Internal Structure of Container Houses

The internal structure of container houses mainly includes three aspects: overall structure and layout, internal facilities, and structural calculation and safety.

Overall Structure and Layout

Container houses use containers as basic structural modules, which are transformed into habitable or office building forms. They adopt a modular design, with the container as the basic unit, which can be used independently or combined horizontally and vertically to form spacious living spaces. Based on a standard steel chassis, various combined spaces can be derived, such as conference rooms, dormitories, kitchens, and bathrooms, to meet different functional requirements.

Internal Facilities

Container houses can be equipped with various facilities internally to enhance the comfort and convenience of living or working. Common facilities include door locks to ensure the security of the house; floors to provide stable ground support; oversized glass to increase natural light and views; and air conditioners to regulate indoor temperature and create a comfortable indoor environment. Additionally, home renovations can be carried out according to needs, such as installing lights and furniture, to make container houses more personalized.

Structural Calculation and Safety

• Bottom Floor Structure: The bottom floor is the main load-bearing surface, bearing live loads from personnel activities, furniture, and equipment. The calculation objects include the bottom main beams, secondary beams, and floor panels. Secondary beams are calculated according to a simply supported beam model, requiring verification of bending strength, shear strength, and deflection deformation; main beams are checked for overall stress according to a continuous beam model. The core verification indicators include that the maximum bending stress and shear stress of the floor main beams do not exceed the design strength of Q235 steel; the maximum floor deflection is ≤ L/250 to ensure the floor is flat without significant sinking or shaking. For multi-story and large-span container houses, the spacing of secondary beams needs to be increased, and the cross-section of main beams needs to be enlarged to avoid floor deformation and cracking after long-term use.
• Column and Side Wall Structure: The four corner columns are the vertical core load-bearing components, bearing roof loads, upper-level stacking loads, and wall self-weight. The main verification items for columns include axial compressive strength, stability, and slenderness ratio to prevent column buckling instability. The side wall enclosure structure mainly bears wind loads and requires verification of the bending and wind pressure resistance of the wall frame and wall panels to ensure that the walls do not bulge, deform, or leak in windy weather. For container houses with windows or doors, the opening positions weaken the structural stiffness, requiring the addition of opening reinforcement frames and vertical reinforcement bars, as well as local reinforcement verification to ensure that the structural strength at the opening positions is not lower than the standard of complete walls.
• Roof Structure: The roof bears self-weight, snow accumulation, maintenance live loads, and wind suction negative pressure loads. The forces on the roof purlins, roof main beams, and roof panels need to be calculated. The focus is on verifying the bending bearing capacity of the roof under snow accumulation conditions to prevent roof collapse due to snow accumulation; at the same time, verifying the wind negative pressure conditions to avoid the roof being lifted or torn by strong winds. Roof deflection needs to be strictly controlled to ensure stable drainage slopes and no water accumulation or deformation problems.
• Overall Stability and Foundation Connection: Overall stability verification includes anti-overturning and anti-sliding calculations. For open-air and unobstructed scenarios, the overturning moment and sliding moment of the container house under wind loads are calculated, and stability requirements are met through counterweights, anchor bolts, and foundation anchoring. Foundation connections require verification of the tensile and shear bearing capacities of anchor bolts to ensure a firm connection between the container house and the foundation, preventing problems under strong wind or earthquake conditions.