Flexible bags – Lifting or suspending element – Unitary with bag
Patent
1988-12-21
1990-07-31
Marcus, Stephen
Flexible bags
Lifting or suspending element
Unitary with bag
383 17, 383 24, 383 67, B65D 3004, B65D 3302, B65D 3314
Patent
active
049446045
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to flexible intermediate bulk containers (FIBC) used in the storage and transport of bulk products in granular, powder or paste forms.
Such FIBCs having integral lifting means, i.e. the lifting means are extensions of the side wall structure. The total width of all lifting means constitutes at least 25 % of the FIBC circumference, and at least 50 % of the longitudinal fibers of the wall structure are directly employed when the FIBC is lifted.
Generally speaking FIBCs are manufactured from at least one piece of woven fabric, particularly woven poly-propylene or other suitable synthetic material and are required to carry loads of 500 or more with a considerable safety margin.
Several proposals for the construction of such FIBCs are known. Typical common features are: stitched together to form a tube or from a piece of tubular fabric to thus eliminate side seams; FIBC taking the load when the lifting mean(s) are engaged with suitable lifting mechanisms such as hooks or tines of a fork lift truck; the form of a lid of flexible product, stitched to the upper circumference of the wall structure. The lid can be equipped with a filling spout of flexible material.
The lifting means can be separate lifting loops stitched on to the side wall structure or be formed by integral extensions of the side wall structure.
In GB Pat. No. 1,475,019 the combined width of two lifting loops corresponds to 50 % of the FIBC circumference, i.e. all longitudinal fibers of the wall structure are employed when it is lifted.
FIBCs in accordance with above patent have proved to be very successful for the storage and transport of numerous bulk products. A major reason for such success has been the simple construction and the high lifting capacity of such FIBC's. However, the use of such FIBCs have also had their restrictions, especially when applied in areas with restricted overhead clearance, e.g. loading in closed containers or railway wagons, as the total height of such FIBC when lifted is too large compared with the fill height of the contained product.
For FIBCs having four lifting loops sewn onto the wall structure, restricted overhead clearance does not constitute a problem.
FIBCs having the tunnel shaped lifting loops, sewn on or integral with the wall structure, are also known.
From GB Patent No. 1,549,448 a FIBC having two tunnel shaped lifting loops, which are sewn onto two adjacent sides of a wall structure employing only 50 % of the longitudinal fibers of the wall structure when the FIBC is lifted, is known.
Further it is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,608 to use two lifting loops which are integral parts of two opposing sides of the wall structure, again only 50 % of the side wall structure circumference being employed when the FIBC is lifted. In this respect these two known arrangements are identical. The latter, however, has the advantage of upraised and opened lifting loops due to the inserts of the lifting loops, thus making engagement with suitable lifting mechanisms, especially the tines of a fork lift truck, easy. As the inserts are separate pieces, this solution will be more expensive.
EP Pat. No. 0,050,845 relates to a FIBC manufactured from two or four panels of woven fabric which, when stitched together, form a FIBC with a single or double layer base and four integral lifting loops. The lifting loops are direct extensions of the panels constituting the wall structure and their combined width corresponds to 50 % of the circumference of the FIBC. Thus, all longitudinal fibers are employed when the FIBC is lifted.
FIBCs according to above EP-patent permits handling in areas with restricted overhead clearance, but the lifting capacity is reduced due to hoop stress concentrations at the top center of each of the four wall panels. Another disadvantage of these FIBCs is the apparent distortion of the lifting loops, thus making direct engagement with normal lifting mechanisms difficult. For example, a fork lift truck driver will need a helper to engage the tines of the f
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Myklebust Eirik
Rasmussen Odd F.
Marcus Stephen
Norsk Hydro a.s.
Pascua Jes F.
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