CONTAINER STRUCTURES

We are one of the few structural engineers in the United States who do intermodal shipping container building structural design.  Shipping containers are made of strong and durable materials, suitable for building structures.  Shipping containers can be used for a wide range of building functions including storage area, workspace, living space, industrial, bathrooms and locker rooms, military and training facilities, emergency response facilities and multi-container buildings.  We design the container buildings based on the US building design codes, including IBC, ASCE 7, AISC 360 and AISI S100.
Shipping cargo containers are built per the international standard ISO 668 & 1496-1.  These standards incorporate tough structural design requirements.  A cargo container needs to hold up about 63,000 lb payload, or roughly 200 pound per square foot uniform floor load.  This load is carried by the container framing system spanning 40 ft without any intermediate supports.  The containers are designed to be stacked up to 8 high and all loads go to the four corner posts.  Cargo containers need to withstand transportation loads in the open ocean weather for months.  On top of a cargo vessel, they are subjected to high wind and large horizontal loads from vessel rocking motions on the sea.   Most US cargo containers come from overseas and usually for a one-way trip.  Afterward, these "fully tested" cargo containers are put up for sale and to be reused for something else, such as for buildings. 


Container Computer Model

Shipping container structural members, wall and roof panels are made of high strength COR-TEN steel.  The floor cross members, container side rails, beam headers and corner posts are made of various cross sections, some of them are in unique shapes.  Side walls, front wall and roof are made of corrugated metal sheets in different shape profiles and thicknesses.  Therefore, creating a computer model for container structure is the most challenging aspect in structural analysis.   The typical design approach for most structural engineers is using equivalent cross sections by simplifying the geometries, also sometimes by omitting the panels' contribution as structural elements.
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Modular Structural Consultants takes a different design approach.  We create a finite element model (FEM), that is very close to the actual geometries, thicknesses, cross section shapes of shipping container elements.  Our finite element model is sophisticated yet versatile to adapt for building openings and any structural modifications.  We use digital wind tunnel software for generating wind loads for multi-container building with unusual configurations, such as L-shape, C-shape, any creative stacking, with roofs or parapets,   All of these design approaches produce much more accurate design and analysis results and beneficial for providing an economical and safe container structural design to our clients.
[Above] FEM Result Validation - 40 ft and 20 ft Containers, Member Stresses Under Fully Loaded ~ 200 psf floor load.
ISO 1496-1 (6.2.2) Allowable stacking load for 1.8g = 17.1 ksi x 1.8 = 30.78 ksi.
[Above] FEM Result Validation - ISO 1496-1 (6.7.2) Side Loading 0.6 Pg ~ 108 psf side pressure
[Above] FEM Result Validation - 8 Stack Containers Under Fully Loaded 200 psf at every container.

Can't find 12ft x 40ft container?  We can design it for you.

Modular Structural Consultants, LLC.
5760 Legacy Dr. Ste B3-333.  Plano, TX 75024
​MSC@modularconsultant.com
Phone: (972) 896-5373