Twist-lock

A twistlock or twist lock, together with matching corner castings, as defined in norms including ISO 1161:1984, form a standardized (rotating) connector system, for connecting and securing intermodal, and predominantly ISO-standard international shipping containers. The primary uses are to securely ''stack'' containers, for locking them into place on a container ship,Fluctus (14 Sep 2021) A day in life of a Container Ship in Middle of the Ocean
/ref> semi-trailer or rail carriage, and for lifting and handling by specific container-handling equipment, like straddle carriers, reach stackers, container-handling forklifts, sidelifters, and various types of container cranes.

Twist-locks also have to be used when stacking shorter than 40-foot containers, together with 40foot (12.2 m) and longer containers. Shorter than 40foot containers must be joined together horizontally with twist-locks, to form a rigid combined whole of 40foot length, to make them stackable and be able to support and be supported by an ISO standard 40- or 45foot container stacked underneath or above them. ISO standard 668 defines the exact lengths of all standard container sizes deliberately such that shorter containers, joined horizontally with the also standard size twistlocks, can always form longer, rigid units, that exactly match the length of longer containers, to make them stackable on the four outside, load-bearing corners of another longer container, or same-length unit-combination.To support being stacked interchangeably with 40foot containers, ISO standard ''45foot'' or other overlength containers are required to integrate a ''second set'' of four strong vertical (steel) columns (similar to corner posts) at the 40foot length, symmetrically manufactured into them, (2½ foot / 76 cm) inwards from their outside corners.

Description

The twistlock was developed in Spokane, Washington in the 1950s by transport engineer Keith Tantlinger. The relative obscurity of this invention belies its importance to a more efficient world trade and transport, as the Tantlinger lock made handling and stacking standard containers much easier. Tantlinger later released his patent royalty-free, which enabled the twist-lock to become an industry and international standard.

A major advantage of this approach to attachment is that containers, which may be stored or transported without being inspected for months at a time, do not require any maintenance in order to function effectively. Even with long term exposure to the weather the container remains as simple to move as ever. Only when corrosion is very extensive (to the extent of being easily visible) does the twistlock become dangerous to move the crate. The male part (which is more exposed and susceptible to damage) is placed on vehicles and equipment that are inspected very frequently, and will work with all standard containers.

Mechanism

The female part of the connector is the corner casting, which forms each of the eight corners, welded to the container itself, and has no moving parts, only an oval hole in the tops of the four upper corners, and in the bottom of the four lower corners. The hole is an oval on the long axis with two flat sides apart. The male component is the twistlock, which is fitted to cranes and transport bases. This can be inserted through the hole (it is roughly long and wide), and then the top portion (normally pointed to make insertion easier) is rotated 90°, so that it cannot be withdrawn. The mechanism is similar to that of a Kensington lock, but of a much larger size. The maximum size and position of the holes in the connector defined in the original patent and is now defined in international standard ISO 1161:2016. The tensile strength of a twistlock is rated at either 20 or 25 tonnes.
A Master's Guide to Container Securing
', Lloyd's Register, London

Some twistlocks have built-in levers or mechanisms, while simpler versions require tools for installation or removal. Some twistlocks are permanently installed (e.g. on the decks of container ships or on the beds of semi-trailers), while others are temporarily installed and removed as needed, for instance to stack containers securely on ships, or in storage yards.

File:Automatic twistlock.jpg, Mid-locks are manually attached to the bottom corners of an upper container, and will automatically lock into the top corners of the lower container when stacked.
File:Container twistlock.JPG, Closeup of twistlock at Maritime Museum of Finland
File:Container Verriegelung 1.jpg, High-quality retractable twistlock
File:Container lashed.jpg, Twistlock engaged with shipping container at sea
File:JR貨物関連 = コンテナ制限表記マーキング 6158 (cropped).jpg, Close-up of ISO standard container bottom corner casting. Twistlocks engage through a large oval hole on the bottom
File:Container 【 22G1 】 WTPU 010097(1)---No,1 【 Pictures taken in Japan 】.jpg, Standard 20-foot ISO shipping container with standard corner castings on each of its eight corners.

Applications

Special types of twistlocks are also used in double-stack rail transport to secure the lower stack container with the upper one.

File:Containerverriegelung.JPG, Rusty twistlock on a semi-trailer
File:Container on trailer with twistlocked.jpg, Twistlock attachment to a trailer (Japan)
File:First level of twistlocks on a containership deck.jpg, First level of twistlocks on the deck of a container ship
File:Twistlock and lashing rods.jpg, Twistlocks on deck of container ship. Foreground: unlocked; background: locked. The turnbuckles are "lashing rods" used for shoring
File:Container lock----6031【 Pictures taken in Japan 】.jpg, Loosely stacked tank containers, ''without'' twistlocks to tie their corners together, illustrating how easily the top one might shift off the bottom one
File:Container handling 6274 【 Pictures taken in Japan 】.jpg, Skystacker attaching to just ''two'' top corner castings on one side of 20-foot container
File:NZ Defence Force assistance to OP Rena - Flickr - NZ Defence Force (19).jpg, Grounded container ship, the off New Zealand, 5 October 2011. Some of the bottom containers collapsed, but many twistlocks ''held'', resulting in the cargo stacks falling over.

Notes

References

Bibliography

*
*
*
*

{{Intermodal containers

Intermodal containers
Port infrastructure
Locks (security device)