| 摘要 |
A tank for transporting fluids on a truck chassis includes a front wall, side walls, a back wall, a top, and a floor. Interior stairs extend from the floor to an opening in the top to allow stair access into the interior with integrated safety handrails on the fill port cover. Stair toe kicks act as internal transverse baffles to help control fluid motion and surging. The stairs also act as a structural stiffener between longitudinal baffles. Horizontal baffles assist in controlling fluid motion and surging. Formed baffles provide strength and stiffness. A baffle interlocking system improves joint integrity and aids manufacturing. Formed outer skins provide structural strength for the tank. Ports located in front and rear bulkheads may be used for tank ventilation or, depending on local safety codes, as secondary access points. |
| 主权项 |
1. A tank for a truck chassis for the containment and transport of fluids, the tank comprising:
a transversely extending front bulkhead set at a predetermined angle to fit the truck chassis on which the tank is to be mounted; a plurality of opposed longitudinally extending side plates affixed to the front bulkhead and to a transversely extending rear bulkhead; a longitudinally extending floor and a longitudinally extending top affixed to the front bulkhead, to the rear bulkhead, and to each of the side plates, the top, floor, side plates and front and rear bulkheads thereby forming an interior of the tank; a plurality of ventilation ports in the front bulkhead and the rear bulkhead, the ventilation ports adaptable to mount circulation fans to assist in ventilating the interior of the tank; a baffle system adapted to control fluid surge in at least one of the longitudinal, transverse, or vertical directions, the baffle system including:
a plurality of interlocking longitudinal baffles and transverse baffles in the interior extending generally from the floor to the top, at least one of the baffles formed to increase strength and stiffness and to reduce the need to attach additional structural members for reinforcement and stiffening to the baffle;a plurality of horizontal baffles located at different elevations from the floor and extending into the interior of the tank, at least one horizontal baffle affixed to each of the sides, the front bulkhead, and the rear bulkhead; anda plurality of baffle openings in the longitudinal and transverse baffles to allow access to compartments formed by the interlocking baffles, the openings being generally aligned to provide a direct line of sight with unimpeded travel corridors as one moves in the longitudinal or in the transverse direction inside the interior, the baffle openings being sized so that a person of average stature may freely pass through each baffle opening without excessive climbing, crawling, scrambling, twisting, or bending; a fill port in the top through which the interior may be filled with fluid, the fill port having a plurality of plates and hinged access covers that are adapted to assist in fluid containment, splash back reduction, debris filtration, and fall protection, the fill port being located at an upper end of a staircase that descends into the interior from the top of the tank to the floor to provide access from the top through the fill port and to the floor of the tank, the staircase having a plurality of steps and kick plates and the staircase adapted to allow walking access from the top of the tank down to the floor of the tank, each of the steps being formed from an open grating material to allow fluid to pass through the steps and promote filling of the tank and each of the kick plates being formed from a solid material to provide structural support for the staircase, the steps and plates thereby adapted to assist in controlling fluid surge; and at least one handrail that descends into the interior alongside the staircase. |
