1

Off-Axis-NOTE-DET-8

Stacking Shipping Containers on Land

for an Off-Axis Detector

J. Cooper, J. Kilmer, B. Wands

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, IL 60510

(May 29, 2003)

Introduction

Fig. 1 shows a typical International Standards Organization (ISO) Series 1

shipping container.

These containers are designed to make vertical contact with each other through

discrete corner fittings; when stacked, all vertical force is transferred through these

fittings, in turn loading the corner posts, and not the walls, of the container. The number

of containers which can be stacked on each other is determined by the strength of the

corner posts.

ISO Standard 1496

(1)

states that the corner posts of ISO Series 1 containers

should be tested to a load of 86,400 kg (190,480 lbs). This is the load applied to the posts

of the bottom container in an 8-on-1 stack of 24,000 kg (gross weight) containers,

Figure 1. ISO Series 1 Shipping Container

corner post

corner post

corner fitting