Structral Components of Shipping Containers

7/22/2019 Structral Components of Shipping Containers

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STRUCTRAL COMPONENTS OF SHIPPING CONTAINERS

Note: On some ISO shelters, some of the primary structural components may be concealed within the

wall, roof, and floor panels. The areas where the adjacent panels join will be thoroughly inspected. This

inspection will meet the criteria for the Wall Beams and the Roof Beams

Figure 4.1 Shipping Container Primary Structural Components
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4.1.1 Corner Fitting. Internationally standard fitting (casting) located at the eight corners of the

container structure to provide means of handling, stacking and securing containers. Specifications aredefined in ISO 1161.

4.1.2 Corner Post. Vertical structural member located at the four corners of the container and to which

the corner fittings are joined.

4.1.3 Door Header. Lateral structural member situated over the door opening and joined to the corner

fittings in the door end frame.

4.1.4 Door Sill. Lateral structural member at the bottom of the door opening and joined to the corner

fittings in the door end frame.

4.1.5 Rear End Frame. The structural assembly at the rear (door end) of the container consisting of the

door sill and header joined at the rear corner fittings to the rear corner posts to form the door opening.

4.1.6 Top End Rail. Lateral structural member situated at the top edge of the front end (opposite the

door end) of the container and joined to the corner fittings.

4.1.7 Bottom End Rail. Lateral structural member situated at the bottom edge of the front end (opposite

the door end) of the container and joined to the corner fittings.

4.1.8 Front End Frame. The structural assembly at the front end (opposite the door end) of the container

consisting of top and bottom end rails joined at the front corner fittings to the front corner posts.

4.1.9 Top Side Rail. Longitudinal structural member situated at the top edge of each side of the

container and joined to the corner fittings of the end frames.

4.1.10 Bottom Side Rail. Longitudinal structural member situated at the bottom edge of each side of the

container and joined to the corner fittings to form a part of the understructure.

4.1.11 Cross Member. Lateral structural member attached to the bottom side rails that supports the

flooring.

4.1.12 Understructure. An assembly consisting of bottom side and end rails, door sill (when applicable),

cross members and forklift pockets.

4.1.13 Forklift Pocket. Reinforced tunnel (installed in pairs) situated transversely across the

understructure and providing openings in the bottom side rails at ISO prescribed positions to enable

either empty capacity or empty and loaded capacity container handling by forklift equipment.

4.1.14 Forklift Pocket Strap. The plate welded to the bottom of each forklift pocket opening or part of

bottom siderail. The forklift pocket strap is a component of the forklift pocket.

4.1.15 Gooseneck Tunnel. Recessed area in the forward portion of the understructure to accommodate

transport by a gooseneck chassis. This feature is more common in forty foot and longer containers.


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Figure 4.2 Exploded axonometric view of a Typical 20' ISO Shipping Container.

4.2 Walls, Roof, and Floor. Refer to Figure 4.2A 4.2.1 Fiberglass Reinforced Plywood(FRP). A material constructed of laminates of fiberglass,

polyester resins, and plywood, also known as sandwich panel.

4.2.2 Wall Panel. Corrugated or flat sheet steel, a riveted or bonded aluminum sheet and wallpost assembly, FRP, foam and beam, aluminum, or honeycomb material that forms the side wall

or end wall.

4.2.3 Wall Post. Interior or exterior intermediate vertical component to which sheet aluminumor steel is riveted or welded to form a wall panel.

4.2.4 Wall Beam. Encapsulated vertical component to which sheet aluminum or steel is bondedto form a wall panel.This is found in foam and beam panels.


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4.2.5 Marking Panel. A side wall panel of a corrugated steel configured with a flat portion usedfor the display of markings and placards. (4.2A)

4.2.6 Lining. Plywood or other like material attached to the interior side and end wall to protectthe walls and/or cargo and facilitate loading operations.

4.2.7 Lining Shield. A strip of thin metal installed at the bottom of the interior walls to protectthe lower portion of the lining from damage by materials handling equipment during loading or

unloading operations.

4.2.8 Kick Plate. A common name for a lining shield installed on the lower portion of the interiorfront end wall.

4.2.9 Ventilator. Two or more devices permanently attached to the side or end wall panel thatprovides openings for the exchange of air (but not water) between the outside and the

container interior. (4.2A)

4.2.10 Roof Panel. Corrugated or flat sheet steel, sheet aluminum, FRP, or foam and beam andaluminum honeycomb panel that forms the top closure of the container. (4.2A,)

4.2.11 Roof Bow. Lateral non-structural member attached to the top side rails and supportingthe underside of the roof panel. Roof bows used with removable cover (tarp) assembly are

unattached. Not all container designs require roof bows.

4.2.12 Roof Beam. Encapsulated horizontal component to which sheet aluminum or steel isbonded to form a roof panel.

4.2.13 Roof Reinforcement Plate. An additional metal plate on the interior or exterior of theroof panel adjacent to the top corner fittings that provides protection of the roof panel or toprail components from misaligned handling equipment.

4.2.14 Tarp. Jargon for "tarpaulin" which is a waterproof and flexible fabric used for covering thetop of an open-top container. This covering is referred to as a "Tilt" in some countries.

4.2.15 TIR Cable. Plastic sheathed wire rope that is designed in accordance with TIR customsconvention (Refer to paragraph 4.5.6) and is threaded through the welded loops on the sides,

end panels and door panels of an open-top container to secure the tarp.

4.2.16 Flooring. Material that is supported by the cross members and bottom rails to form aload bearing surface for the cargo. The flooring is usually constructed of laminated wood planks,

plywood sheets, or other composition material and is screwed or bolted to the cross members.

Some containers have welded steel or aluminum flooring, sandwhich panels or a combination of

metal and wood. (4.2A)


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4.2.17 Joint Strip. A formed steel or aluminum strip (usually hat-shaped section) installedbetween joints of the plywood sheet flooring or joints of the plywood sheet lining to helpintegrate and support the edges of the plywood. (4.2A)

4.2.18 Threshold plate. Plate forward of the door sill to protect the entrance area of thecontainer floor. This plate is commonly referred to as a crash plate.

4.2.19 Steps. Folding steps are found on some ISO Shelters and are used to gain access to theroof. They must be folded up prior to transporting shelter.

4.2.20 Sandwich Panel. A type of fixed or removable panel construction used in ISO Sheltersconsisting of a thin inner and outer sheet aluminum skin, bonded or fastened to a core

constructed of either honeycomb or structural foam and aluminum beams.

4.2.21 Striker Plate. An additional metal plate on the exterior of the roof panel adjacent to thetop corner fittings that provides protection to the roof panel or top rail components

from misaligned handling equipment.

4.2.22 Sling Pad. An additional metal plate on the exterior of the roof panel located in thecenter of the roof panel that provides protection to the panel from lowered handling

equipment.


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Typical Container Connection at End-wall Plan Detail


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Typical Container Connection Plan Detail

Typical Container Termination Plan Detail


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Typical Exterior Container Back Wall

Typical Container Floor Section Detail

\


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T

ypical Exterior Container Wall

Typical Interior Container Wall


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Typical Roof Section Detail


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Shipping Container Home Floor Plan Examples.

One Bedroom, One Bath Shipping Container Home Floor Plan

Total Square Footage: 320 sf One 40' Shipping Container





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Commercial Office Container Floor Plan

Total Square Footage: 640 sf Two 40' Shipping Containers


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Selection of one, two, and three Bedroom Shipping Container Home Floor Plans

Total Square Footage: 160 - 320 sf One and Two 40' Shipping Containers


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Five Bedroom, Three Bath Shipping Container Home Floor Plan

Total Square Footage: 1600 sf Five 40' Shipping Container


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Two Bedroom, One Bath Shipping Container Home Floor Plan

Total Square Footage: 640 sf Two 40' Shipping Container


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Three Bedroom, One Bath Shipping Container Home Floor Plan



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Two Bedroom, Two Bath Shipping Container Home Floor Plan



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Total Square Footage: 800 sf Two 40' Shipping Containers + 4'x40' fill conventional construction fill


Total Square Footage: 400 sf One 40' Shipping Containers + 2'x40' fill conventional construction fill


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General Comments on ISO Shipping Container's Inherent Capacity to Satisfy Building Code

Requirements in Shipping Container House Applications:

ISO shipping cargo containers are tested in accordance with the requirements of International Standard

ISO 1496/1 which stipulates static and dynamic design load factors to be complied with. In the case of a

20' steel container, it is designed to have a maximum gross weight of 52,910 lbs (typically has a tare

weight of around 5,000 lbs and a payload (P) potential of 47,910 lbs). The container when loaded to its

maximum gross weight must be capable of withstanding imposed loads of 2g downwards, 0.6g lateral

and 2g longitudinal plus be able to withstand eight similar containers loaded to maximum gross weight

stacked on top of it in a ships hold or at a land terminal. It therefore has a very sever operational life

and, notwithstanding its low tare weight it is very strongly built.

The side walls and end walls/doors have to withstand loadings of 0.6P and 0.4P respectively, these

values equate to 28,746 lbs and 19,164 lbs based upon the payload given above. The side wall area in

contact with the load is 146.56 sq. ft. giving a pressure of 196 lbs/sq. ft. Corresponding figures for the

end wall/doors are 51.78 sq. ft. and 370 lbs/sq. ft. These figures are well in excess of the 20 lbs/sq. ft.


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wind load required for structures less than 50 ft. high. A wind of 100 MPH produces a pressure of only

30 lbs/sq. ft.

The roof load test is 660 lbs over an area of 2' x 1' applied to the weakest part of the roof. The load is

usually applied at the center of the containers positioned with the 2' dimension aligned longitudinally.

Thus the roof is able to support an imposed load of a minimum of 330 lbs/sq. ft. The design is easily

capable of supporting the basic snow loads of 30 lbs per sq. ft. evenly distributed.

It is difficult to quantify uplift and suction forces. Unlike a building, the roof of a container is an integral

part of the structure; it is continuously welded around its entire periphery and is itself made from sheets

of corrugated 14 ga. Cor-Ten steel also continuously welded together. This steel, also used for the side

and end walls has a minimum yield strength of 50 ksi, and tensile of 70 ksi. The probability of the roof

being removed by these forces is practically zero as the entire container structure would have to be

destroyed for this to happen.

However, it is not unusual for the complete container to be lifted or blown over if it is not secured to the

ground in storm or hurricane conditions. This would be prevented by adequate foundation design

which is the responsibility of the customer. As you know when containers do blow over in container

yards the resulting damage is almost always minimal, another testimonial to their strength.

The floor is design to pass a concentrated load test of 16,000 lbs over a foot print of 44 sq. inches. Thefloor has also been designed to pass a test at twice its rated payload capacity of 47,895 for a 20

container and 58,823 lbs for a 40' container when evenly distributed.

The boxes are suitable for earthquake areas of seismic rating of up to the California standards.

History of ISO Shipping Containers

The shipping containerhas only been around for the last 50 years. The advent of this method of

modular standard containerization of goods revolutionized the transportation of goods and ultimately

the international export market as turnaround time, theft, damage to goods and costs all went

down. Until 1956 goods packed in bales, sacks or barrels were individually transferred from the

vehicle to the waiting cargo ship. This was manual work carried out by longshoremen using pulleys,


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cargo hooks and a significant labor force. An average ship had 200, 000 individual pieces of cargo and

it would take around a week to load and unload.

History credits Malcolm McLeanwith the development of the shipping container. By the

1950sMcLean had developed a large haulage business on the East Coast of the USA but had never

forgotten the days of being a driver waiting for a whole day for goods to be loaded and unloaded at

the port of New Jersey. He patented a container with reinforced corner posts that could be craned off

a truck chassis and had integral strength for stacking. McLean was so confident in the potential of this

modular cargo he took a loan for $42m and purchased the Pan-Atlantic Steamship Company with

docking rights so that he could modify cargo ships to use his new containers. He was forced to choose

between haulage and shipping by the Interstate Commerce Act and so he focused on redeveloping the

shipping firm and renamed it Sea-Land.

In April 1956 the modified oil tanker owned by Sea-LandIdeal X sailed from New Jersey to Houston

carrying 58 of the new containers. Meanwhile on the West Coast of the USA the Matson Navigation

Company decided to invest in container technology. They took a different view and

while McLean used 33 foot long containers, since these were the limited length permitted for a truck

chassis the Matson company chose 24 foot. They were importing tinned goods from Hawaii and

considered weight to be an issue, thus choosing a smaller container. In 1958 the

first Matson container ship set sail from San Francisco. Since there were specific docking

requirements, namely large cranes, containerization required investment. The New

York Harbour Authority realized this need and the potential of containerization and so built the first

container port 'Port Elizabeth' in New Jersey in 1962. The Port of Oakland in California also realized

that containerization would revolutionize trade with Asia and would protect the declining industry and

so invested $600k in new facilities in 1969.

The advent of containerization had hit the longshoremen hard. In 1960 a new agreement was reached

between the dockside unions and shipping companies where the companies could bring in new

machinery but a large pension fund was set up for longshoremen and they were given reduced

working hours. Thismodularization of cargo reduced the time required to load and unload, it also

reduced the number of longshoremen required, which resulted in the strike of 1971-72. Longshore

jobs were allocated on a rota basis by the unions but containerization saw the needs for specialist

crane operators thus the ports wanted to hire staff on a permanent contract. The shipping owners won

their rights to employ the specialist staff and the containerization of shipping continued to move

forward .


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The next step was to standardize the containers. At the time Matsonson the west coast were using

24 foot containers and Sea-Land on the east were using 35 foot containers. The military were

interested in containers but in a time of war the varied sizes would not be efficient. The Government

was therefore pushing for standardization as were the freight companies who wanted to invest in

containerization. McLean owned the patent on the corner posts that were so vital to the strength and

stacking of the containers and it was his release of this patent that allowed the ISO standardization to

take place .

In 1969 Richard F Gibney, working at Shipbuilding and Shipping Record in the UK, simplified the

statistics involved with comparing differing container sizes he coined the phrase Twenty Foot

Equivalent (TEU) and this is the term that is still used to describe containers.

What are ISO shipping containers made

from?

A typical ISO shipping container is made from a weathering steel as specified within BS EN 10025-

5:2004. This is commonly known asCor-ten steel. Cor-tensteel is a corrosion resistant steel that

is used within many industries where exposed steel sections are necessary, e.g. building panels,

facades and sculptures.

Weathering steels are specified in BS EN 10 155:1993 (superseded by BS EN 10025-5:2004) and

within this category Cor-tenis a well known proprietary grade. These steels have properties

comparable with those of Grade S355 steels to BS EN 10 025.

What are the characteristics of an ISOshipping container?

Shipping Container Specifications for the most common ISOStandard Shipping Containers:

External of a stand. ISO shipping container: 8' wide (2.44m) x 8' 6". (2.6m.) high, and the usuallengths are 20' (6.1 m) and 40' (12.2 m).

Internal of a stand. ISO shipping container: 7' 10" (2.353 m) wide, 7' 8.625" (2.388 m) high, and 19'4.25" (5.899 m) or 39' 5.375" (12.024 m) long.

Characteristics and Components of a standard ISO shipping container:

1. Monocoque body


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2. Corner Castings3. Steel corrugated sheet sidewalls, roof, and back panel4. All-welded-steel, continuously5. Purin reinforced Plywood Floors6. Forklift pockets7. Grappler pockets8. Gooseneck tunnel

ISO Standard 40' Low Cube Shipping Container Drawing

The shipping container floorsare made of planking or plywood wood, which is very strong and

resilient, does not dent, and may be easily replaced during repairs. The floors also have a strong

friction surface, which is important for cargo securing. Most containers are sprayed for insects because

when lumber is used, it must comply with the quarantine regulations in most countries.

The forklift pockets of standard ISO steel shipping containers are easily visible and allow handling of

empty shipping containers with forklift trucks. Forklift pockets are installed only in 20' x 8 x 8

standard ISO steel shipping containers and are arranged parallel to the center of the container in the

Formatted:Font: (Default) Verdana,color: Black


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bottom side rails. The 40' standard ISO steel shipping containers do not have forklift pockets. This is

due to the fact that the location of the pockets are relatively close together and such large containers

would be difficult to balance.

Gooseneck tunnel of standard ISO steel shipping containers: Many 40' containers have a recess in the

floor at the front end which serves to center the containers on so-called gooseneck chassis.

Grappler pockets of standard ISO steel shipping containers: Most all shipping containers are handled

by top spreaders using whats called corner fittings or corner castings. Also, some containers have

grappler pockets. These were originally installed for hanging garments.

Additional specifications on steel shipping container:

1. Racking/Shear Load of the shipping container (corner posts) 16,000 lb2. Side Wall Lateral Load of the shipping container 235 psf3. End Wall Lateral Load of the shipping container 366psf4. Racking/Shear Load of the shipping container 33,500 lb5. Stacking/ Axil Load of the shipping container 210,000 lb6. Roof Load of the shipping container 300psf7. Floor Load of the shipping container 100 psf


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Using Pier Footings for Your Shipping Container Home

by Terry

Caveat:before you read the main part of this

post, please note that this would be my approach to things. That means what you are about to read is all

opinion from personal experience. I get a lot of visitors who are owner-builder types like me, so I figured

I would create this post to help some of you out there. You can do things the way you wish and use your

own approach; so please dont contact me with issues or problems or accidents resulting from your own

incompetence, lack of knowledge or skill level, or equipment failure. I dont want you to hurt or killyourself, so be smart! You can easily create a situation where you can get seriously injured or die when

working with things as heavy as shipping containers. Just use common sense and safe building

practices and if youare not sure of yourself, just hire a professional, they are everywhere. Use this

information at your own risk and responsibility. OK, with that said

If you are an owner-builder, you have a few options when it comes to a foundation: concrete slab on

grade, crawlspace, full basement, or pier footings. My favorite? Definitely, the pier footings. I am

speaking from the standpoint of the do-it-yourself perspective and cost. The pier foundation requires

less concrete, less digging and doesnt take a lot of too ls and equipment to get the job done. Having the

same benefits as the basement and crawlspace foundations, the pier footings gives you the freedom to

get under the container for modifications and repairs.

One thing to keep in mind is that you dont want any moisture underneath the container home, so youhave to seal the bottom and insulate it as well. Placing the home directly on dirt or on a slab could

facilitate corrosion. Moisture is the enemy of container homes. Seal, coat and avoid moisture where

possible.


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So how to make those big, deep holes in the ground? You dont want to use a shovelthats too much

work and isnt as precise. You really want to get your hands on an auger. Preferably a two-man gas-powered auger. If you are capable of getting a hold of heavy machinery, then go for thatbut its rather

expensive to rent and I hope you dont screw something up on it or you will be responsible for some

costly repairs.

After you get the holes bored out of the earth, you will want to employ some forms (huge preform tubes

or made from pieces of plywood) in order to precisely pour the proper amount of concrete. As for rebar

(reinforcing bar), you definitely want to get those into the forms before you pour the cement in order to

reinforce the concrete and add greater load-bearing strength.

You will need some heavy gauge flat metal plates (at least 1/4 thick) to set into the cement, letting the

concrete cure solidly around the base of the plates; leaving the top part of the plate uncovered and

exposed to air. You will be setting the container corner directly on top of the plate, so keep it flush and

level. The underside of the plates will need some arms or support bars welded to them. In the past,while working on some pier footings for some outside structures, I had cut some 1/2 inch rebar about a

foot long and welded four of them to the underside of some 88 platesthis worked beautifully.

Note: with any foundation job, one of the biggest oops moments could result from not keeping each

footing level with one other because you rushed or just didnt think about that facet of your build. Talk

about a goofthat is hard to fix properly! There are methods and instruments to ensure you have a level

foundation, just Google them and please use them. You dont want a crooked platform for your

container home. The image below shows one technique with a string run across a series of footings.

Another thing, if you are working with an inspector because you are in one of those jurisdictions, you

cant get ahead of yourself. Be sure you let them see every stage of what you are doing so that they can

approve it for the next stage of your construction.

After your footings have cured properly, the main load-bearing corners of the container(s) sit on top ofthe plates and are then welded in place. Dont weld the container(s) to the plates until you are positive

you have things positioned right! Grinding off welds is a bitch if you have never done itit sucks.

If the footings, even after you took the time to get things right, happen to notbe level, you can possibly

weld additional plates to the embedded plates to create more elevation BEFORE you set the container(s)

on top. You can check for level several times before setting the container(s) to ensure you havent

goofed up. OK, thatsabout it. Be careful and stay alert!


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pier forms from plywood


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footing tube with rebar inside

Shipping Container Foundations: Part 2, Concrete Footings

Submitted by container-trader on Mon, 10/31/2011 - 08:45

shipping container foundation

Concrete footing are another option for the foundation for your used shipping container. Building

concrete footings are more complex and involved than the wooden beam option, but if you're planning

on keeping your container in one place for a long period of time it may be worth the investment.
http://www.addtoany.com/share_savehttp://www.addtoany.com/share_save


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Materials Needed:

Premix Concrete - total amount depends on your geographic area

Loose stone or gravel

1/4" plywood to construct the form

2"x2" or similar wood planks to construct the form

Using concrete footings as a foundation for your shipping or storage container falls in the middle cost

range of the three options. It's cost effective, durable, but requires more time and attention when

building the container foundation.

Before you being to build the concrete footing foundation for your container, you need to decide how

deep the footing must be. If you live in an area with no frost this decision may not be necessary.

However, if your area is prone to frost the freezing of the ground can shift your foundation and cause

problems later on. The only way to prevent "frost heave" is to build your footing at least 6" below the

frost line. The frost line is the maximum depth where the ground will freeze in the winter and this depth

varies from 50" in North Dakota, to 0" in Florida. To learn more about the frost line in your area you can

refer to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

The second step is to decide how large your footings must be. As a general rule, one or two stacked 40'

ISO containers will require 10" deep, x 20" wide, by x 20" wide (not included the extended frost footing).The chart below offers suggestions on how large your footings should be.

Footing Size Cubic Feet Cubic Yards 80lbs bags

8" x 16" x 16" 1.2 .044 2 bags per footing

10" X 20" X 20" 2.3 .086 3.8 bags per footing

12" X 24" X 24" 4 .15 6.75 bags per footing

The third step is to mark off the area that the storage container will take up. Measure the area out,

making sure that all corners are square so that your footings are in the correct place. It's a good idea to

post the area with stakes, and then tie them off so you have a strong visual idea of the size and space

required.


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Decide which is the highest of the four corners and begin the process here. Dig out an area wider and

slightly deeper than required by the footing and compact the soil in the bottom. Follow this up byadding a 3" base of loose stone. Using the plywood and planks, construct a concrete form to the

dimensions decided earlier. If you're going to reuse the same form for each footing it's better to

assemble the form with screws so that it's easier to take it apart and reassemble it for each footing.

Lining up the footings properly is key to this project, and the first footing will be the point from which

the others are built. It's also advised to add rebar to increase the strength of your footings and prevent

them from cracking. Rebar should be cut 8" longer than the depth of the hole, and driven into the

ground so they are flush with the top of the footing form. The rebar should be a few inches apart in each

footing, and the amount of rebar depends on the size of your footing.

Once the form is placed in the hole and the concrete poured, allow it to set for 48 hours before

removing the form.

The next footing must be measured and placed based on the height of the first one. To do this

accurately you'll need a laser level with which to measure the height. With the proper height and

distance lined up, you're ready to pour your final three footers or more if you require the added

security. Repeat the same process of digging the area out and installing the stone and concrete form,

and pouring the concrete until all footers are in place.

Ideally, this should be complete several weeks before the container is due to arrive. The actual time may

vary depending on the heat and humidity in your area, and it's best to ask a professional the appropriate

time to allow the concrete to cure

Documents

Structral Components of Shipping Containers