edge fold 31 and between an edge fold 42 formed on a lower container edge 41 of inner container 15 and adjacent container edge fold 32.

[0040] For a defined formation of folded configuration 29, inner container 15 illustrated in FIG. 2 has diagonal corrugations 43, 44, 45 and 46 in its front wall 16 and its rear wall 22 and horizontal corrugations 47 and 48 in its side walls 23 and 24, respectively, horizontal corrugations 47 and 48 being located in a central horizontal plane of inner container 15. For clarification of the folding process, diagonal corrugations 43, 44, 45 and 46 are illustrated as surface diagonals in the schematic illustration of FIG. 4.

[0041] When the folding process is carried out, point loads P, linear loads L and surface loads F externally act on inner container 15 as illustrated in FIG. 4, point loads P acting in opposite directions being exerted on central surface portions 49 of front wall 16 and rear wall 22, linear loads L acting in opposite directions being exerted on side walls 23 and 24 along horizontal corrugations 47 and 48 and surface loads F acting in opposite directions being exerted on bottom wall 20 and top wall 25.

[0042] Diagonal corrugations 43 to 46 and horizontal corrugations 47 to 48 define folding lines when external loads act on inner container 15 as illustrated in FIG. 4, such that front wall 16 and rear wall 22 are elastically deformed inward along diagonal corrugations 43 to 46 and inner folds 35 and 36 illustrated in FIG. 3 form along diagonal corrugations 43 to 46 and side walls folds 30 illustrated in FIG. 3 form along horizontal corrugations 47 and 48. Furthermore, vertically running lateral container edges 50 and 51 of non-deformed inner container 15 (FIG. 2) are turned into container edge folds 31 and 32.

[0043] When inner fold 35 is formed, approximately triangular surface areas A and B, which are designated A and B in FIG. 4 for clarification of the folding process, are moved into a position in which they cover each other; likewise, surface areas C and D are moved into a position in which they cover each other when inner fold 36 is formed. Furthermore, horizontal corrugations 47 and 48 and front wall 16 and rear wall 25 move toward each other along a wall axis 52 which runs through the intersection of the longitudinal axes of the corrugations in FIG. 4, both wall portions A and B and wall portions C and D moving into a position in which they cover each other.

[0044] FIG. 5 shows another schematic illustration of diagonal corrugations 43, 44, 45 and 46 in a disposition identical to FIG. 2, in which diagonal corrugations 43 and 44 extend between an upper container edge 54 and horizontal wall axis 52 and diagonal corrugations 45 and 46 extend between a lower container edge 55 and horizontal wall axis 52. Diagonal corrugations 43 and 56 and diagonal corrugations 44 and 45 together form pairs of corrugations 57 and 58 which, like pairs of corrugations 59 and 60 formed by diagonal corrugations 43 and 46 and diagonal corrugations 44 and 45, respectively, and illustrated in FIG. 4, together each form an isosceles triangle with lateral container edges 50 and 51, the diagonal corrugations each being disposed at an angle of 45° to container edges 50 and 51.

[0045] Unlike diagonal corrugations 43 to 46 illustrated in FIG. 4, whose disposition coincides with the surface diagonals and whose longitudinal axes meet in a shared horizontal intersection M coinciding with the surface center in the case of the illustration of FIG. 4, the longitudinal axes of diagonal corrugations 43 and 46 and diagonal corrugations 44 and 45, which form pairs of corrugations 57 and 58 in FIG. 5, intersect in horizontal intersections S.sub.1 and S.sub.2 on wall axis 52, intersections S.sub.1 and S.sub.2 having distance X from each other. Distance X prevents side wall folds 30 coming from container edges 50 and 51 from meeting when the folding process is carried out and plastic deformation from occurring in central surface portion 49.

[0046] As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, corrugation ends 61 of diagonal corrugations 43 to 46 extend into container edges 50 and 51, respectively, more specifically into upper container corners 33 and lower container corners 34, respectively. At their proximal corrugation ends 62, diagonal corrugations 43 to 46 have corrugation bottoms 64 continuously rising toward a wall surface 63 of front wall 16 and rear wall 22, respectively.

[0047] Corrugation ends 65 on both sides of horizontal corrugations 47 and 48 extend into container edges 50 and 51, horizontal corrugations 47 and 48, like diagonal corrugations 43 and 46, having a concave corrugation bottom 64 which has an enlarged profile radius 67 for forming corrugation widenings 66 on corrugation ends 65.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 8 in particular, corrugation widenings 66 of the embodiment example at hand are provided with a plurality of parallel radial corrugations 68 formed in corrugation bottom 64 and formed closely together across the entire length of corrugation bottom 64 within corrugation widening 66.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 7 in particular, front wall 16, like opposite rear wall 22 (not shown), has a plurality of horizontal corrugations 69 adjacent to corrugation widenings 66 of horizontal corrugations 47 and 48, horizontal corrugations 69 extending along horizontal wall axis 52 in wall portion 70 of front wall 16 and rear wall 22 limited by pair of corrugations 57 formed by diagonal corrugations 44 and 45 and pair of corrugations 58 formed by diagonal corrugations 45 and 46, respectively.