# US 12,181,105 B2 · Processing apparatus, corrugated plate, and storage container > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,181,105 B2 - Document ID: US12181105B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/430,494 - Filed: 2024-02-01 - Published: 2024-05-23 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2023-06-26 - Assignees: Sinotech Energy Co., Ltd.; Sinopec Engineering Incorporation - Applicants: Sinotech Energy Co., Ltd.; Sinopec Engineering Incorporation - Inventors: Fengqi Li; Jian Zhang; Ying Wei; Xiangao Feng; Wei He; Kang Wang; Qingfeng Yin; Ming Li; Hao Wu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12181105B2 ## CPC - F17C 3/00: Vessels not under pressure - F17C 2201/0147: complex - F17C 2209/21: Shaping processes - F17C 2209/232: of walls - F17C 2221/011: Oxygen - F17C 2221/012: Hydrogen - F17C 2221/014: Nitrogen - F17C 2221/017: Helium - F17C 2221/033: Methane, e.g. natural gas, CNG, LNG, GNL, GNC, PLNG - F17C 2223/0161: cryogenic, e.g. LNG, GNL, PLNG - F17C 2260/01: Improving mechanical properties or manufacturing - F17C 2270/0107: Wall panels - F17C 2270/0134: placed above the ground - F17C: VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES (storing fluids in natural or artificial cavities or chambers in the earth B65G5/00; construction or assembling of bulk storage containers employing civil-engineering techniques E04H7/00; variable-capacity gas-holders F17B; liquefaction or refrigeration machines, plants, or systems F25) ## Abstract Disclosed are a processing apparatus, a corrugated plate, and a storage container. The processing apparatus includes a pair of slide plates, a pair of press plates, a shaping block, and a driving mechanism. The driving mechanism includes a slide plate driving portion linked to a shaping block driving portion, allowing the slide plate driving portion drives the pair of slide plates to approach each other at a first predetermined speed, the shaping block driving portion moves the shaping block downward at a second predetermined speed, and the first and second predetermined speed are specifically correlated with respect to a predetermined forming profile of an intersection portion. The processing apparatus of the present disclosure causes running speeds of various portions that move in different directions to extrude a blank plate to be specifically associated, so that the formation process is particularly applicable to a corrugated plate having the predetermined corrugated shape. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A processing apparatus for a corrugated plate of a liquefied gas storage tank for marine engineering equipment, the corrugated plate having longitudinal corrugations and transverse corrugations that have an intersection portion, wherein the processing apparatus comprises: a pair of slide plates movable away from and close to each other along a transverse direction; a pair of press plates correspondingly located on top sides of the pair of slide plates to press a blank plate between the pair of slide plates and the pair of press plates tightly; a shaping block located between the pair of slide plates, a bottom end of the shaping block having a predetermined forming profile with a transverse size gradually reduced towards a bottom side; and a driving mechanism comprising: a slide plate driving portion in contact with the pair of slide plates; and a shaping block driving portion connected with the shaping block, wherein the shaping block driving portion and the slide plate driving portion are fixed relative to each other, so that the slide plate driving portion drives the pair of slide plates to approach each other at a first predetermined speed, the shaping block driving portion drives the shaping block to move downward at a second predetermined speed, and the first predetermined speed and the second predetermined speed are specifically correlated with respect to a predetermined forming profile of the intersection portion, wherein the first predetermined speed is a non-uniform speed, and the second predetermined speed is a uniform speed, wherein the shaping block comprises a longitudinal corrugation shaping block extending along a longitudinal direction and an intersection portion shaping block located at a center of the longitudinal corrugation shaping block longitudinally, only a transverse size of the longitudinal corrugation shaping block is gradually reduced in a direction towards the bottom side, and both a transverse size and a longitudinal size of the intersection portion shaping block are gradually reduced in the direction towards the bottom side, wherein a diversion core having a predetermined punch shape is installed on the intersection portion shaping block, and a hardness of the diversion core is greater than that of other portions of the shaping block; wherein the pair of slide plates each has a force pin protruding longitudinally and having a smooth external profile, an involute face for getting contact with the force pins is formed on the slide plate driving portion, and the involute face is designed to cause the first predetermined speed and the second predetermined speed to be specifically correlated; and wherein the involute face comprises a first inclined face, a straight wall face, and a second inclined face from top to bottom, wherein the first inclined face and the second inclined face form an obtuse angle with a vertical line, and the straight wall face is parallel to the vertical line. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first inclined face transitions to the straight wall face smoothly and has an extension length greater than that of the second inclined face, and a non-slip driving feature structure is disposed on the first inclined face, wherein an included angle of the first inclined face relative to the straight wall face and the extension length of the first inclined face are designed to cause the first predetermined speed and the second predetermined speed to be specifically correlated. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the driving mechanism comprises a main horizontal plate and a vertical plate that are connected in one piece, and the vertical plate extends downward from a center of the main horizontal plate in the transverse direction, wherein the slide plate driving portion comprises driving rods, tops of which are fixed on the main horizontal plate; and the shaping block is fixed at a bottom end of the vertical plate. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a connection mechanism is disposed between the driving mechanism and the pair of press plates, and the connection mechanism is constructed to allow not only the pair of press plates to move vertically together with the driving mechanism, but also the driving mechanism to move vertically relative to the pair of press plates when the pair of press plates are abutted against the top side of the pair of slide plates. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the driving mechanism comprises a main horizontal plate, the connection mechanism comprises pressure source nitrogen gas springs disposed between the main horizontal plate and the pair of press plates, and the pressure source nitrogen gas springs are constructed to be able to provide pressure to the pair of press plates, and to be locked when the pressure source nitrogen gas springs are at a maximum tensile length so as to allow the pair of press plates to move vertically together with the main horizontal plate. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The processing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the driving mechanism further comprises intermediate horizontal plates connected with the main horizontal plate fixedly and located below the main horizontal plate, top ends of the pressure source nitrogen gas springs are fixed on the intermediate horizontal plates, and bottom ends of the pressure source nitrogen gas springs are fixed on the pair of press plates, and wherein the connection mechanism further comprises guide connection limit rods, bottom ends of the guide connection limit rods are fixed on the press plates, the guide connection limit rods penetrate through the intermediate horizontal plates movably, and top ends of the guide connection limit rods are provided with limit portions that can be abutted against top sides of the intermediate horizontal plates. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the top ends of the guide connection limit rods are abutted against a bottom side of the main horizontal plate when the pressure source nitrogen gas springs are at a minimum tensile length. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing apparatus further comprises a shaping base, which is located below the shaping block and a top surface of which has a forming profile recessed downward, and the shaping base moves together when the shaping block moves downward. ### Claim 9 A processing apparatus for a corrugated plate of a liquefied gas storage tank for marine engineering equipment, the corrugated plate having longitudinal corrugations and transverse corrugations that have an intersection portion, wherein the processing apparatus comprises: a pair of slide plates movable away from and close to each other along a transverse direction; a pair of press plates correspondingly located on top sides of the pair of slide plates to press a blank plate between the pair of slide plates and the pair of press plates tightly; a shaping block located between the pair of slide plates, a bottom end of the shaping block having a predetermined forming profile with a transverse size gradually reduced towards a bottom side; and a driving mechanism comprising: a slide plate driving portion in contact with the pair of slide plates; and a shaping block driving portion connected with the shaping block, wherein the shaping block driving portion and the slide plate driving portion are fixed relative to each other, so that the slide plate driving portion drives the pair of slide plates to approach each other at a first predetermined speed, the shaping block driving portion drives the shaping block to move downward at a second predetermined speed, and the first predetermined speed and the second predetermined speed are specifically correlated with respect to a predetermined forming profile of the intersection portion, wherein the first predetermined speed is a non-uniform speed, and the second predetermined speed is a uniform speed, wherein the shaping block comprises a longitudinal corrugation shaping block extending along a longitudinal direction and an intersection portion shaping block located at a center of the longitudinal corrugation shaping block longitudinally, only a transverse size of the longitudinal corrugation shaping block is gradually reduced in a direction towards the bottom side, and both a transverse size and a longitudinal size of the intersection portion shaping block are gradually reduced in the direction towards the bottom side, wherein a diversion core having a predetermined punch shape is installed on the intersection portion shaping block, and a hardness of the diversion core is greater than that of other portions of the shaping block; wherein the intersection portion shaping block comprises a smooth bottom surface having four corners that are symmetrical pairwise both longitudinally and transversely, and the intersection portion shaping block further comprises four drawbeads extending upward from the four corners respectively, wherein an overall extension direction of each of the drawbeads intersects all of the transverse direction, the longitudinal direction, and a vertical direction. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the bottom surface has four smooth profile boundary lines successively connected between the four drawbeads, and all of the four profile boundary lines are recessed towards a center of the bottom surface at their respective intermediate positions. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein among the four profile boundary lines, two profile boundary lines located at both ends of the bottom surface longitudinally have a recessed first radius of curvature, and two profile boundary lines located at both ends of the bottom surface transversely have a recessed second radius of curvature, wherein the first radius of curvature is greater than or equal to the second radius of curvature. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein a longitudinal size of the bottom surface is less than its transverse size. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the bottom surface transitions to the drawbeads smoothly, and an included angle between any position of the bottom surface and a horizontal plane is less than an included angle between the overall extension direction of the drawbeads and the horizontal plane. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein in a direction from a position where each of the drawbeads is connected with the bottom surface to a tail end away from the bottom surface, a thickness of the drawbead gradually decreases. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein in a bottom view of the intersection portion shaping block, a main body portion of each of the drawbeads extends along a direction that intersects both the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction, the tail end of each of the drawbeads extends along the transverse direction, and the main body portion transitions to the tail end smoothly. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein a bottommost end of a projection of the intersection portion shaping block within a projection plane defined by the vertical direction and the transverse direction is a curved face, and a bottommost end of a projection within a projection plane defined by the vertical direction and the longitudinal direction is a horizontal straight line segment.