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TwistlockWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Twistlock
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Atwistlockandcornercastingtogetherformastandardised
rotatingconnectorforsecuringshippingcontainers.Theprimary
usesareforlockingacontainerintoplaceoncontainership,
semitrailertruckorrailwaycontainertrainandforliftingofthe
containersbycontainercranesandsidelifters.

Contents
1Description
2Mechanism

Firstleveloftwistlocksona
containership

3Applications
4References

Description
ItwasdevelopedinSpokane,WashingtonbytransportengineerKeithTantlinger.[1]Therelative
obscurityofthisinventionbeliesitsimportancetoamoreefficientworldtradeandtransport,asthe
Tantlingerlockmadehandlingandstackingstandardcontainersmucheasier.
Thefemalepartoftheconnectoristhe77412in(180180110mm)cornercastingfittedtothe
containeritself,andwhichhasnomovingparts,onlyanovalholeinthebottom.Theholeisanoval
4.9in(124.5mm)onthelongaxiswithtwoflatsides2.5in(63.5mm)apart.Themalecomponentisthe
twistlock,whichisfittedtocranesandtransportbases.Thiscanbeinsertedthroughthehole(itis
roughly4.1inor104.1mmlongand2.2inor55.9mmwide),andthenthetopportion(normally
pointedtomakeinsertioneasier)isrotated90sothatitcannotbewithdrawn.Themechanismisthe
sameasthatofaKensingtonlock,butonamuchlargerscale.Themaximumsizeandpositionofthe
holesintheconnectorisdefinedininternationalstandardISO1161:1984.
Thetensilestrengthofatwistlockisratedateither20or25tonnes.[2]
Amajoradvantageofthisapproachtoattachmentisthatcontainers,whichmaybestoredortransported
withoutbeinginspectedformonthsatatime,donotrequireanymaintenanceinordertofunction
effectively.Evenwithlongtermexposuretotheweatherthecontainerremainsassimpletomoveas
ever.Onlywhencorrosionisveryextensive(totheextentofbeingeasilyvisiblebythemover)doesthe
twistlockbecomedangeroustomovethecrateby.Themalepartisplacedonvehiclesandequipment
thatareinspectedveryfrequentlyandwillworkwithallcontainerswhileworkingeffectively.

Mechanism

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Twistlock,unlockedposition.

Twistlockengagedwithshipping
container.

Twistlock,lockedposition.

TwistlocksonthedeckoftheMaersk
Majestic.

Applications

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Cornercastingona
shippingcontainer.The
twistlockproperisdone
throughalargerovalhole
onthebottom.

Twistlocksonthebase
ofacontainership.
Foreground:unlocked
background:locked.
Theturnbucklesare
"lashingrods"usedfor
additionalstability

Containers
canbejoined
vertically
usingthese
manually
operated
midlocks.

Thesemidlocksare
manuallyattachedtothe
uppercontainer,and
thenautomaticallylock
tothelowercontainer
whenstacked.

SpecialtypesoftwistlocksarealsousedinDoublestackrailtransporttosecurethelowerstack
containerwiththeupperone.

References

WikimediaCommonshas
mediarelatedtotwistlocks.

PeckandHale(2000)."ContainerStowageandSecuring
Systems"
(http://web.archive.org/web/20110715060948/http://www.peckhale.com/PDFs/LooseTwistlocks.p
df).WestSayville,NY:Peck&Hale.Retrieved20110301.
Levinson,Marc(2006).TheBox:HowtheShippingContainerMadetheWorldSmallerandthe
WorldEconomyBigger.Princeton,N.J:PrincetonUniversityPress.ISBN0691123241.
Nichols,C.ReidWilliams,RobertG.(November2008).EncyclopediaofMarineScience
(http://books.google.com/books?
id=0zD1tVXZrIcC&lpg=PT121&pg=PT119#v=onepage&q=twist&f=false).InfobasePublishing.
p.119.ISBN9780816050222.Retrieved8March2011.
1. ^"TheLivesTheyLived"(http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/22/magazine/thelivesthey
lived.html?WT.mc_id=GNDINYTMODMODM233aROS1211
PH&WT.mc_ev=click&WT.mc_c=152843#view=keith_w__tantlinger).TheNewYorkTimes.22December
2011.
2. ^AMaster'sGuidetoContainerSecuring
(http://www.lr.org/Images/AMastersGuidetoContainerSecuring_tcm155175167.pdf),Lloyd'sRegister,
London

Retrievedfrom"http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Twistlock&oldid=634783385"
Categories: Intermodalcontainers Portinfrastructure Locks(securitydevice)
Internationaltradestubs Transportstubs

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