DK166867B1 - Plate with cellular structure - Google Patents

Description

in DK 166867 B1

The present invention relates to a cell structure plate which comprises a core of adjacent cells which is covered on both sides by a cover layer or cover plate to form a load bearing surface or support surface.

Such a plate can, for example, be used as a load-bearing surface in a pallet as described in WO-A-83/01243.

Pallets for storage and transport of goods must meet a number of requirements. They must be light, inexpensive to produce, have great strength and stiffness against twisting and in many cases be easy to clean and otherwise hygienic to use, for example for transporting food.

Against this background, most of the usual 15 wooden pallets have a number of drawbacks. The wood used must meet many requirements with regard to being free from damage, cracks, rot, etc., and also have a certain moisture during manufacture and further meet various requirements for the strength of the seam joints and the like. This results in the pallets of wood becoming relatively complicated and expensive.

When transporting and handling food, wooden pallets are unsanitary, as wood attracts moisture and thereby induces mold. In the structure of the pallet there are 25 many hooks, in which dirt and bacteria can be collected. Wooden pallets are also difficult to clean and keep clean, which has led to attempts to manufacture pallets of other lighter, stronger and more hygienic materials.

«30 Therefore, to eliminate the disadvantages of wooden pallets, pallets of metal and various plastics have been manufactured which have been found to be inadequate in strength and applicability. Attempts have been made to reinforce the plastic in various ways, for example by means of glass fibers or similar reinforcing materials.

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However, this causes disadvantages as the reinforcing agent makes the pallet more expensive to manufacture and further increases the weight of the pallet. Another significant problem arises from the requirement that plastic pallets 5 must be recyclable after damage or wear, which is realized by breaking down and re-casting the pallet. However, this treatment will be made difficult or impossible when the pallet is of reinforced plastic, as reinforcement of fiberglass or similar material 10 causes an unacceptable wear and tear on machinery used for degradation.

Attempts have been made to manufacture pallets with cell structure for individual transports. Thus, from SE Publication 356,944 it is known to produce a pallet of light, inexpensive material such as paper, plastic or the like, whereby several separate casings of said material are arranged side by side to form a pallet with a hive-like structure. The sleeves can thereby have a cylindrical or angular shape, and some sleeves are extended to serve as feet for the pallet.

It is also suggested, for example, according to U.S.A. U.S. Patent Nos. 3,587,479, 3,709,161, and 4,319,530 to produce cardboard pallets made of cell-shaped 25 cavities made by joining curved cardboard strips.

As already mentioned, these cell-shaped pallets are almost disposable in nature and are primarily intended to facilitate handling by not having to be returned to the shipper, which of course limits the scope, and in these cases the pallets form part of the packaging of the goods.

From WO-A-83/01243 is known a pallet made of a wooden frame, transverse wooden moldings, a loading surface of cardboard, cardboard, masonite or wood and a honeycomb-like material made of cardboard or cardboard extended in the wooden frame. The honeycomb-like material acts as a spacer and the pallet is made by bonding the parts.

French Patent No. 2 389 485 discloses a cell structure plate comprising a core of cells adjacent to each other and hermetically sealed. However, the cells are separate from each other and do not support each other. Such a plate has only a resilient function and the entire structure is a resilient and flexible tablecloth used as protective packaging material 10 to protect fragile goods from damage.

The described cellular structure pallets, although intended for multiple use, have several drawbacks. The structure of individual casings or assembled, curved strips results in a large consumption of material and a plastic pallet constructed in this way and intended to hold for multiple use is given increased weight and therefore becomes expensive in manufacture and use. The use of cardboard as a material for the pallet, on the other hand, poses the same problem as wood when, for example, the hygienic aspect is considered. The known pallets to which cardboard or paper has been proposed as material, because of their construction of multiple casings or bent layers, have a large number of cavities and / or pretzel hooks in which 25 debris, bacteria etc. can accumulate.

However, the main disadvantage of the pallets constructed according to the prior art of single casings or bent layers is that they do not even attain with considerable sizing the necessary strength 30 to withstand the stresses which occur during the treatment of the pallet with or without cargo. Thus, a heavy point load or impact on an edge or surface of the pallet will cause the casings or cells to compress and thereby provide a permanent deformation which cannot be straightened, the wall material of the casings and any covering layer being broken and unable to go back to its original configuration. Therefore, as mentioned above, these pallets are best suited for single use and DK 166867 B1 4 can in no way be compared to wooden or molded, reinforced plastic pallets, which must be used again and again as replacement pallets despite the rough treatment they are often subjected to.

The main object of the present invention is to provide, in the foregoing background, a cell-structure plate which can be used, for example, as a load-bearing plate in a multi-use pallet, thereby eliminating the above-mentioned disadvantages of known pallets of wood, 10 'molded plastic or with cellular structure. in total.

Another object is to provide such a plate which is particularly suitable for the manufacture of a light and relatively inexpensive material and of a design which gives it great utility in high hygienic requirements.

The foregoing and other objects are met by a plate according to the invention having the properties set forth in the following claims.

The invention will now be described in more detail by way of example with reference to the drawing, in which: FIG. 1 shows a perspective view partly in section of a plastic pallet, in which a pallet with a cell structure plate according to the invention is included; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a bottom part which is an integral part and acts as a support foot for the pallet of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a support foot for the pallet of FIG. 1, 30 FIG. 4 is a side view of the long side of the pallet; FIG. 5 is a side view of the short side of the pallet; FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail of the pallet indicated by a circle in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the pallet of FIG. 1 seen from below.

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As shown in FIG. 1, the pallet shown comprises a load bearing plate or core 10 with cell structure. The cells here have a polygonal shape, preferably as in the illustrated embodiment hexagonal, 5 and form a honeycomb structure extending over the entire surface of the load-bearing surface. According to the invention, each cell 12 has walls 14 which are common, i.e. in one piece with the walls of the surrounding cells 14. Unlike prior art pallets or 10 sheets of cellular structure, the cells here are not formed of casings or folded ribbons or strips, but all cells 12 are integrated into a unit structure without any joints. In addition, according to the invention, an elastic, i.e. resilient 15 resilient material, preferably plastic, and the cell structure 10 made of this material is provided with a cover layer 16 and 18 on both the underside and the top side, which cover layers 16 and 18 are connected to the cell structure 10 in such a way that all cells 20 12 each is hermetically sealed. This assembly between the cover layers 16 and 18 and the cell structure 10 can be effected in a suitable manner, for example by means of bonding, welding or other fusion in a manner known in the art of plastics.

In this way, since cell structure 10 is made up of cells 12 which form a unit structure without joints in which each cell 12 is airtightly sealed and consists of a resilient, resilient material, a load-bearing surface of incredible strength is obtained. Each cell acts as a stiffener and supporting part for the entire cell structure 10, the cells being interconnected, i.e. unified into a coherent whole, and each cell also functions thanks to the trapped air cushion as shock absorber and shock absorber. The confined air cushion and the structure of the cellular structure 10 of a resilient, resilient material also causes the cellular structure 10 to not break at impact or point loads, but gives up resilient and resumes its original shape when the load is removed. The described cell structure 10 also means that the load-bearing plate has very high resistance to torsional forces and thus has considerably greater torsional stiffness than previously known structures.

The upper cover layer 16 of the plate preferably, as shown in the embodiment shown in the drawing, constitutes the upper deck of the pallet and is thereby formed on the upper side with grooves 20 which direct any moisture and thereby formed water to 10 drain holes 22 which are located at the center and corners of the pallet. .

The tire 16, as shown in the embodiment shown in the drawing, is also optionally provided at the long and short sides with recesses 28 and 15, which are also provided with drain holes 32 and 34.

Around the periphery of the pallet there is an edge strip 24, which is connected to the cell structure 10 on the sides and is attached to it by means of gluing, welding or other assembly, preferably the same as used 20 for the attachment of the tire 16 to the cell structure 10. The edge strip 24 protrudes a distance above the tire 16, for example 5 mm, thereby forming a circumferential edge 26. This edge 26 makes it possible to stack the pallets without the risk of the stack tipping over.

The edge 26 also prevents goods from slipping off the pallet so easily.

On the underside of the cell structure 10 there are support feet for the pallet. These are in the form of two brackets 36 (see also Fig. 2) which have a support plate 38 for abutment to a support, and three raised portions 40 intended to be attached to the underside of the cell structure 10 to its lower cover or cover 18 The brackets 36 are welded to the top to form a unit therewith. Between the raised portions of the brackets 35 are apertures 44, see FIG. 4, in which lifting means for lifting the pallet can be introduced, for example, not shown lifting forks from a forklift truck. The brackets 36 also have drain holes 46 in the raised portions 46 which are connected to the drain holes 22 and 32 in the upper deck 16. It is clear that there is a corresponding drainage through the cell structure, for example via tubes (not shown). which goes through this one.

5 Along the short sides of the cell structure 10 there may be additional support legs 48 and a support plate 42 having drain holes 50 connected through the cell structure to the holes 34 in the tire 16 in the manner described above. Between the brackets 36 and the feet 10 48 are formed, as can be seen in FIG. 5, openings 52 for inserting lifting means as described above.

It will be apparent from the above description that, according to the invention, a bearing surface or plate having unique properties is provided. The plate, thanks to the airtightly sealed cells 12 of a resilient material, joined to a unit structure 10, becomes extremely strong against shock, pressure and our forces. Each hermetically sealed cell serves as a stiffener and support member throughout the plate or deck and even more importantly as shock absorber and shock absorber. As all the cells are stiffened apart, the plate gains great strength against torsional forces while providing the enclosed air cushion with the necessary suspension to avoid material breakage. It is to be understood that the plate according to the invention, although described in connection with use as a load-bearing surface in a pallet, can be used in many other compounds. Thus, it can be used for building things such as trays, containers, cabinets, etc., in which the described structure, in addition to providing the necessary strength to the workpiece, also results in good insulation thereof.

Claims (8)

A cell structure plate, comprising a core (10) of adjacent cells which is covered on both sides by a cover layer or cover plate (16) to form a load bearing surface or a supporting surface, characterized by that each cell (12) of the core (10) is made of an elastic, resilient material, that the cells (12) of the core (10) are assembled by common walls (14) into a homogeneous structure without joints, that the cover layer ( 16, 18) are joined to the structure and that each cell is hermetically sealed by welding so as to form in the cell an air cushion which accommodates and dampens shocks and stresses on the cell (12) and the core (10). Plate according to claim 1, characterized in that the cells (12) have a multilayered shape, preferably hexagonal, known per se, to form a honeycomb-like core (10). A plate according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by a border strip (24) arranged around the periphery 20 of the core (10), which is glued, welded or the like to the core for hermetically sealing any cells open against the periphery (12). Plate according to claim 3, characterized in that the edge strip (24) protrudes a distance above the surface of the core 25 (10) to form an edge flange (26) around the plate. A plate according to any one of claims 1-4, which plate is used as a load carrying surface in a pallet, characterized in that an upper and a lower pallet deck (16, 18) is attached to the core 30 (10), wherein the lower pallet deck is provided with support brackets (36) and / or support feet (48) for carrying the pallet over a support. 6. A plate according to claim 5, characterized in that the upper pallet tire has channels (20) and drain holes (22, 32, 34) for draining water from the tire. Plate according to claim 6, characterized in that the drain holes (22, 32, 34) pass through the core 5 (10) to the underside of the pallet. Plate according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that it is used as one or more of the walls of a tray, container or the like. S *, \