intermediate bulk container
Enable an AI agent to recognise an intermediate bulk container, assess its containment and handling state, and identify evidence needed before filling, moving, discharging or reusing it.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
6 bundles · 11 layers · 19 findings · 29 questions
IBC identity and assembly Establishes what qualifies this packaging as an IBC and which components comprise it.
Classification boundary
Separates the IBC kind from adjacent packaging kinds and narrower construction families.
IBC classification evidence
Record evidence for the IBC designation instead of inferring it from shape or capacity.
- What manufacturer designation or applicable classification identifies this packaging as an IBC? definition
- What distinguishes it from a portable tank, drum or freight container, and does the flexible IBC model also apply? boundary
Assembly composition
Identifies containment, support and handling components belonging to the assembly.
Component identity and substitution
Treat the body, base, frame and fitted components as an identified combination where applicable.
- Which receptacle, liner, frame, base and closures belong to the identified design? boundary
- What records establish whether any replacement component is suitable for this assembly? provenance
Contents and containment Connects proposed contents and filling conditions to the containment system.
Fill envelope
Distinguishes available volume from permissible contents mass and filling conditions.
Allowable fill
Record volume and mass limits separately and relate both to the intended contents.
- What are the rated volume, tare mass and maximum permissible gross mass for this assembly? measurement
- Given contents density, temperature and any required filling allowance, what fill is supported by the applicable instructions? action
Wetted materials and barriers
Examines every contents-contacting material and relevant prior exposure.
Compatibility and residue
Assess the receptacle, liner, seals and outlet against contents and previous service.
- What compatibility evidence covers all wetted materials at the proposed concentration, temperature and contact duration? provenance
- Do previous contents, residues or cleaning agents prevent the proposed use? action
Handling and load support Describes how the loaded packaging can be lifted, supported, stacked and restrained.
Lifting interfaces
Relates permitted handling methods to the construction and condition of the assembly.
Supported lifting method
Identify intended lifting interfaces and restrictions for the actual loaded configuration.
- Which fork entries, lifting points or other interfaces are intended for handling this IBC? definition
- What load, orientation and equipment restrictions govern lifting, and are the required interfaces intact? action
Stacking and restraint
Captures the conditions under which external loads and movement can be resisted.
Stacking eligibility
Record documented stacking and restraint conditions without deriving them from apparent stackability.
- What stacking load and configuration are declared, and do they apply during storage, transport or both? measurement
- What support surface and restraint arrangement are required for the intended placement or movement? action
Filling, sealing and discharge Models the interfaces and transitions through which contents enter, remain contained and leave.
Openings and closures
Identifies openings, seals and closure instructions for the actual construction.
Closure integrity
Make closure configuration and verified sealing state explicit.
- Which filling openings, outlets, caps, gaskets and protective closures are present? definition
- What assembly instructions and checks establish that each opening is properly closed for the intended service? action
Transfer conditions
Connects transfer equipment and methods to the container's documented operating limits.
Discharge and pressure control
Establish the supported transfer method and any pressure, vacuum or venting constraints.
- What connections and filling or discharge methods does the design support? definition
- What instructions govern venting and pressure or vacuum exposure during transfer? action
Service evidence and reuse Connects markings, condition and service history to continued-use decisions.
Markings and qualification
Relates identification and qualification records to a specified service context.
Service eligibility evidence
Interpret markings and records within their documented design and use scope.
- Which markings and records identify the manufacturer, design, production date and any relevant approval? provenance
- Which requirements apply to the intended contents, jurisdiction and transport mode, and what evidence demonstrates compliance? action
Condition and return to service
Assesses defects, prior interventions and evidence needed before reuse.
Inspection and reuse disposition
Connect observed damage and maintenance history to a supported service decision.
- What leakage, cracking, corrosion, deformation, abrasion or component damage is present for this construction? measurement
- What inspection, testing, cleaning or repair evidence is required before this assembly can return to its proposed service? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Check these first
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these check these first hold for the sense of intermediate bulk container this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Kinds and varieties
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of intermediate bulk container this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of intermediate bulk container this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of intermediate bulk container this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of intermediate bulk container this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of intermediate bulk container this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of intermediate bulk container this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of intermediate bulk container this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of intermediate bulk container this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.OBJ
What it is Filled
An intermediate bulk container (IBC) is a rigid or flexible portable packaging designed for mechanical handling and the transport or storage of bulk liquids, pastes or solids, with capacity and construction limits depending on its type and intended service.
In scope
- IBC identity, construction family and assembly boundaries
- Capacity, dimensions, mass and declared load limits
- Containment materials, closures, outlets and contents compatibility
- Mechanical handling, stacking, filling and discharge interfaces
- Condition, service history, inspection evidence and use restrictions
Out of scope
- Detailed flexible intermediate bulk container construction and lifting-loop requirements, owned by the narrower model
- The identity, hazards and quality of the substance carried
- Forklifts, filling equipment and external discharge systems
- Freight containers, portable tanks, drums and fixed storage vessels as neighbouring packaging or equipment kinds
- Shipment routing and facility operations beyond constraints imposed by the IBC
Why it exists Filled
Enable an AI agent to recognise an intermediate bulk container, assess its containment and handling state, and identify evidence needed before filling, moving, discharging or reusing it.
Distinguishing features Filled
- It functions as bulk packaging with provision for mechanical handling; appearance or volume alone does not establish IBC identity.
- Its containment body and associated handling or support components form an identifiable packaging assembly, rather than merely a vessel placed on an unrelated pallet.
- A cage around a plastic bottle identifies one possible construction, not the entire IBC kind; the model must also accommodate other rigid and flexible constructions.
- Classification evidence must distinguish it from a portable tank, drum or freight container when intended service and physical features overlap.
- A flexible intermediate bulk container is a narrower construction family within this scope, not a synonym for all IBCs.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Fill an IBC with a substance it is not approved or compatible with.
- Ship dangerous goods in an IBC whose periodic inspection or test has lapsed.
- Reuse an IBC that held hazardous goods for food, drinking water or animal feed without proper cleaning and approval.
- Stack or lift IBCs beyond their rated load.
Only with a human decision
- Approving an IBC for dangerous goods transport.
- Disposing of an IBC that held hazardous residues.
May
- Inspect an IBC for damage, markings and test dates before filling or transport.
- Record contents, fill level and handling history for the operator.
Moral aspects Filled
- Leaks of hazardous contents harm workers, bystanders and the environment.
- Reused containers are a known route of contaminating water and food.
Who is affected
- Handlers and drivers
- People near spills
- Water users
Owners Filled
Steward
The operator who fills and ships it; the maker answers for its design approval.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q1180158 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.intermediate-bulk-container
- Wikidata: Q1666214 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1666214)
Direct properties required Filled
- Construction family: Rigid, composite or flexible; material and manufacturer designation recorded separately
- Rated capacity: L or m³, with distinction between nominal, measured and permitted filling volume
- Assembly dimensions: Length × width × height in mm, with configuration stated
- Tare mass and maximum permissible gross mass: kg, each with its evidence source
- Containment and support components: Body, inner receptacle or liner, frame, base, closures and outlets where present
- Contents compatibility: Material or substance linked to wetted components, service conditions and supporting evidence
- Handling and stacking limits: Declared load in kg or N, applicable configuration and handling method
- Closure and discharge configuration: Opening types, connection dimensions, seal materials, valve type and vent arrangement where present
- Service condition: Unassessed, serviceable for specified use, restricted, quarantined or retired
- Qualification and inspection evidence: Applicable design records, markings, inspection or test reports, dates and service scope
Recognition required Filled
- Often a cube-shaped plastic tank in a metal cage on a pallet, with a top lid and bottom valve.
- A marking plate showing the approval code, maker and test dates.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Identify the construction family and determine whether a narrower model applies.
- Assess a proposed fill against capacity, mass limits, compatibility evidence and prior contents.
- Select a supported lifting, movement or stacking method.
- Match filling and discharge equipment to the actual openings and operating limits.
- Inspect and quarantine an assembly with unresolved containment or structural defects.
- Determine whether cleaning, component replacement, reuse or retirement is supported by the service record.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Valve or tank failure spills contents.
- UV and chemical attack weaken plastic tanks over time.
- Overstacked containers can collapse.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, Model Regulations, United Nations.
- European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR), United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
Context of use required Filled
- Intermediate bulk containers are used in manufacturing, agriculture, warehousing and freight transport to hold bulk materials in mechanically handled units.
- They support storage and transfer between production processes, with container construction and service approval determining compatibility with particular contents.
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q1666214: intermediate bulk container - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Intermediate bulk container - general description of the item
Open questions
- Does the existing Vercy catalogue already contain an authoritative IBC model to which this registry entry should link?
- Which authoritative definitions establish the boundary between IBCs, large packagings and portable tanks across relevant service contexts?
- Which capacity ranges, dimensions and construction families can be documented without treating the common caged plastic design as universal?
- Which issuing bodies and current standards govern design qualification, markings, inspection intervals and reuse for each intended jurisdiction and transport mode?
- Which requirements should be inherited by the separately registered flexible intermediate bulk container model, and which require construction-specific findings there?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q1666214/spec.json