How To Reinforce Shipping Container Walls
Shipping container homes have become a popular alternative for those seeking affordable, eco-friendly housing that can exist built about anywhere. However, modifying a shipping container to build a home requires reinforcement. Here are some of import steps to call back on how to reinforce a shipping container dwelling house.
Why Do You Need to Reinforce a Aircraft Container?
Aircraft containers tin concur tens of thousands of pounds and exist stacked 9 high. The structural strength of the container weakens when you start cutting out sections.
Containers come in varying lengths, with 20-foot, 30-foot, and 40-foot containers beingness the most popular. The top, lesser, and sides are made using sheets of corrugated steel that are welded to rails and end frames.
When modifying containers for housing, you need to cut sections of metal for doors, windows, and connecting multiple containers. Cutting steel from the sides or ends limits the strength of the container. The rails back up the load of additional containers when stacked but lose strength without the corrugated steel panels on the sides.
Framing Doors and Windows in Shipping Home Containers
No matter the size of the cut-out, you lot demand to reinforce the rest of the wall. The corrugated steel panels used for the sides and top of the containers are relatively thin and likely to bend without support.
Frame windows and doors using metal strips or flat steel bars. Weld a strip beneath and above the window or door. Fit a strip on each side of the cut-out between the upper and lower strips.
If the window or door spans the entire height of the container, add steel support beams that reach from the floor to the upper rail. Use 4×4 steel beams when adding vertical reinforcements.
Merging 2 or More than Shipping Containers for a Larger Dwelling house
The standard ISO shipping containers are viii feet wide and xx to twoscore feet long. A single container may simply offer 160 to 320 foursquare feet of living space, which is why most shipping container homes are made from multiple containers.
Merging containers involves more steps compared to reinforcing the opening for a door or window. The process also depends on whether you are placing two containers side by side or stacking them.
When placing containers side by side, you lot typically demand to remove the corrugated steel panels on the sides that face each other. This limits the structural integrity of the rails that run the length of the container. Steel beams may be needed to back up the upper rail where the 2 units run into.
The foundation must also be perfectly level before attempting to merge containers. If ane container is slightly higher, you may struggle to seal them together. Ever double-cheque to ensure that they align perfectly.
The corner posts on shipping containers besides create a gap when merging two next containers. To protect against leaks, you demand to seal the gap. Sealing 2 containers often involves installing rolled roof flashing on the interior, followed past a layer of roofing cement and exterior flashing.
Stacking Multiple Aircraft Containers for a Multi-Story Abode
When containers are stacked directly on tiptop of each other, the weight from the upper container is mostly transferred to the corner posts of the lower container. Aircraft containers are designed for stacking. However, if the lower container has cut-outs for windows or doors, the rails may need boosted reinforcement with 4×4 steel beams.
Steel beams are also needed when the stacked containers are starting time from each other. For instance, if the upper container partially rests on the lower container, steel beams should be welded directly below the corner posts of the upper container. This same process is used when stacking a shorter container on acme of a longer i, such every bit a 20-pes container on top of a 40-human foot container.
Reinforcing Underground Shipping Containers
If the container sits below ground, you lot should follow slightly different steps for reinforcing the container. Instead of adding support around a window or door frame, you need to support the entire container.
Aircraft containers are designed to hold tremendous weight but are not designed to withstand significant pressure on the summit and sides. The pressure from the soil may crusade the thin corrugated steel walls to plummet.
To reinforce surreptitious containers, weld steel posts vertically across both lengths of the interior. Infinite the beams two to 3 feet apart. Weld steel posts along the inner meridian of the container, aligning the upper posts with the side posts.
Tips for Welding Reinforcement Beams in a Container
While some contractors use wood frames to reinforce shipping container homes, steel offers more stability and can be welded directly to the existing structure. If yous have never welded metallic earlier, yous should do with a smaller project earlier potentially damaging your new home or yourself.
Basic welding is non overly complex but requires safety precautions. It involves the employ of strong electrical currents and extremely high temperatures. You also demand to wear protective gear.
Before welding, always clean the surfaces that y'all intend to weld with a wire brush to remove whatsoever dirt or rust. Yous may also want to pre-mountain the reinforcements past drilling holes for securing the beams or steel bars with screws. Without screws, you may need to erect temporary wood supports to concord the steel supports in place as you weld.
Start the welding process with tack welding, which involves calculation a few welds at each end to secure the reinforcements. Subsequently calculation a few welds to tack the beams in place, begin welding the seams.
Last Thoughts on Reinforcing Shipping Container Homes
When you cut squares and rectangles from a metal box, yous need to reinforce it with more metal. The amount of reinforcement depends on the amount that y'all cutting, where you lot cut it from, and where you lot plan on placing the box.
Cutting a window or door requires a metal frame consisting of iv steel bars welded to the wall. If yous plan on merging containers, you demand to ensure that they are sealed to forbid leaks. If the container is placed underground, it needs reinforcement on all sides.
Along with these steps, consider consulting with a professional person engineer or contractor who specializes in edifice shipping container homes. Proper engineering and construction help ensure that your new habitation remains structurally secure and habitable.
Gail Rose is a prolific home and construction freelancer writer with a focus on prefab homes, tiny homes, barndominiums, and aircraft container homes. Since 2017 Gail has been poring her eye and soul into writing virtually these homes and she is known in the manufacture equally the become-to person for writing nigh custom homes.
Source: https://containerhomehub.com/how-to-reinforce-a-shipping-container-home/
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