EP0885147B1

EP0885147B1 - Pallet

Info

Publication number: EP0885147B1
Application number: EP96927939A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Johannes Philippus Ludovicus Maria Diderich
Original assignee: Besin BV
Current assignee: Besin BV
Priority date: 1995-09-01
Filing date: 1996-08-23
Publication date: 1999-11-17
Anticipated expiration: 2016-08-23
Also published as: PL325289A1; HUP9900326A2; AU6757496A; DE69605211D1; TR199800331T1; WO1997009239A1; NL1001117C2; CN1198718A; BR9610435A; ES2140886T3; CA2230755A1; ATE186699T1; KR19990044247A; DE69605211T2; HUP9900326A3; EP0885147A1

Abstract

A pallet comprising an upper cover plate (1), a lower cover plate (2) and columns (3) between the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate is described. According to the invention the upper cover plate (1) and the lower cover plate (2) are made of paper material and the columns (3) are made of material which can be rammed in the longitudinal direction of the columns and is formed by rolled up corrugated board, the ends of the columns (3) being arranged in holes in the upper cover plate (1) and the lower cover plate (2). Preferably the upper cover plate (1) and the lower cover plate (2) are made of honeycomb plates.

Description

The invention relates to a pallet, comprising an upper cover plate, a lower cover plate and columns between the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate, as described in the preamble of claim 1.
Such pallets are nowadays used on a large scale for storing and for transporting all kinds of goods.
A pallet of the kind described in the preamble of claim 1 is known from FR-A-2.676.994. The pallet disclosed in this document is designed to provide a high strength and to this end the pallet has cover plates which are preferably made of corrugated cardboard and columns which are tubular and preferably made of solid cardboard.
Pallets are usually made of wood, but nowadays for a number of uses of paper material, too, such as solid cardboard upper and lower cover plate and columns made of solid cardboard tubes. These cardboard pallets are easily recycled and lightweight, whereas wooden pallets are heavy, they splinter and they are difficult to recycle. For certain uses the pallet is, however, heavily loaded because it is stacked with solid cardboard plates, for instance, between which air is pressed out with the help of a machine. The forces on the pallet column can amount to 1500 kg because the load is not always equally distributed. A cardboard pallet with solid cardboard columns - such as the pallet of FR-A- 2.676.994- creates spoilage in the product stacked on it, in that one column causes an indentation in the lower products through the upper cover plate. Consequently, up until now wooden pallets are still used for this purpose.
The invention aims at removing the drawbacks of the known pallets.
This aim is achieved by means of a pallet as described in claim 1.
In this way it is achieved that one column, which is subjected to a disproportionately high load, will be rammed in so that the load is distributed over all the columns. Columns made of rolled up corrugated board are very suitable for that, given that in the direction of its face corrugated board can be rammed in and still retains its load bearing capacity, in particular at the edge of a plate, after ramming in and is also sufficiently rigid and strong in a rolled up condition to take up the required load. Because one or more of the columns that have been subjected to a disproportionately high load are rammed in, the load distributed over all the columns will hardly cause any indentation in the products stacked on the pallet, so that the upper and lower cover plates can be made of paper material. In order to obtain a good attachment to the upper and lower cover plates of the columns made of rolled up corrugated board, which have no optimum attaching potential at their head end faces, the ends of the columns are arranged in holes in the upper and lower cover plates. Thus the pallet is suited for the intended purpose, and is also lighter and more easily recycled than a wooden pallet.
It is remarked that NL-C-94.834 discloses a an assembly of a cardboard pallet and a cardboard box which is to be supported by the pallet, the pallet consisting of lower and upper cover plates of corrugated cardboard and columns extending between both coverplates and preferably -for reasons of weight and strength- made of rolled up corrugated board. The upper cover plate is provided with two panels which are integral therewith and function to secure the cardboard box to the pallet by insertion into the box and by sandwiching them between the outer flaps and the inner flaps of the bottom of the box. The box, necessarily having dimensions corresponding to the dimensions of the pallet, will thus always be kept in position on the upper cover plate: in this known assembly the aforementioned problem is not likely to occur.
Preferably, the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate are made of honeycomb plates comprising a honeycomb core and an outer cover plate and an inner cover plate, so that a rigid and yet lightweight pallet is obtained.
According to an advantageous embodiment the holes in the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate extend through the inner cover plates and the core up to the outer cover plates and with their end faces the columns bear against the inner surface of the outer cover plates, so that the column cannot protrude outside the upper and lower cover plates and the columns are easily and securely attachable in the upper and lower cover plates.
According to another advantageous embodiment the holes in the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate are through-going and the end faces of the columns are flush with the outer surface of the outer cover plates. As a result the holes in the upper and lower cover plates are simple to make. In this embodiment it is also advantageous that not only the edge of the hole in the inner cover plate bears against the outer surface of the column, but also that the edge of the hole in the outer cover plate of the honeycomb plate bears against the outer surface of the column, so that taking up lateral forces on the pallet is improved and the pallet has more resistance to shearing forces.
Preferably every column is provided at every end with an attaching tenon having a smaller diameter than the rest of the column and having a diameter and length which corresponds to the holes in the upper and lower cover plate, so that the attaching tenons are entirely received in the upper and lower cover plate, and the shoulder faces which are formed at the transitions between the tenons and the rest of the column provide additional attaching and supporting surfaces of the column against the inner cover plate of the upper and lower cover plate.
The columns are preferably bonded in the holes in the upper and lower cover plate, so that when manoeuvring a pallet it does not fall apart.
Preferably the upper cover plate of honeycomb plate is approximately 20 mm thick, and preferably the lower cover plate of honeycomb plate is approximately 10 mm thick, so that the pallet with honeycomb plates is sufficiently rigid and the outer and inner cover plates of the honeycomb plates are spaced far enough apart so that in the case of through-going holes shearing forces on the pallet can be taken up to an adequate extent.
Preferably every column of rolled up corrugated board is approximately 115 mm in diameter, so that each column can take up sufficient force.
Preferably the attaching tenons on the columns of rolled up corrugated board are approximately 93 mm in diameter, so that the shoulder faces at the transition between the tenon and the rest of the column are large enough, while the diameter of the tenons remains large enough to take up lateral forces on the pallet.
According to an advantageous embodiment the corrugated board is selected and rolled up such that a column is rammed in at a load between 1000 and 1500 kg, after which other columns of the pallet take up part of the load on that one column and ramming in thereof ceases. A disproportionately high load between 1000 and 1500 kg on one column is distributed over other columns of the pallet by ramming in said column somewhat, so that all the columns will take up an approximately equal part of the load and the product on the pallet will not be damaged by a disproportionately high load on just one column.
Preferably the upper and lower cover plates are approximately 1 by 1.2 metres in size.
The invention will now be elucidated in more detail by a preferred embodiment on the basis of the drawing.
Figure 1 is a top view of the pallet according to the invention,
figure 2 is a cross section according to the line II-II in figure 1,
figure 3 is a cross section according to the line III-III in figure 1 and
figure 4 is a perspective view of a column of the pallet.
According to the preferred embodiment the pallet according to the invention consists of an upper cover plate 1, a lower cover plate 2 and columns 3, of which, for example, nine are arranged. The upper cover plate 1 and the lower cover plate 2 are both made of honeycomb plate, which consists of a core 4 and 5 respectively, of strips of thin cardboard, formed and attached to each other such that for instance hexagonal "honeycombs" are formed, and of an outer cover plate 6 and an inner cover plate 7, which are bonded on both flat sides on the core 4 and 5 respectively. Preferably the cover plates 6 and 7 consist of solid cardboard.
According to the preferred embodiment continuous holes 8 are arranged in the upper cover plate 1 and the lower cover plate 2 for receiving the attaching tenons 10 and 11 provided on the columns 3. The length of the attaching tenons 10 and 11 is adapted to the length of the holes in the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate respectively, so that they do not protrude outside the outer cover plates. The tenons 10 and 11 are bonded in the holes 8, the shoulder faces 14 and 15 being bonded on the inner surfaces of upper cover plate 1 and lower cover plate 2 and the edges of the holes in the cover plates 6 and 7 are bonded to the outer surface of the attaching tenons 10 and 11.
It is possible, however, to allow the holes in the upper cover plate 1 and lower cover plate 2 to end at the inner surfaces of the outer cover plates 6, so that the end faces 12 and 13 of the tenons 10 and 11 are bonded to these inner faces.
According to a preferred embodiment the columns are made of rolled up corrugated board of the one-sided type, and are of a thickness such that they ram in at the required load.
In the preferred embodiment the upper and lower cover plate 1, 2 are approximately 1 by 1.2 metres in size and the upper cover plate is approximately 20 mm and the lower cover plate approximately 10 mm thick. The columns 3 are approximately 115 mm in diameter, and the attaching tenons 10, 11 on the columns approximately 93 mm in diameter. A column 3 is rammed in at a load between 1000 and 1500 kg, after which other columns of the pallet take up a part of this (disproportionately high) load and the ramming in of that specific column ceases.
In the preferred embodiment the corrugated board for the columns is of the E-wave RCK 110/125 type.
Finally, approximately rectangular, continuous holes 9 are arranged in the lower cover plate 2, which serve to move the pallet by means of a hand cart for pallets over a floor, for example.
It will be clear that this preferred embodiment does not limit the rights as they follow from the claims below.

Claims

Pallet for supporting a stack of plates, comprising an upper cover plate, a lower cover plate and columns between the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate, wherein the upper cover plate (1) and the lower cover plate (2) and the columns (3) are made of paper material, the ends of the columns (3) being arranged in holes in the upper cover plate (1) and the lower cover plate (2), characterized in that the columns (3) are made of material which can be rammed in in the longitudinal direction of the columns and is formed by rolled up corrugated board.
Pallet according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper cover plate (1) and the lower cover plate (2) are made of honeycomb plates comprising a honeycomb core (4, 5) and an outer cover plate (6) and an inner cover plate (7).
Pallet according to claim 2, characterized in that the holes in the upper cover plate (1) and the lower cover plate (2) extend through the inner cover plates (7) and the core (4, 5) up to the outer cover plates (6) and in that the columns (3) bear against the inner surface of the outer cover plates (6) with their end faces (12, 13).
Pallet according to claim 2, characterized in that the holes in the upper cover plate (1) and the lower cover plate (2) are through-going and in that the end faces of the columns (3) are flush with the outer surface of the outer cover plates (6).
Pallet according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that every column (3) is provided at every end with an attaching tenon (10, 11) having a smaller diameter than the rest of the column and having a diameter and length which corresponds to the holes in the upper and lower cover plate (1, 2).
Pallet according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the columns (3) are bonded in the holes in the upper and lower cover plate.
Pallet according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper cover plate (1) of honeycomb plate is approximately 20 mm thick.
Pallet according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lower cover plate (2) of honeycomb plate is approximately 10 mm thick.
Pallet according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that every column (3) of rolled up corrugated board is 115 mm in diameter.
Pallet according to any one of the claims 5 to 9, characterized in that the attaching tenons of the columns (3) of rolled up corrugated board are approximately 93 mm in diameter.
Pallet according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the corrugated board is selected and rolled up such that a column is rammed in at a load between 1000 and 1500 kg, after which other columns of the pallet take up part of the load on that one columns and ramming in thereof ceases.
Pallet according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper and lower cover plates are approximately 1 by 1.2 metres in size.