EP2741966A1

EP2741966A1 - Damping element for large load carriers

Info

Publication number: EP2741966A1
Application number: EP12743984.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Thorsten Lenz; Reinhard Lorenz; Henk Dekkers
Original assignee: Schoeller Arca Systems GmbH
Current assignee: Schoeller Allibert GmbH
Priority date: 2011-08-12
Filing date: 2012-08-07
Publication date: 2014-06-18
Also published as: WO2013023967A1; DE102011052639A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a damping element (10) for a transport unit, in particular for a large load carrier (20), which damping element can be compressed under resistance in the direction of an expected load application (R). The damping element (10) can be inserted into a cavity (32) of a bottom part (22) or of a supporting element of the transport unit and has several wall sections (12, 14), which span a thin-walled hollow body. Two plane-parallel end wall sections (12) arranged at a distance in the load application direction (R) are connected to each other at the edges thereof by means of at least two side wall sections (14), which are curved outward and can be deformed in a flexurally elastic or plastic manner in the direction of curvature.

Description

Damping element for large load carriers

The present invention relates to a damping element for a

Transport unit, in particular a large load carrier or a so-called. Big box, according to the preamble of claim 1, which is compressible in the direction of an expected load entry under resistance. Furthermore, the present invention relates

Invention, a molding for producing such a damping element and a transport unit with such a damping element.

Large load carriers and so-called big boxes usually have on their underside individual or pallet-like runners connected support feet to handle a material handling vehicle such. B. to allow a forklift or pallet truck. In this case, the large load carrier on the one hand heavy goods of any kind can take, on the other hand, however, have the lowest possible weight. Therefore, many such large load carriers are made of plastic in a lightweight construction. The support feet are designed according to the expected load.

However, if such a large load carrier from a certain height, z. B. from a forklift, falls on the ground, the support feet of this jerky load often do not stand, even if the large load carrier strikes with its entire weight on only one support leg (see Fig. 10). For this reason, damage in this area is often observed in such large load carriers, ranging from larger dents to complete demolition or breakage of the foot area. If, as is the case in many embodiments, the support legs are integrally formed with the body of the large load carrier, a massive damage only one support leg can lead to the uselessness of the entire large load carrier, which must be replaced by another costly large load carrier.

The prior art has no solution to this problem. Those from the prior art, such as from DE 42 07 727 A1 and DE 10 2009 017 128 A1, known damping elements are usually interposed between the substructure and the load carrier and serve more to protect the

transported goods as the protection of the transport unit. These solutions do not offer protection against a rather selective load application on a foot element.

Against this background, the object of the present invention is to minimize a punctual or localized load application to a support element or a substructure of a transport unit, in particular a large load carrier made of plastic, and so a length of use of

To enable transport unit.

This object is achieved in terms of a damping element by the features of claim 1 and in terms of the transport unit by the features of

Claim 5 solved. A suitable for producing a damping element according to claim 1 molding is the subject of claim 4.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of

Dependent claims.

The damping element according to the invention can be inserted into a cavity of a foot part or a support element of the transport unit and has a plurality of wall sections, which span a thin-walled hollow body. Two of these wall sections form two end wall sections, which in load application direction

are spaced from each other or opposite each other and are preferably arranged plane-parallel. These two end wall sections are connected to each other via curved side wall sections. These curved side wall sections can be flexurally or plastically deformed in and across the load application direction.

Since the side wall portions are curved, they are not compressed during a load application on one of the two end wall sides, which under some circumstances would lead to a breakage of the damping element, but bent in a predetermined direction. A pulse-like or jerky load entry on a front wall side is attenuated by the flexurally elastic or plastic deformation work of the damping element, so that a more uniform and less shock-like load is transmitted to the opposite end wall side. The arched ones

Side wall sections thus act as between the end wall sections

arranged spring elements.

Preferably, the damping element has a symmetrical cross-section, that is, when the damping element has two curved side wall portions, they are on opposite sides, or three

Side wall sections form an isosceles, preferably one

Equiangular triangle, etc. This ensures the most uniform possible damping and load transfer to the other side of the damping element. Due to the symmetry of the damping element does not tilt, but deforms the same on all sides. Symmetrical also means that opposing one another

Sidewall sections equally curved, same wall thicknesses, lengths and widths may have.

According to a stable one hand and on the other hand easy to produce

Embodiment, the end wall portions each have a rectangular shape and are formed by four curved side wall portions, i. two pairs of mutually opposite side wall sections, connected together.

In one aspect of the invention, the sidewall portions are

not connected to each other. This affects the

Side wall sections not mutually, so that they are bent only according to their curvature and not also stretched laterally or pulled apart, which would be the case if they were directly connected. This ensures a reversible bending elastic deformation.

When the side wall portions are curved inwardly, ie, toward each other, there is a risk that the side wall portions inwardly interfere with each other in bending elastic or plastic deformation and interfere with each other. Therefore, according to a preferred embodiment, the sidewall portions each arched outward. A mutual disability can also be prevented if the side wall sections in the direction of alternation alternately times outward and sometimes curved inside.

In order to reduce the forces acting on the foot part or support element, the damping element should be chosen in terms of material and / or cross-sectional area so that it has a higher resistance in load application direction than the foot part or support element of the transport unit, in which the damping element is to be used. As a result, a large part of the load input is absorbed by the damping element, damped and transmitted and thus the on such a jerky

Loads relieved of undesigned structures of the foot member.

To manufacture the damping element manufacturing technology and

To keep costs as low as possible, the damping element of a one-piece, bend-formed and welded at selected edges

Be formed sheet metal molding.

A corresponding sheet metal part for producing a damping element according to the invention is made of a cross-shaped, the pattern of a

Hexaeders corresponding sheet metal molding formed. After bending forming, the four rectangular sections in the longitudinal direction form the two end wall sections and two of the side wall sections, and the two sections extending transversely in each case form the two other side wall sections. As a result, damping elements according to the invention can be produced with less use of material and less time and thus cost. When the width of two side wall portions is smaller than the edge length of the end wall portion, not only can the distance between adjacent side wall portions be increased, but also the bending stress that would occur at the corners of the meeting bending edges. Furthermore, these can

Sidewall sections at the bending edges still be additionally provided with relief notches. The subject of claim 5 is a transport unit, such as. As a large load carrier, a big box or a pallet, with a variety of a

Floor section arranged foot parts or support elements, wherein in one

Cavity at least one foot part or support element an inventive

Damping element is inserted such that it damps a load application, in particular a vertical impact on the foot part or support element under flexurally elastic or plastic deformation. Since a shock, z. B. when the transport unit strikes from a certain height with the foot first on the ground, is damped by the damping element, it does not come to the grave mentioned above

Damage to the foot, but only to lower deformations, which do not affect the overall functionality of the substructure or large load carrier. The damping element thereby serves for energy absorption. This ensures a longer utilization of the boxes, even if a punctual or localized load peak occurs at the foot part.

The solution of inserting a separate, easily manufactured and lightweight damping element into a cavity of a foot region can be realized much more simply than an integrated solution which allows the production of the foot region, e.g. In the injection molding process would make more complex and thus more expensive. Because the foot elements, when in the

Injection molding process are made of plastic, usually have cavities anyway, the damping element according to the invention can be used without or with only minor design changes or rework in transport units. In some cases, even existing systems can be retrofitted with the damping element according to the invention.

By inserting the damping element, a further load path is created in the foot element, via which a load entry from the foot element to

Floor section can be transferred out. As a result, the load path otherwise extending over the side walls of the foot element is relieved by the damping element, in particular if the resistance of the damping element is selected to be higher than that of the side wall sections of the foot part. Preferably, the damping element is inserted into the cavity so that the two end wall sections abut in load application direction respectively to corresponding walls of the foot member and possibly bottom portion and the curved side wall portions have a lateral clearance transverse to the load insertion direction. In a preferred embodiment, the end wall portions are below a

bending elastic bias of the side wall sections. That's it

Damping element fixed in the cavity and can not move back and forth. On the other hand, the lateral play allows a flexurally elastic or plastic deformation of the side wall sections in the event of a jerky load application. Thus, the damping element can be fastened in the cavity of the foot without further fastening means and corresponding assembly work. Thus, on any

Screw and through holes are omitted, which would otherwise be taken into account in the design and manufacture.

By inserting the damping element in the cavity or a recess of the foot part is easily a double wall structure

which substantially increases the stiffness of the foot part and is easier to produce than e.g. by injection molding. The damping element is, so to speak, a reinforcing element of the foot part, so that the transport unit or the container can also be used for higher stack loads.

The lateral play between the side wall sections of the damping element and the cavity inner wall of the foot part can preferably be selected such that the side wall sections can deform laterally flexurally or plastically, on the other hand come into contact with the side walls of the foot element at a predetermined load entry and the deformation caused thereby. It is thereby achieved that the cavity defined by the wall sections of the foot part is supported from the inside by the damping element and none of the side walls of the foot part can collapse or buckle inwards. Thus, the damping element in a jerky load entry on the foot has a supporting and structure-preserving function. This ensures that the shape required for the functioning of the foot part is maintained and at most smaller deformations remain. This ensures a longer degree of utilization of the transport unit or at least the substructure.

According to one aspect of the invention, a foot part with the damping element inserted therein with at least one fastener releasably attached to the

Bottom portion mounted such that the one end wall portion of the

Damping element bears against the inside of a bottom or support portion of the foot part and the other end wall portion at an underside of the

Floor section of the transport unit is applied.

Due to the bipartite nature of the foot element and the bottom section, the

Damping element can be easily introduced into the foot element and fastened with this at the bottom portion of the transport unit. Furthermore, this modularity allows the replacement of the foot element, in case it is damaged over time despite the damping element, while the body of the

Transport unit can continue to be used. Since the damping element can not only carry pulse-like load entries but also sustained loads, the

Junction between the plastic-made bottom portion and the foot made of plastic foot substantially relieved. Precisely for this reason has been largely dispensed with in large load carriers on a two-part solution with a highly stressed attachment portion. The use according to the invention of the damping element facilitates a modular solution.

Alternatively, the damping element can be inserted into the foot part not from above, but from the side and optionally closed with a lid.

Brief description of the drawings

The present invention will be described below with reference to preferred

Embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings described in more detail. Show it: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a damping element according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the damping element of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a first side view of the damping element of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a second side view of the damping element of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the damping element of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a metal sheet pattern for the preparation of the damping element of

Fig. 1;

7 is a perspective sectional view of a foot portion of a

Large load carrier with a damping element inserted therein according to the embodiment of the invention;

8 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the large load carrier with the damping element used according to the embodiment;

9 is a schematic representation of the principle of operation of

Damping element according to the embodiment; and

10 shows the loading zones of a large load carrier falling on a foot part according to the prior art.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a damping element 10. The damping element 10 is a thin-walled body with two spaced, substantially rectangular-shaped and mutually plane-parallel end walls 12 and four outwardly curved Side walls 14, which connect the respective outer sides of the end walls 12 with each other. The damping element 10 consists of a one-piece sheet metal part, which consists of a thin, z. B. 2 mm thick, metal sheet is cut,

is bent and after it has been brought into the shape shown in FIG. 1, then at certain edges (see Fig. 5) for fixing the

Hollow body is welded.

From Fig. 1 it is further apparent that the side walls 14 are not directly connected to each other, but only via the end walls 12 together.

Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the damping element 10 and on the upper end wall 12-1 and the projecting to all sides arched side walls 14. From Fig. 2 are also bending edges K1 to K4, at which the first plane

Sheet metal molding is canted. Here is the width of a pair of

opposite side walls 14-3, 14-4 less than the respective sides of the end walls 12 and beyond both provided on each side with relief notches 16 to minimize the bending stresses in the end wall 12 during the forming process.

The Fign. 3 and 4 show two side views of the damping element 10. It can be seen from the figures that not only the respectively opposite side walls 14-1 and 14-2 or 14-3 and 14-4 but all the side walls 14 are the same

Have degree of curvature. It should be noted that the side walls 14 are only slightly curved, so they have a predetermined bending behavior in load application direction R due to the buckling direction to the outside, on the other hand, however, are relatively rigid.

In addition to the already mentioned four bending edges K1 to K4 on one end wall 12-1, there is another bending edge K5 between one side wall 14-2 and the other end wall 12-2, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is shown. The end faces of the other three side wall sections 14-1, 14-3, 14-4 are welded or glued to the corresponding side edges of this end wall 12-2, as is apparent from FIG. Fig. 6 shows the shape of the corresponding sheet metal part before the forming. The pattern of the sheet metal part has the shape of a cross, wherein in the longitudinal direction, the two end wall sides 12-1 and 12-2 and two of the

Side wall sections 14-1 and 14-2 are interconnected and in the transverse direction, the other two side wall sections 14-3 and 14-4 each with the one

End wall 12-1 are connected.

The use of the damping element in the support foot region of a large load carrier will now be described. Fig. 7 shows a perspective

Partial sectional view of a bottom portion 18 of a large load carrier 20 with an attached foot member 22. The foot member 22 is from below in an am

Bottom portion 18 correspondingly provided receptacle 24 used and bolted to side edges 26 of the bottom portion 18. The foot member 22 has on its outer side a circumferential shoulder 28 which is reinforced by stiffening ribs 30 in the vertical direction. When the foot member 22 is inserted into the bottom portion 18, the circumferential shoulder 18 is in abutment with the side flanks 26 of the bottom portion 18 and so can transmit vertical forces from the foot member 22 to the bottom portion 18 and vice versa.

Both the bottom portion 18 and the foot member 22 are made of plastic.

The foot member 22 is an upwardly open thin-walled body in which, as shown in Fig. 7, the damping element 10 finds place and can be inserted therein. As can be seen from FIG. 7, the height of the damping element 10, ie the distance between both end walls 12, is greater than the depth of a cavity 32 in the foot element 22, so that the damping element 10 projects beyond the foot element 22. When the foot member 22 is attached to the bottom portion 18, the upper end wall 12 abuts an underside 34 of the bottom portion 18 so that the cushion member 10 can transfer a load input F from below onto the base member 22 onto the bottom portion 18. From Fig. 7 and in particular from Fig. 8 it can be seen that the

Damping element 10 to a side inner wall 36 of the foot member 22 has a game S. Although this is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 can not be seen, then the damping element 10 has a corresponding clearance S to the two inner wall sides, not shown. This allows the side wall portions 14, when a vertical force component acts on the foot member 22 and thus on the cushioning member 10, to be compressed in the vertical direction and to be flexurally or plastically deformed transversely thereto. The game S leaves the space necessary for vertical bending of the side wall portions 14 aside.

When the damping member 10 is compressed and the domed

Sidewall portions 14 bulge even further outward, they come into contact with the inner wall 36 of the foot member 22 on all sides. As a result, the inner wall 36 of the foot member 22 of the side wall portions 14 of

Damping element 10 is respectively supported from the inside, thereby preventing the side wall 36 of the foot member and the side edges 26 of the bottom portion 18 inwardly buckling and collapse.

FIG. 9 shows the operating principle of the damping element 10 after one

Load entry on the foot member 22 with a vertical force component F. The

mechanical properties of the damping element 10, material, wall thickness, cross-sectional profile, etc., are chosen so that the resistance, in particular the flexural rigidity, of the damping element 10 are greater than that of the foot member 22 and the side edges 26 of the receptacle 28 at the bottom portion 18. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, not only is a further load path created, which largely relieves the load path via the side wall 36, the shoulder 28 and the side flanks 26, but is due to the flexurally elastic or plastic

Deformability of the damping element load peaks damped so that no excessive loads on the bottom 34 of the bottom portion 18 occur. Furthermore, the surface load is not too high due to the flat contact of the two end wall sides 12 at the bottom 38 of the foot member 22 on the one hand and the bottom 34 at the bottom portion 18. Because the side wall sections 14 of the damping element 10 are not connected to one another, the damping element can also very well shear, ie horizontal Relativverschiebungen the end walls 12 to each other, or oblique load effects in which the first plane-parallel end walls 12 are tilted to each other compensate, so that the

Damping element 10 even with such stresses, eg. B. if a

Forklift tines the foot element 22 touched laterally, the actual

Functioning of the damping element is not lost.

The present invention was based on a preferred

Embodiment described. It goes without saying, however, that the

Invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the damping element of another material with similar shape and effect, eg. B. be made of a plastic. In addition, the damping element instead of four curved side walls and only two opposing one another

Have sidewalls. On the other hand, the end walls other geometric shapes, such. B. have a triangular shape, or other regular polygonal shapes with a corresponding number of curved side wall sections. The

Sidewall sections, if they have enough space to deform inwards, can also be curved inwards.

Claims

claims

1 . Damping element (10) for a transport unit, in particular for a large load carrier (20) which is compressible in the direction of an expected load entry (R) under resistance and in a cavity (32) of a foot part (22) or a support element of the transport unit, in particular Bias, can be used, characterized in that

the damping element (10) has a plurality of wall sections (12, 14) which span a thin-walled hollow body, wherein two spaced in load application direction (R), plane-parallel, rechteckformige end wall portions (12) at their edges over four, preferably outwardly, curved and in buckling direction bendable deformable side wall portions (14) are connected, which in turn are not directly connected to each other.

2. Damping element according to claim 1, characterized in that this from a one-piece, bending-formed and at selected edges

welded sheet metal molding is formed.

3. molding for producing a damping element (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, which is formed from a cross-shaped, the pattern of a hexahedron corresponding sheet metal molding, the four

rectangular sections in the longitudinal direction after the bending forming the two end wall sections (12) and two of the side wall sections (14) and form the two thereof each extending transversely extending portions, the two other side wall sections (14).

4. transport unit, in particular large load carrier (20), with a plurality of a bottom portion (18) arranged foot parts (22) or support elements, characterized in that

a damping element (10) according to one of claims 1 to 4 in a cavity (32) of at least one foot part (32) is inserted such that it is a load application, in particular a vertical impact, damps the foot part (32) under bending elastic or plastic deformation.

5. Transport unit according to claim 4, characterized in that the

Damping element (10) for transmitting a load entry forms another load path between the foot part (22) and bottom section (18).

6. Transport unit according to claims 4 or 5, characterized in that the damping element (20) is inserted into the cavity so that the two

End wall portions (12), preferably under flexurally elastic bias of the side wall sections, in load application direction (R) each rest and the

Side wall sections (14) transversely to the load insertion direction (R) have a lateral clearance (2).

7. Transport unit according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the material and cross-sectional area of the damping element (10) are selected so that in load application direction (R) has a higher resistance, in particular higher bending stiffness, than the foot part (22).

8. Transport unit according to one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that the side wall portions (14) of the damping element (10) at a

predetermined load entry under flexurally elastic or plastic deformation also come with corresponding Innenwandungsabschnitten (36) of the foot part (22) in abutment.

9. Transport unit according to one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that a foot part (22) with the damping element (10) inserted therein by means of at least one fastener releasably fastened to the bottom portion (18) such that the one end wall portion (12) on the inside of one

Pad portion of the foot part (22) abuts and the other end wall portion (12) on a bottom (34) of the bottom portion (18) rests.