The document presents an analysis of the shipping container market, emphasizing the growth and dominance of plastic materials as alternatives to traditional metal containers. It details the various types of shipping containers and the benefits of using polymers and composites for manufacturing, highlighting their lower weight, resistance to chemicals, and cost-effectiveness compared to metal. The conclusion stresses that plastics and composites are becoming competitive materials to metals, with applications in shipping container production due to their advantageous properties.

1. ProjectPresentation
PlasticAlternative to
MetalShippingContainers
Presentation by: Deepak Rawal
Roll no.: PGDP/D/1809
IIP Delhi
34th Batch

2. Introduction
Shipping containers also known as Intermodal containers or ISO
containers is a large standardized shipping container, designed and
built for intermodal freight transport, meaning these containers can
be used across different modes of transport – from ship to rail to
truck – without unloading and reloading their cargo.

3. Market of
shipping
containers
 Global ShippingContainers Market was valued at $8,705 million in
2015, and is expected to reach $12,083 million by 2023, growing at
a CAGR of 4.5% from 2017 to 2023.
 China entered into the shipping container manufacturing in 1980
with the formation of CIMC in Shenzhen,China, but only gained its
greatest momentum beginning in 1993.
 Till 1995,Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, and most of Europe
were producing their shipping containers in MainlandChina. Since
1996,CIMC is the largest manufacturer of ISO containers in the
world, and by 2007China produced 82% of the entire world supply
of ISO shipping containers.

4. Asia-Pacific
LeadShipping
Container
Market
 Asia-Pacific held the largest market share of the global shipping
container market in 2015 and accounted for about 35% of the
share of the total market.
 This is mainly due to growing demand of commodities and huge
dependency on seaborne trade in countries such as India, China,
and Indonesia.

5. MarketShare
of Leading
Countries,
2015
(%Share)

6. Specifications
of shipping
containers
 Ninety percent of the global container fleet consists of "dry
freight" or "general purpose" containers – both of standard and
special sizes. Lengths of containers vary from 8 to 56 feet (2.4 to
17.1 m)
 About 90% of the world's containers are either nominal 20-foot
(6.1 m) or 40-foot (12.2 m) long, although the United States and
Canada also use longer units of 45 ft (13.7 m), 48 ft (14.6 m) and 53
ft (16.15 m).
 Standard containers are 8-foot (2.44 m) wide by 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
high, although the taller "High Cube" or "hi-cube" units measuring
9 feet 6 inches (2.90 m) have become very common in recent
years.
 These typical containers are rectangular, closed box models, with
doors fitted at one end, and made of corrugated weathering steel
(commonly known as CorTen) with a plywood floor.

7.  Basic dimensions and permissible gross weights of intermodal containers
are largely determined by two ISO standards:
 ISO 668:2013 Series 1 freight containers—Classification, dimensions and
ratings
 ISO 1496-1:2013 Series 1 freight containers—Specification and testing—Part 1:
General cargo containers for general purposes
40 foot (12.2 m)
containers

8. Types of
shipping
containers
 Other than the standard, general purpose container, many
variations exist for use with different cargoes.
 The most prominent of these are refrigerated containers for
perishable goods, that make up six percent of the world's shipping
boxes.
 And tanks in a frame, for bulk liquids, account for another 0.75% of
the global container fleet.

9. 1.
General-
purpose dry
vans
 for boxes, cartons, cases, sacks, bales, pallets, drums, etc., Special
interior layouts are known, such as:
 rolling-floor containers, for difficult-to-handle cargo
 garmentainers, for shipping garments on hangers

10. 2.
Ventilated
containers
 Essentially dry vans, but either passively or actively ventilated. For
instance, for organic products requiring ventilation

11. 3.
Temperature
controlled
 either insulated, refrigerated, and/or heated containers, for
perishable goods

12. 4.
Tank
containers
 for liquids or gases. Frequently these are dangerous goods, and in
the case of gases one shipping unit may contain multiple gas
bottles

13. 5.
Bulk
containers
 either closed models with roof-lids, or hard or soft open-top units
for top loading, for instance for bulk minerals.
 Containerized coal carriers and "bin-liners" (containers designed
for the efficient road and rail transportation of rubbish from cities
to recycling and dump sites)

14. 6.
Open-top and
open-side
containers
 for instance, for easy loading of heavy machinery or oversize
pallets.Crane systems can be used to load and unload crates
without having to disassemble the container itself.
 Open sides are also used for ventilating hardy perishables like
apples or potatoes.

15. 7.
Platform
based
containers
such as:
Flat-rack and bolster containers
 for barrels, drums, crates, and any heavy or bulky out-of-gauge
cargo, like machinery, semi-finished goods or processed timber.
Empty flat-racks can either be stacked or shipped sideways in
another ISO container

16. Collapsible containers
 ranging from flushfolding flat-racks to fully closed ISO and CSC
certified units with roof and walls when erected.

17. Stacking
containers
 At stacking load-bearing locations, 40-foot containers are the
standard unit length, and 45 ft, 48 ft, and 53 ft all stack at the 40 ft
coupling width.
 Other units can be stacked on top of 20 ft units only if there are
two in a row (40 ft coupling width) but 20 ft units cannot be
stacked on top of 40 ft units, or any other larger container.

18. 53' 48' 45' 40'
and (2x) 20'
containers
stacked

19. Why use
Plastic instead
of Metal?
Polymer and composite components are the most cost-effective
solution when compared to metal.
 Plastics are lighter and therefore provide immense advantages
over metals by offering lower lifetime freight costs, transportation
and handling over the product’s lifetime.
 Metals have high densities and the metal processing consumes a
lot of energy for the fabrication of parts and goods. Generally, the
heavier the parts are the more energy they consume during their
service life.
 Plastics and composite materials are up to 10 times lighter than
typical metal.The replacement of metals by plastics leading to
lighter products is benefiting for the processing step and during all
the service life.

20. Plastics are more resistant to chemicals than their metal
counterparts.
 Without extensive and costly secondary finishes and coatings,
metals are easily attacked by many common chemicals.Corrosion
due to moisture or even dissimilar metals in close contact is also a
major concern with metal components.
 Polymer and composite materials such as PEEK, Kynar (PVDF),
Teflon, and Polyethylene are impervious to some of the harshest
chemicals.This allows for the manufacture and use of precision
fluid handling components in the chemical and processing
industries which would otherwise dissolve if manufactured from
metallic materials.
 Some polymer materials available can withstand temperatures
over 700°F (370°C) or more.

21. Plastic parts do not require post-treatment finishing efforts,
unlike metal.
 Polymer and composites are both thermally and electrically
insulating.
 Metallic components require special secondary processing and
coating in order to achieve any sort of insulating properties.
 These secondary processes add cost to metallic components
without offering the level of insulation offered by polymer
materials.
 Unlike metals, plastic materials are compounded with color before
machining, eliminating the need for post-treatment finishing
efforts such as painting.

22. Properties
needed
To compete with metals, the main requirements for polymers
concerns:
 good dimensional stability,
 high mechanical performances, (impact, fatigue, creep, flexural,
tensile and compressive strength)
 and a fair temperature behavior.
Secondly, other properties such as
 better durability,
 flame retardant (FR),
 and higher barrier performance are required.

23. What are
Polymer
composites?
 A composite is a material made from two or more constituent
materials with significantly different physical or chemical
properties that, when combined, produce a material with
characteristics different from the individual components.
 The individual components remain separate and distinct within
the finished structure, differentiating composites from mixtures
and solid solutions.
 Constituent materials of a composite are:
 matrix (binder)
 reinforcement
 The matrix material surrounds and supports the reinforcement
materials by maintaining their relative positions.
 The reinforcements impart their special mechanical and physical
properties to enhance the matrix properties.

24. Examples
Common polymers used as matrix (resins) are:
 polyester, vinyl ester, epoxy, phenolic, polyimide, polyamide,
polypropylene, PEEK, and others.
The reinforcement materials are often fibres but also commonly
ground minerals.
Common fibres used for reinforcement include:
 glass fibres, carbon fibres, cellulose (wood/paper fibre and straw)
and high strength polymers for example aramid, Silicon carbide
fibers are used for some high temperature applications.
Also, Polymers and rubber are often reinforced with particle
composites such as:
 carbon black, nano-silica, carbon nanotube, etc.

25. Glass fiber
reinforced
polymer and
its application

26. Car body made
ofCarbon fiber
reinforced
polymer

27. Thermoplastic
Composites
 Thermoplastics have the simplest molecular structure, with
chemically independent macromolecules. By heating, they are
softened or melted, then shaped, formed, welded, and solidified
when cooled. Multiple cycles of heating and cooling can be
repeated without severe damage, allowing reprocessing and
recycling.
General structure of a thermoplastic

28. Pyramid of
excellence of
thermoplastics
 The “pyramid of excellence” arbitrarily classifies the main families
of thermoplastics according to their performances, consumption
level, and degree of specificity:

29. 1. Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC),
Polystyrene (PS):
commodity thermoplastics
2. Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS), Styrene AcryloNitrile
(SAN):
copolymers with more specific applications
3. Polyampide (PA), Polycarbonate (PC), Polymethylmethacrylate
(PMMA), Polyacetal (POM), Polyphenylene Ether (PPE),
PolyethyleneTerephthalate (PET), PolybutyleneTerephthalate
(PBT):
engineering thermoplastics

30. 4. Polysulfone (PSU), PolyetherImide (PEI), Polyphenylene Sulfide
(PPS):
engineering thermoplastics with more specific performances
5. Ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), Polyetherether Ketone
(PEEK):
high-tech uses, limited consumption
6. Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP), Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE),
Perfluoroalkoxy (PFA), Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP),
polyimides (PIs):
high-tech uses, more limited consumption
7. PolyBenzImidazole (PBI):
highly targeted uses and very restricted consumption.

31. Thermoset
Composites
 Thermosets before hardening, like thermoplastics, are
independent macromolecules. But in their final state, after
hardening, they have a 3D structure obtained by chemical cross-
linking produced after (spray-up molding or filament winding) or
during the processing (for example compression or injection
molding).
 After hardening they cannot be melted and reshaped.They will
only degrade upon heating.
Thermoset after cross-linking

32. Pyramid of
excellence of
thermosets
 The “pyramid of excellence” arbitrarily classifies the main families
of thermosets according to their performances, consumption
level, and degree of specificity:

33. 1. Urea-formaldehydes (UF):
old materials of modest properties
2. Phenolic resins (PF) and melamines (MF):
good thermal behavior but declining
3. Unsaturated polyesters (UPs) and polyurethanes (PUR):
the most used for their general qualities
4. Epoxy (EP):
broad range of properties; some are used for high-tech composites

34. 5. Silicones (Si):
flexibility and high heat resistance; physiologically harmless
6. PIs (Polyimides):
high-tech uses, limited distribution
7. Polycyanates (Cy):
highly targeted uses and very restricted distribution.

35. Pyramid of
excellence for
some
composite
families
 The “pyramid of excellence” classifies, as arbitrarily as for the
previous polymers, the composites according to their
performances, consumption level, and degree of specificity:

36. 1. Ups (Unsaturated Polyesters) reinforced with glass fibers (GFs):
the most used for their performances and low cost
2. Phenolic resins (PF) reinforced with GFs:
fire resistance, good performances, and low cost
3. Epoxy (EP) reinforced with GFs:
that perform better than the UP/GF
4. Epoxy (EP) reinforced with aramid fiber (ArF) or CF or with
honeycombs:
high-tech and high-cost composites performing better than the EP/GF

37. 5. Silicone (Si) reinforced with GFs:
flexibility, heat resistance, chemical resistance, and physiological
harmlessness
6. PI reinforced with ArF or CF or with honeycombs:
very high-tech and high-cost composites performing better than the
EP composites; the consumption is limited
7. Polycyanate matrices:
very specific uses, high-tech and high-cost composites; very restricted
consumption.

38. Reinforcement
s
The most common reinforcements currently used are:
 Fibers and sets containing fibers.
 Foams.
 Flat materials: honeycomb, wood, plywood.
 Nanofillers are also being developed.

39. Fiber
reinforcement
s
 Glass fibers are the most commonly used accounting for 95% of
the consumption of fibers for plastic reinforcement.
 Aramid and carbon fibers account for most of the remaining 5%.
Numerous other fibers have specific uses:
 Steel fibers and steel cords.
 Mineral fibers such as boron, quartz, and whiskers.
 Natural fibers such as jute, flax, and so on.
 Textile fibers such as nylon and polyester.
 Industrial fibers such as PE, PTFE, and PBO (Polybenzoxazole).

40. The performances of a given fiber and its cost govern its use in
composites:
 Whiskers and boron fibers for very specific composites.
 Carbon fibers for advanced composites.
 Aramid fibers for intermediate composites.
 Glass fibers for general-purpose composites.
 Nylon and other textile fibers for flexible composites.
 Steel fibers for tires, conveyor belts, ESD compounds.
 PE for antiballistic composites.
 Sustainable fibers for economic and environmental reasons.

41. Fibers:
Examples of
tensile
strength
versus
modulus

42. Comparison of
theThree Main
Types of Fibers
Glass, aramid, carbon fiber reinforced composites:Tensile modulus versus
tensile strength examples

43.  In all cases, carbon fibers lead to the highest mechanical
performances compared to glass and aramid fibers.
 Nevertheless, their impact behavior and price cut down their
consumption.Glass fibers yield the cheapest composites but
performances are more limited.
The practical goals of fiber reinforcement are:
 To increase the modulus and strength.
 To improve the heat deflection temperature (HDT).
 To reduce the tendency to creep under continuous loading.
 To save costs by decreasing the material cost used to obtain the
same stiffening.

44. Conclusion
 Today, plastics are an industrial and economic reality competing
with traditional materials, in particular metals, among which steel
is the most important.
 The properties of unidirectional composites in the fiber direction
can compete with those of the current metals and alloys.The
highest-performance engineering plastics compete with
magnesium and aluminum alloys
 Design freedom.
 Reduction of the costs of finishing, construction, assembling and
handling.
 Possibility of selective reinforcement in the stress direction.
 Weight savings, lightening of structures, miniaturization.
 And that’s the reason Polymer Composites can be used in making
shipping containers just by selecting the right polymer (matrix)
and reinforcement, for the best strength and designing them in
the most structurally sound way.

45. Thank you