Thermally insulated cargo container

In a lightweight cargo container including a floor, a roof, and a plurality of side walls and end walls coupled together, the combination therewith comprising:

• said roof comprising:
• a planar core sheet of rigid thermoset foam;
• an external metal skin layer;
• and
• an internal plastic sheet skin layer, said foam sheet being adheringly attached to and between the skin layers to form said container roof, said roof having a thickness of less than 1.5 inches, a length of 15 to 40 feet and a width of about 9 feet;
• said roof having plurality of transverse recesses in said external layer and the core next adjacent to the external layer, and including rivets located in said recesses.

Thermally insulated cargo container comprising:

• a floor;
• a roof overlying the floor;
• a plurality of side walls secured to the roof and floor and forming a cargo receiving space therebetween, one of said walls forming a front wall and a pair of said walls forming opposing sides of said container, each said opposing sides and roof comprising:
• a first sheet skin layer;
• a second sheet skin layer spaced from and substantially parallel to the first layer;
• and
• a thermoset foam core thermally insulating layer secured to and between the first and second skin layers;
• said roof having a plurality of recesses in said core and in one of said sheet skin layers arranged to allow for thermal expansion of said roof in response to thermal cycling.

Thermally insulated cargo container comprising:

• a floor;
• a roof overlying the floor;
• a plurality of side walls secured to the roof and floor and forming a cargo receiving space therebetween, one of said walls forming a front wall and a pair of said walls forming opposing sides of said container, each said opposing sides and roof comprising:
• a first sheet skin layer;
• a second sheet skin layer spaced from and substantially parallel to the first layer;
• and
• a foam core thermally insulating layer secured to and between the first and second skin layers;
• each said opposing sides including a pair of spaced posts connected between the floor and the roof, the container including an upper rail connected to and between said posts on each side at said roof and a lower rail connected to and between said posts on each side at said floor, the first skin layer being external the container and the second skin layer being internal the container, each said rails including an outer leg extending therefrom for securing said first skin layer thereto and first interlock means internal said outer leg, said container further including a closure member having second interlock means engaged with and interlocked to said first interlock means and means securing the second internal skin layer to said closure member.

Thermally insulated cargo container comprising:

• a floor;
• a roof overlying the floor;
• a plurality of side walls secured to the roof and floor and forming a cargo receiving space therebetween, one of said walls forming a front wall and a pair of said walls forming opposing sides of said container, each said opposing sides and roof comprising:
• a first sheet metal skin layer;
• a second sheet skin layer spaced from and substantially parallel to the first layer;
• and
• a thermoset foam core thermally insulating layer secured to and between the first and second skin layers, said first, second and insulating layers having a combined thickness of at most about 1.5 inches and a broad surface region of at least about 15 feet in length by about 9 feet in width;
• one of said skin layers of the roof is external the container cargo receiving space and comprising sheet metal and the other skin layer is internal and comprises a fiber glass reinforced plastic (FRP) sheet;
• the sheet metal skin layer comprises aluminum, said roof further having a plurality parallel recesses in said core and in said sheet metal skin arranged to allow for thermal expansion of said roof in response to thermal cycling.

Thermally insulated cargo container comprising:

• a floor;
• a roof overlying the floor;
• a plurality of side walls secured to the roof and floor and forming a cargo receiving space therebetween, one of said walls forming a front wall and a pair of said walls forming opposing sides of said container each said opposing sides and roof comprising:
• a first sheet metal skin layer;
• a second sheet skin layer spaced from and substantially parallel to the first layer;
• and
• a thermoset foam core thermally insulating layer secured to and between the first and second skin layers, said first, second and insulating having a combined thickness of at most about 1.5 inches and a broad surface region of at least about 15 feet in length by about 9 feet in width,
• each said opposing sides includes a pair of spaced posts connected between the floor and the roof, the container including an upper rail connected to and between said posts on each side at said roof and a lower rail connected to and between said posts on each side at said floor, the first skin layer being external the container and the second skin layer being internal the container, each said rails including an outer leg extending therefrom for securing said first skin layer thereto and first interlock means internal said outer leg, said container further including a closure member having second interlock means engaged with and interlocked to said first interlock means and means securing the second internal skin layer to said closure member.

A lightweight thermally insulated cargo container including a floor, a roof and plurality of side walls coupled together, the combination therewith comprising:

• a frame having a front, a rear and opposing sides comprising:
• at least one lower rail on each of opposing frame sides;
• at least one upper rail corresponding to and aligned over the lower rail on said opposing sides;
• first and second spaced intermediate posts coupled to the at least one lower and upper rails on each said sides;
• a pair of front and rear corner posts coupled to said lower and upper rails at said front and rear respectively;
• a lower front sill coupled between the front posts;
• a lower rear sill coupled between the rear posts;
• a plurality of headers, each coupled to each frame side at an upper region between said intermediate, front and rear posts;
• a composite central panel connected between and to said at least one lower and upper rails and said first and second intermediate posts on each side;
• a first composite end panel connected between and to said at least one lower and upper rails and a front and first intermediate post on each said sides;
• a second composite end panel connected between and to said at least one lower land upper rails and a rear and a second intermediate post on each side;
• said composite panels each comprising a rigid foam core and an inner and outer skin layer;
• and
• a plurality of roof panels including a central panel and a pair of end panels coupled between different pairs of said headers, at least the central panel having a plurality of transverse recesses relative to the length of the container for responding to thermal expansion and contraction of said at least central roof panel.