CA1167004A

CA1167004A - Cradle for transporting an engine or like equipment

Info

Publication number: CA1167004A
Application number: CA000330441A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Kenneth G. Rodgers
Original assignee: Anglia Export Packing Ltd
Current assignee: Anglia Export Packing Ltd
Priority date: 1978-06-30
Filing date: 1979-06-22
Publication date: 1984-05-08
Also published as: ES244136U; FR2436081A1; AT368745B; FR2436081B1; DE2926120A1; ES244136Y; IT1125413B; ATA450479A; IT7923988A0

Abstract

ABSTRACT

A cradle for carrying an article of engineering equipment, in particular an internal combustion engine, includes at least two generally parallel laterally-extending bearers and at least two longitudinally-extending connection members. At least that portion of each bearer which engages the article in use is made of a high-density high-strength compressible cushioning material constituted by a plurality of laminated-together multi-wall boards.
The said portion of the bearer has two generally upwardly extending edges which in part define a space within which the article to be carried by the cradle is supported, each of the edges making an angle in the range 90 to 125 degrees to the horizontal in the horizontal position of the cradle.

Description

~;7~4 IhiB in~ention relate6 to a cradle for supporting an engine such as an internal combustion engine, or for supporting like equipment.

Engines are packaged for transport and export, and in the past it has been necessary to build a particular desi~n of cradle for each size and type of engine. Such cradles were often o wood and sometimes o~ metal. Exampleæ are illustrated in the drawings accompanying this Specification. Ihe multiplicit~y of sizes nnd types of engines and like equipment made by manufacturers has given rise to the need for a large number of different designs and sizes of cradle~ It ha6 therefore been necessary for firms in the business of mechanical equipment and engine packaging to ca~ry a large stock of each of a large number of types of c~adle. ThlS
means that expensive storage space is taken up storing cradles and an undesirably large amount of capital i6 tied up in the cradles.
It wou~d meet a need in the industry if a multi-pwrpose cradle was available.

Ihere have been various prior proposals relating to the oonstruction of oradles. For example, there have been the proposals in British Patent Specifications Mos.847 o3G, 1 159 194, 1 268 752, 1 360 784 and 1 409 559. Patent No. 847 o36 shows a pallet of simple design which would be 6uitable for carrying flat objects but would not be satisfactory for carrying engineering parts of a complex shape, such as engines. In addition, it has no provision for cushioning the article being carried, and would not solve the problem to which the present inventlon addre6ses itself.
, Patents ~08. 1 268 752 and 1 409 559 show pallets for carrying articles such as barrels or ~egs. The bearers have conca~e recesse~ therein but these would be quite unsuitable ' .

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for supporting a variety of different-sized engineering p2rts, as different pallets would be required for different-sized barrels.
Neither of the~e patents solveæ the problem faced by the present inventor~

Patent ~o. 1 360 784 discloses a simple pallet, remini~cent of Patent ~o. 847 o36 but especially de~igned for carrying corrugated sheets. It bears no real resemblance to the cradle which is the sub~ect of this Specification and would not solve the problem to which the present invention i8 addres~ed.

Patent ~o. 427 212 shows a box or case specially constructed to carry electrical dynamos. Cross bearers in the box have truncat0d ~ee-notches padded on each side with a rubber layer. While the rubber will deform to provide some cushioning effect, the box shown by ~his patent is not analagous to a cradle for enginsering parts and a shipper would be obliged to stock many boxes of different ~izes for different items su¢h as different-sized vehicle engines.
In addition the cushioning effect provided by the thln rubber strips in Patent 427 212 is limited and contrasts with the sub~tantial ~ettling movement" permitted to an engine carried in a cradle in accordan¢e with this invention. ~he box shown in Patent No.
427 212 does not repreaent a solution to the problem which is the concern of the present invention.

Patent No. 1 159 194 discloses a pallet for carrying tomatoes, and which may be made of polystyrene. Its design is such that it can be made in a single moulding operation and a plastic~ material is chosen 80 that the pallet i~ cheap enough to be d;~posable.
A pallet of this kind offers no solution to the problem of the safe tran~port of heavy and valuable engineering items of different sizes.

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According to the pre~ent invention, there is provided a cxadle for carrying an article of engineering equipment, inoluding at least two generally parallel laterally-extending bearers and at least two longitudinally-extending connection members, in which at least that portion of each bearer which engages the article in use is made of a high-density high-strength compressi~le cushioning material constituted by a plurality of lam-inat~d-together multi-wall boards as herein defined, the said portio~ of the bearer having two generally upwardly e~tending edges which in part define a space within which the article to be carried by the cradle is supported, each of the eages maXing an angle in the range 90 to 125 degrees to the horizontal in the horizontal position of the cradle.

~ccording to one advantageous embodiment of the invention, there is provided a cradle including at least two generally parallel laterally-exter.'ing beai- rs and at lea~t two longitudin'ally extending connection members, in which each of the bearers is made of a high-density high-strength compressible cushioning'material and has two generally upwardly-extending edges which in part define a spaoe within which the equipment to be carried in the cradle is accommodated, each of the edges making an angle in the range 90 to 120 deOEees to the horizontal ln the normal horizontal position of the cradle.

In this Specification, by high density high strength compressible cushioning material is meant a material such as multi-wall board (compressed normal to its edge) which compresses to a limited extent under an applied load, and the performance characteristic of compression versus applied load is substantially equivalent to that of multi-wall board compressed normal to its 30 edge.

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' ~16~004 In tllis Specification the phra~o multi-wall board iE used to mean a laminate of corrugated paper and heavy paper or cardboard consisting of at least 3 layers of ~he latter 6andwiching at least two layers of corrugated paper, the layers being secured -together by adheæive. A l~L~inate including 4 laye-rs of heavy paper or cardboard and 3 layers of corrugated paper wovld be equally suitaDlq.
O~e example of a suitable multi-wail board is that known as qRI-~AIL *
marketed by ~ri-Wall Containers T;mited of London~ Wl~ 5~A.
Another example of multi-wall board is sho~m in ~ritish Patent S~ecification No~ 492 9j4 wherein strips of Guch material are usea as bu~fer strips in the packing of radios, etc~, in cardboard or like boxes. It is noted that the load bearing surface is the faca rather~than the edge of the mvlti-~all boa-rd in this patellt. A
similar comment applies to the cellular pacXaging structvre sho~n ~ in British Patent No. 1 287 481.

A preferred range of angle~ for the edges to make ~ith the horizontal is the range 00 to 120 degrees.
, Each bearer may be made of at least fov~ multi-~all boards adhesively lami~ated together. ~ach bearer may be reinforced by one or more additional mvlti-~1all boards laminated to either or _ both faces thereof.

The connection members may also be made of laminated multi-wzll board.
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The bearers may be generally rectangular in shape modified in that each has a cut-out to receive a connection me~ber on each ~ide, and an engine-receiving cut-out in part defined by the saia edges. Each such edge may define one side of an upstanding post forming a part of the bearer. An outer edge of one of the posts iB prefera'Dly inclined to the vertical in the normal position o~
the cradle.

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~'he invention alao provides oradles constructed according to the foregoing principles and capable of receiving and carrying two, or three, or four~ or any reasonable number of engineæ.

By the provifiion of bearers which are made at least partly of multi-wall board, and by the location Or edges thereof at a specified range of angles to the horizo~tall it is possible to a¢commodate a wide varie$y of engine sizes and types in a single oradle. The parts of the inclined edges upon which the engine bears are compressed in use by the weight of the engine which consequently ainks into a relatively secure and stable position on the cradle. It may be secured thereto by strapping or by shrink-wrapping or in any other cor.venient way. ~y the use of multi-wall board, the likelihood of damage to the engine is reduced.

According to another advantageous embodiment of the invention, there is provided a cradle inclu~ling at least two generally parallel late~ally extending bearers and at least two longitudinally extend-ing connection members, in which each of the bearers is constructed to define a pocket and the pocket is constructed for containing an approximately ~-shaped pad of high density high strength cushioning material as herein defined.

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~ccording to yet another advantageous embodiment cf the invention, there is provided a bearer for use in conatructing an equipment-car ying cradle, the bearer compri~ing a pair of spaced posts extending upwardly from a base member, the posts and the base member having contiguous recesses which constitute a reotangular 8pa¢e for reoeiving a pad of high denæity high ~trength cushioning material.

Each pad is preferably constructed 80 that it derines a reoess for receiving an engine or other article of equipment;
the recess is preferably bounded by two inclined surraces and a flat bottom wall. Each of the inclined wall~ may be inclined at an angle in the range 95 to 125 degrees.

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E~ch pad may be made of at 10ast four and preferably five multi-wall boards laminated together.

The bearers may be constructed of wood or plastics material and may have recesses cut into their outer lateral walls; these recesses are of such a size and shape to receive the longitudinal con~ection members as a snug push fit therein. This manner of construction is particularly advantageous in a case where the connection members are also made of multi-wall boards laminated together and having the planes of lamination vertical. They are then retained securely in the recesses by the frictional force between the edge~ of the multi-wall boards and the upper and lower walls of the reoesses.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, there is provided a cradle including at least two ~5 gererally parallel laterally extending bearers and at least two longitudinally extending connection members, in which each of the bearers is constructed of synthetic plastics material to define a po¢ket and the pocket iB oonstructed for containing an approximately ~-shaped pad of high density high strength cushioning material as herein defined. Each bearer may be injection mo~lded.
-Al~o a¢cording to this embodiment of the invention, there is provided a bearer for use in constructing an equipment-carrying cradle~ the bearer of synthetic plastics material and including a pair of spaced posts extending upwardly fxom a base member, the posts and the base member having contiguous recesses which constitute a rectangular space for receiving a pad of high density high strength cushioning material.

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In this Specification, while reference is fre~uently made to an engine being carried by the cradle, it will be understood that the cradles according to the invention could equally well be useful in carrying other equipmen-t.

Ihe in~ention will be better understood from the following particular description given with reference to the accompanying drawings in which :-Fi~ure 1 i8 an exploded perspective view of one form of metalengine cradle according to the prior art;

Figures 2 and ~ are perspective views of forms of wooden engine cradle according to the prior art;

F~ures 4 and 5 show typical items of metal hardwa-~e which it i8 necessary to keep in stock to use with various englne cradles according to the prior art;

FiRure 6 is a perspeotive view of one example of en~ine cradle according to the present invention;

Fi~ure 7 is an end view of a bearer used in the cradle shown in ~igure 6;

Fi~ure 8 is a perspective view of a presently-preferred example of engine cradle according to the invention, and Figure 8A diagrammatically shows a bearer thereof carrying an engine;

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Fi~ure 2 is an end ~iew of a bearer used in the o~adle shown in Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of a cradle for two end-to-end engines, according to the invention;

is a perspective view of a cradle for two ~ide-by-side engines according to the invention;

i6 a perspective view of a cradle for four side-by-side engines, according to the invention;

Fi~ure 13 is a perspective view of a pallet made from multi-wall board ~Ihich could be used with a cl^dle according to Figure 12;

Fi~ure 14~is an exploded view of a twin-unit module, that iB
to ~ay~ an assembly including two cradles in accord-ance with the engine and a hollow box-like ~pacing support also made from multi-wall board;

FiFure 15 show~ one example of a bearer for use in the Figure 11 example of the invention;

Fi~ure 16 i8 a perspective view of an example of a bearer according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention;

FiRure 17 i~ a perspective view of a pad made from multi-wall board, and intended for insertion in the pocket of the bearer of Figure 16;

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FiRure 18 is a perspective view of one example of bearer aocording to the invention, showing a pad about to be inæerted therein;

~8~ is a front view of the bearer of Figure 18;

Figure 20 i8 an end view of the bearer shown in Figure 19;

Fi~ure 21 is a cross-section on the line A A in Fiv~ure 19; and Figure 22 is a section on line ~-~ of Figure 19 on a somewhat enlarged scale, and showing a sliehtly modified construction.

~he prior art engine cradle shown in Figure 1 has met31 (usv~lly ~teel) cross-support 10 which are welded or bolted to metal longitudinal supports 12. ~hese have a number of holes 14 into whi~h fit support posts 16. Although they are not shown in Figure 1, each post usually has a plastics cap thereon to prevent damage to ~ the paint or structure of the engine being carried. It will be reali~ed that for different sizes and shapes of engine, posts 16 Or difPerent ~ize and shape will be needed. Also, the positioning of the holes 14 may not be ideal from viewpoint of providing balanced support. qhe centre of gravity of the resulting package is high.

The prior art woodqn engine cr~dle shown in Fi~ure 2 is made from timber and includes four upstanding posts 20 whose lower ends are located between cross members 22 and above cross members 23 and are adjacent to longitudinal runners 24. The timber member6 are secured together by nailing or bolting. Straps such as the straps 26 and 28 shown in Figures 4 and 5, and coach screws or nuts and bolts, may be used to fix the engine to the cradle.

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P'igure 3 shows another example of a timber cradle. It is generally similar to the cradle shown in Fi~ure 2 except that one of the vertical posts 25 has its outer corner chamfered off to provide an inclined surface 27. This is done to avoid that particular post fo~ling a part of a partioular engine when that type of engine is placed on the cradle. It will be realised that engines of different ~ize and shape will require different cradles to be constructed to accommodate them, and different hardware to secure them to such cradles. ~he increasing cost of timber and the high co~t of æemi-s~illed and skilled labour means that it i8 les6 attractive to the busines$man to construct and store a large number of different timber cradles.

~ An example of a cradle according to the invention is shown in Figure 6. The illustrated ¢radle has two generally parallel cross bearers 32, 34 each made of a plurality of multi-wall boards laminated together and a 1 located with their major planes substantially vertical. As shown, six multi-wall boards are laminated together, but fewer or more boards could be ued for ea¢h bearer. lhe two bearers 32, 34 each have a pai~ of re¢esses cut out from their vertical sides, to receive longitudinal connection members 36 and 38. ~hese are also preferably of - multi-wall board, but need not necessarily be of this material as members 36 and 38 of wood or metal could be used if desired.
kn advantage of using members 36 and 38 of multi-wall board is that the edge-to-edge contact between the layers of the bearer 32 and those of the member 36 gives a high friction engagement, and if the recess i8 made so that the member 36 i8 a tight push fit therein, then no other securing means is needed. lhe same is true at the joints at the other three corners. It will be realised that this method of connection gives rise to a very simple manner of assembly of an engine cradle, and the spacing between the transverse bearers 32 and 34 can be adjusted as desired. Consequently one design of ¢radle is able to accept engines of different lengths and the quantity of ancillary parts that must be kept in store (and classified) is reduced to zero.
~he arrangement Or each piece of multi-wall board with the plane .

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of its lamination~ vertical (in the normal position Or use of the oradle) gives good strength properties, bearing in mind that the load applied to the cradle i8 usually applied in a vertically downward direction.

Figure 7 is an end view of one of the bearers 32 and typical dimensions are given by way of example. The invention i8 however not regarded as limited to these particular dimensions.

a = approximately 150 millimetres b = " 250 "
c = " 219 "
d = " 50 "
e = " 75 "
f = n 94 ~
g = " 50 "
h = " 55 "

Each multi-wall board can be a double-wall board or a triple-wall board or a quadruple-wall board, or other type of board as desired. ~owever, in laminating a bearer for use in the present invention it will usually be preferabie to use say 4 or 5 triple-wall boards, or 6 to 8 double-wall boards, or an equivalent number of other types of multi-wall board laminated together! For avoidance of dou~t, it should be explained that a double-wall board is a board having three substantially flat layers of heavy paper or thin cardboard between the first and second of which, and between the ~econd and third of which i~ sandwiched a layer of corrugated paper, the assembly being adhesively secured together. Likewise a triple-wall board has 4 flat layers interleaved with 3 corrugated layer~.

~1~7 a.

Figure 8 illustrates a preferred version of the invention, in which a cradle for an engine has longitudinal connection member~
40 and 42 extending between tran~verse bearers 44 and 46. All these parts are of multi-wall board. Each bearer i~ formed by upstanding posts 48 and 50 having edges 52 and 54 inclined to the verticalt and a cross-piece 56, on either side of which i8 secured a reinforcing multi-wall board 58. ~I!he outer top corner of each post i~ chamfered off to give an inclined surface 60. ~ use, the engine rests in the recesee~ defined by the top surface 56 and the inclined surfaces 52 and 54. Engines of different width~ can be received in one single design of bearer, becau3e the lower corners Or the engine contact the edges 52 and 54 and the multi-wall boaxd is~ compressed to a limited extent at the area of contact. q~his is illu~trated in Figure 8A which shotrs an engine 62 resting with its bottom edges 64 and 66 having compressed the adjacent regions of mul~i-wall board. ~his has been surprisingly found to give a secure and stable support when the engine is either strapped or shriDk-wrapped to the cradle.

me configuration of one example of bearer is seen from Figure 9. The distan¢e x may be from 178 to 252 millimetres, as - this has been found useful to make the bearer compatible with a wlde ~rariety of present-day commercial engines~ and the angle~ a and b are preferably equal and each may be in the range 90 to 120 degrees. ~he preferred range is 100 to 113 degrees and an especially optimam range i~ 105 to 110 degrees. me lines 70 show the configuration with ~ angle of 105 degrees and the lines 72 show it with an angle of 100 degrees. ~he bearer 56 as illustrated consists of 4 layers of triple-wall board and each re~nrorcing panel 58 consists of one 1;riple-wall board. ~he 30 panels 58 may be omitted in which case 5 or 6 layers of triple-wall board may be u~ed for the bearer 56. As mentioned, high den~ity poly~trene or material of like properties may equally well be used for the bearers instead of multi-wall board.

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~1~i7~(~4 3, Figure 10 illustrates an engine cradle having four multi-wall board bearers 80, 82, 84, 86 and two multi-wall board longitudinal connection members 88 and 90. me connections therebetween are receæ~ and push-fit connections as already described in detail.
m is cradle i8 for two engines arranged end-to-end and both~
and the cradle, may be oovered with a single shrink wrapping.

Figure 11 illustrates an engine cxadle in which two multi-w~l board bearers ~8, 100 each have a square hole centrally therein through which extends a longitudinal connection member 102. Outer longitudinal connection members 104 and 105 are also provided. All the parts 98-106 are of multi-wall board. This cradle takes two side-by-side engines.

Figure 12 is another example of a cradle suitable for four ~ide-by-side engines. ~he principles of design are th~ same a~
previously described.

Figure 13 shows a pallet ba~e suitable for use with the Figure 13 cradle~ the base 110 also being made of multi-wall board and consisting of 5 longitudinal beams 112, three tran~vexse beams ~ 114, a sheet 116 and two longitudinal supports 118 which engage in the recesses 120 shown in Figure 13 when the cradle and pallet are assembled together. ~he principal plane of the mNlti-wall board in parts 112 and 114 is vertical, whereas in parts 116 and 118 it iB horizontal. Alternatively, instead of making all the pallet base 110 of multi-wall board it may be preferable for 2~ reason~ of strength to make the parts 112, 114 of wood or metal, the part 116 of plywood, and the supports 118 of mNlti-wall board.
In this way one can enjoy the strength properties of the parts 112 and 114 and the high friction edge-to-edge engagement between the generally vertical ~ides of the supports 118 and the generally vertical exposed edges 119 which partly bound the cut-outs 121 in .,.'! .

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the bearers seen in Figure 12. ~he longitudinal connection members 125 seen in Figure 12 are shown as multi-wall board but (a) could be omitted or (b) could have inner and/or outer facing~
Or plywood or metal to improve their strength and re6istance to bending loads in a generally vertical plane. The feature of length adjustability of the cradle is in either case still retained~

Figure 14 illustrates how two cradles of the kind illustrated in Figure 8 can be combined, using a hollow box-like spacing support 120 made wholly of multi-wall boardS into a twi~-unit module. The box-like support 120 has four vertical panels 122 and po6ts 124 eaoh at or adjacent to a corner of the support 120.
~he panela 122 and posts 124 may be adhesively secured together, and the dimensions of the support 120 are chosen so that its outside length equals that of the longitudinal connection members 126 and its outside breadth equals the distance between the outside faces of the members 126.

Figure 15 is a perspective view of one form of bearer which can bc included in a cradle according to the invention. It i8 made up of 4 layera 130 of multi-wall board combined with two reinforcing layera 132 of multi-wall board. Each such multi-wall board layer 130 or 132 has three layers of corrugated paper re~pectlvely sandwiched betwçen layers of thin cardboard or thick paper. Recesses 134 are cut out to reoeive longitudinal connection membera. Alternatively, the bearer may be made up of 6 or 8 multi-wall boarda, all laminated together, and then have the éngine-receiving and connection-member-receiving recesaes cut out therefrom. If preferred the recesses may be cut from the individual boards and the boards then laminated.

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~he invention as specifically des¢ribed and illu~trated above is believed to be a new and useful deæign of cradle which is widely applicable and allows the user to dispense with large stocks of different conventional cradles. qhe carrying length can be adjusted easily and engineG of different base width form their own stable nesting position (Figure 8A). ~he cradaê can be easily made from relatively inexpensive material without the need for highly ækilled craftsmen. qhe cut-out for the engine or other equipment being carried can be off-set from centre if required. The adjustable cradle is a cushion pack in its own right and is designed to be used preferably in conjunction with polythene shrink ~rap cover, requiring no other type of fixing.
The cradIe has a wei~ht advantage over (i.e. iB lighter than) metal or timber equivalent3 for loads Or corresponding size.
Cradle~ for more than one engine can readily be made. Safety of the product in transit is enhanoed by the u~e of thiæ cradle, all part~ of which may have a cu~hioning action. By the use of the pre~ent cradle, a lower centre of gravity may be obtained ln the re~ulting package~ with con~equential improved etability.
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An ad~antageous alternative embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to Figures 16 and 17. ~he illu~trated bearer 210 may be made of any 0uitable material æuch as wood or a ~ynthetic plastics material. It include~ a laterally extending ba~e member 212 and two post~ 214, 216 upstanding therefrom, The posts may be integral with or rigidly fixed to the base member 212. ~he base member 212 iæ connected to the posts 214~ 216 by front and rear ~heet~ 218~ 220 of suitable material.
For example the sheets 218, 220 may be of plywood or may be relati~ely rigid sheets of plastic~ material bonded by adhesive or otherwise secured to the parts 212, 214, 216. In combination with the posts 214~ 216 and the base member 212 the sheets 218, 220 define a pocket. In the illustrated example the pocket is generally , 1~67~(:?4 16.

rectangular in shape and receives a pad 222. ~he pad 222 is formed by 5 layers of multi-wall board laminated together, and when received in the pocket the bottom face of the pad rests on the upper surface 224 of the base member 212. ~he pad of course could be made of a different number of layers. Ihe thiokness of the pad 222 is such that it fits between the sheets 218, 220.
The pad has inclined surfaces 226, 228 and an upwardly-facing base surface 230. Th8 surfaces 2265 228 are inclined at an angle to the vertical and in use serve to support an engine or like item of equipment in the manner illustrated and described in ~igures 7t 8 and 8A and the associated description thereof. The surfaces 226 and 228 may be at from 95 to 125 degrees t~ the horizontal, and preferably 110 to 115 degrees.

The pad 222 may be readily lifted out of the recess after use, and replaced by a new pad. This has the advantage that the structural members 212, 214 and 216 are not damaged or worn due to rubbing by the engine while in transit, and the replace-able pads are inexpensive and easily inserted and removed when they have aerved their purpose.
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Ihe bearer has a reoess^238 in eaoh of it3 outer sides.
~hese recesaes are provided to reoeive longitudinal connection memberB BO that a cradle may readily be assembled in the manner di~closed in connection with Figures 6, 8, 10, 11, 12 and 14.

The bearer 210 may be moulded as an integral unit from a ~ynthetic plastics material.

It will be appreciated that modifications can be made without departing from the invention. For example, in order to save material when moulding plastics, the parts of the sheets 218, 220 which bound the rectangular recess occupied by the pad 222 , , _,, ~ _ . . .. ` . t '7~i~4 7.

may be of castellated ~hape. Alternativel~, or in addition9 the posts 214, 216 may be partly hollow also to save material.
The base member 212 and posts 214, 216 could be of wood and the sheets 218, 220 of plastic~.

Another ad~antageous alternative embodlment of the invention will now be de~cribed with reference to Eigures 18 to 22 of the drawings.

~he illustrated bearer 300 is intended for use in a cradle of the general design shown in Figure 8 herein. It i6 preferably injection moulded from any suitable injection-mouldable synthetic p?astics material. For example, one may utili~e polystyrene or po~yurethane resin~
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~he illustrated bearer includes a tran~verse member 301 joining two upstanding posts 302, 304 and made of a hollow box-15 ~ section construction with cross-stiffeners 306 (Figure 21) to give strength. Each post is also of hollow box-section with cross-~tiffeners 30B. Each post has inwardly-extending flanges (~een at 310~ 312 in Figure 22) to define the lateral limits of a pad-receiving recess, the fore-and aft limits of said recess are defined by walls 314, 316 of the posts and walls 315, 317 of the cross member 301. ~he base of said pad rece~s is formed bg the wall 318 (Figure 21)oOf the transverse member 300. It will be appreciated that other specific constru¢tions can be adopted to define a re¢ess for re¢eiving a pad su¢h as the pad 220 seen in Figure 18.

~ he illustrated bearer has a pair of re¢e~se~ 322 for re¢eiving a longitudinal ¢onne¢tion member, not shown, also ¢alled a stringer. It is an advantageous feature of the present invention that the top and bottom edges of these recesses each 11~7~Q4 18.

have deformable plastios retaining tabs 324 which serve to retain respective stringers in the recesses when the cxadle is assembled. For an illustration of an assembled cradle, please see Figure 8, ~s seen in Figures 18 and l9, the front and rear walls of the member 301 have apertures or wi~dows 330 therein in ~rder to save material and reduce weight of the bearer.

An advantage of a bearer of this design iæ that the pad can be readily replaced for each journey of the cradle and the overall assembly i8 light and durable, largely weatherproof, and inexpensive to manufacture.

In an alte~native construction the walls 310 and 312 (Figure 22) can be replaced by or,e continuous wall. me posts then ha~e the appearance of those ~een in Figure 18.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A cradle for carrying an article of engineering equipment, including at least two generally parallel laterally-extending bearers and at least two longitudinally-extending connection members, in which at least that portion of each bearer which engages the article in use is made of a high-density high-strength compressible cushioning material con-stituted by a plurality of laminated-together multi-wall boards comprising at least three layers of heavy paper or cardboard sandwiching at least two layers of corrugated paper, said layers being adhesively secured together, the said portion of the bearer having two generally upwardly extending edges which in part define a space within which the article to be carried by the cradle is supported, each of the edges making an angle in the range 90 to 125 degrees to the horizontal in the horizontal position of the cradle.

2. A cradle for supporting an engine such as an internal combustion engine, the cradle including at least two generally parallel laterally extending engine-supporting bearers and at least two longitudinal connection members, in which each of the bearers is made of a multi-wall board comprising at least three layers of heavy paper or cardboard sandwiching at least two layers of corrugated paper, said layers being adhesively secured to-gether, and each bearer having two engine-supporting edges of which makes an angle in the range 90 to 120 degrees to the hori-zontal in the normal horizontal position of the cradle.

3. A cradle according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the edges are straight.

20.

4. A cradle according to claim 3 in which each bearer is made of at least four multi-wall boards adhesively laminated together.

5. A cradle according to claim 4 in which each bearer is reinforced by an additional multi-wall board secured to either face thereof.

6. A cradle according to claim 1 in which the connection members are made of multi-wall board.
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7. A cradle according to claim 2 in which each connection member is of multi-wall board bonded to at least one strip of plywood, metal, or high strength synthetic plastics material.

8. A cradle according to claim 7 in which each connection member is made up of multi-wall board sandwiched between two strips of plywood.

9. A cradle according to claim 1 in which the bearers are generally rectangular in shape modified in that each has a out-out to receive a connection member on each side, and an engine-receiving out-out in part defined by the said edges.

10. A cradle according to claim 9 in which each edge defines one side of an upstanding post forming a part of the bearer.

11. A cradle according to claim 10 in which each edge makes an angle in the range 100 to 120 degrees with the horizontal in the normal horizontal orientation of the cradle.
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12. A cradle according to claim 10 in which an outer edge of one of the poets is inclined to the vertical in the normal position of the cradle.

13. A combination of a pallet and a cradle according to claim 1, in which the longitudinal connection members form part of the pallet.

14. A cradle for supporting a plurality of engines and including at least two bearers according to claim 1 and at least three longitudinal connection members.

15. A cradle according to claim 1 for supporting a plurality of engines and including at least two bearers each having at least two engine-receiving recesses in part defined by said edges , and at least two connection members each extending between the bearers.

16. A cradle according to claim 9 in which each of the connection members is a tight push fit in a corresponding pair of recesses, one in each bearer, and said fit constitutes the sole means of securing the members to the bearers.