Strengthening of multi-cell stackable shipping containers to resist wind and seismic loads

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The objective of this study is to investigate the feasibility of placing the standard ISO (International Standard Organization) shipping container into stackable units and to determine an economical strengthening solution for this purpose. An ISO shipping container is a box shape steel structure specially designed for transporting goods and products. The standard container is 20ft long and has a cross section of approximately 8ft×8ft (height × width), internal volume of 32m3 and carries a maximum gross weight of 30×103kg. ISO shipping containers offer many advantages for storage of goods and materials as compared to the conventional storage facilities. These include significantly lower cost, accessibility and easy transportation, low site preparation costs and considerably higher capacity. However, the standard ISO containers are essentially not designed for carrying loads in stackable form. Many issues such as lack of material strength, local buckling and global collapse may occur when the stackable container is subjected to seismic, and wind loads. An extensive structural analysis will be performed in this study to analyse the structural properties of ISO shipping containers and evaluate the possibility of developing a strengthening plan which transforms the ISO shipping container into a stackable containerized system. The scope of the study is limited to standard 20ft shipping container which will be analysed in empty, half-full and full condition subjected to seismic and wind loads. The response of ISO container structure will be studied using finite element method. A strengthening plan that can be customized according to the specific site features such as seismicity, wind load and soil property is expected to be developed following the feasibility studies. This collaborative research study between Ryerson University and Storstac Inc. (Industrial partner company) is expected to continue as a long term research project through this NSERC Engage proposal.