underground container?

[sandman2234]

I know the one I have wouldn't stand up under a couple feet of dirt, much less five feet of dirt. The roof is flat with ribs under it. However, I added a 4x6 in the center, bolted to the sides with another piece across the tops, basically like timbers in an underground mine from some of the old westerns, and it really strenghtened it a LOT! A single one in the middle of my 40 footer helped, just think what a couple would do in a twenty footer.
In my area, the ground water would make short life of a buried container, but in dryer areas, it might work, if done correctly.

David from jax

 

[sunshine coaster]

I would do it if I had to, would need drier ground though...
And why not use the container as the inside portion of a concrete form, pour 8" walls around it, make a slip form that is held up with the dirt in the trench...
ideas ideas

I own three 20 footer cans and have many years construction experience and could easily guarantee that the above would work with minimal effort, just send funds and I WILL show you how

 

[MarkV]

How about using a large septic tank or several together. They are made to be underground and if covered with foundation water proofing before burial should stay pretty dry.

MarkV

 

[acme97]

I have a little trouble digesting that. They stack those things 10 or more high on ships and they get all tweaked around. I would think you could put it 4 or 5 feet under and drive a tank over it.

I have a 40ft container. The reason they will collapse is because the walls are only thin steel (don't know the thickness). All the weight is supported by the frame. It's like a post and beam construction. Also, there is no post support along the length of the containers, only at the corners.

 

[JB4310]

I could almost guarantee mine would not crush under 5 feet of fill, maybe flex inward but not fail, no way. These things, at least the one I have are built like a brick soup can, heavy corrugated steel all around.

Mine you can jump on the top and get very little deflection, I thought they were all built like that, I wouldn't call it a shipping container if it had a plywood roof.

Don't know why you would want the top 5 feet under anyway.

JB

 

[BoFuller]

I could almost guarantee mine would not crush under 5 feet of fill, maybe flex inward but not fail, no way. These things, at least the one I have are built like a brick soup can, heavy corrugated steel all around.

Mine you can jump on the top and get very little deflection, I thought they were all built like that, I wouldn't call it a shipping container if it had a plywood roof.

Don't know why you would want the top 5 feet under anyway.

JB

Apparently there are different types as I'm with you, I would bet some bucks that mine would not crush. The thing is built like a tank. But I'll keep looking at options.

 

[BoFuller]

School bus is a lot stronger than you think. I am assuming the widows have to be plated or boarded over.

Think about the roof shape alone would be a lot more conducive to being buried.



When they are stacked all the weight is resting at the corners, nothing is on the roof or pushing in on the side walls.

I am not saying that they won't work but just throwing out some ideas for you. The dad of a friend of mine has three busses buried. I haven't seen them yet but it is on my short list of stuff to do.

This school bus idea - it seems like a lot of work also. Wouldn't you have to take out the engine, the fuel tank, the wheels, etc? I assume they strip it and just lower the shell in or would somebody actually drive it into the hole?

 

[bcp]

Double-stacked over-height containers meet a tunnel. They don.t look very strong.

 

[BoFuller]

Double-stacked over-height containers meet a tunnel. They don.t look very strong.

Don't know the details, but if you had a Abrahms tank sitting on top of a container and hit a solid rock overpass at 50 or 60 mph, I think the tank would be crushed also.
I'm not talking about a jet airliner landing on the container, just putting a couple feet of dirt on top.

 

[Duffster]

Double-stacked over-height containers meet a tunnel. They don.t look very strong.

Those look like semi trailers.

 

[Duffster]

This school bus idea - it seems like a lot of work also. Wouldn't you have to take out the engine, the fuel tank, the wheels, etc? I assume they strip it and just lower the shell in or would somebody actually drive it into the hole?

That I don't know. I can find out what my buddy's dad did if you like?

 

[hosspuller]

I have a little trouble digesting that. They stack those things 10 or more high on ships and they get all tweaked around. I would think you could put it 4 or 5 feet under and drive a tank over it.

The weight of the containers is carried by the corner posts. 5 feet of dirt by 20 by 8 feet is a lot of weight. say 200 pounds per ft cubed = 160000 pounds

Edited to add ... granite weighs 165 pounds per cubic foot, sandstone weighs 150 pounds So dirt may weigh about 125 pounds

So ... 5 feet of dirt over the container is 100,000 pounds... roof is no match for that...

 

[JB4310]

The weight of the containers is carried by the corner posts. 5 feet of dirt by 20 by 8 feet is a lot of weight. say 200 pounds per ft cubed = 160000 pounds

Edited to add ... granite weighs 165 pounds per cubic foot, sandstone weighs 150 pounds So dirt may weigh about 125 pounds

So ... 5 feet of dirt over the container is 100,000 pounds... roof is no match for that...

Concrete is ~150 # PQF so dirt is probably gonna be half that, plus what ever is over or near the sides is carried by the sides, not sure how to figure out how much weight would be towards the weakest part in the middle, but I can't see one built like mine caving in under 5 feet. Mine is close to 5,000 pounds empty, so it is not light duty. the continuous welded corrugated design is brutally strong.

I would like to see one put to this test, If I had to put money on it I would go with it not crushing, would I sleep in there? I don't know :laughing:

JB.

 

[johnrex62]

If I were putting money on it I too would bet against crushing, Collapsing is a very different story though. The walls and corners would very likely remain standing when the ceiling hits the floor.

 

[MNBobcat]

So far I've obtained 600 8x8x16 new concrete blocks off of craigslist and I have a total of $100 invested.

I'd recommend going block. I wouldn't trust anything less.

 

[FTG-05]

It can and has been done, as have been discussed here.

However, the youtube video posted in post #11 is an excellent example of the following point (already made in post #20, BTW):

By the time you mitigate all the weaknesses of burying a shipping container, you could have had a bigger and better underground structure or a same size structure for far less $$$ if you had just started with the appropriate materials to begin with. To whit: concrete (poured or blocks), steel, fiberglass or plastic tanks (designed for burial) or even culvert.

The buses that were buried in Canada were internally braced prior to several feet of concrete being poured on top of them, these braces were left until the concrete cured. The curved nature of the school bus tops gave the upper concrete structure (along with steel reinforcement) to carry the dead weight above. In other words, the buses only formed the shell/mold for the concrete, the buses don't carry any weight, nor could they.

 

[Taylortractornut]

I just did a job where a container a freind of mine buried crushed. He had a hole dug in a bank then set the container in it. Then s lightly backfilled with a small tractor and loader. THe sides caved in then the top, the tractor never got on top of the backfill.

I had to dig it up and drag it out for them. He had 1500 in the can before the incident. I agree with others a buss with work with the round top. I have a friend with 2 in the ground just blocked the body up and tarred the out side and put it in a banks tieh oak boards over the windows. Im building a storm and rood celler in the future with block walls and concrete top and bottom

 

[MaxxB]

SurvivalBlog.com

Shipping Container Building Engineering


I cannot find the exact link i'm thinking of from when years ago I was dreaming this idea up...but I do remember some engineers piping in and saying do NOT do it!

that aside, the first link above you can see that with proper side re-enforcement it seems possible....

 

[BoFuller]

Well, if I had some containers sitting around I might try it, but since I don't, I will go the route with block walls. When I get started I will be asking for help on the roof.

 

[toy]

Well, if I had some containers sitting around I might try it, but since I don't, I will go the route with block walls. When I get started I will be asking for help on the roof.

A friend of mine mother in laws house was flooded a few years back and to make sure it didn't happen again she had the home raised higher than enough to build a full size basement under it. When the masons laid the blocks they tied rebar from the footer [ and the footer was dug deep] and up through all the blocks. She then had all the blocks was filled with cement, I think that would keep the walls from buckling in, or just pour concrete walls all the way up. My front porch is high enough for a good sized room under it. I was lucky enough to be able to get railroad rails that had been used previously used in a secondary state road bridge. I placed them about 30 inches apart from end to end of the porch and poured about 8 to 10 inches of concrete over the top of them. I believe you could drive a tank across the porch and not cave it in. My front porch was poured over 30 years ago and there isn't a crack or a chip in the concrete, resealed the concrete this summer. These methods of building might be over kill for you but I know it will last. Hope you get the job done and it works out for you to your expectations.