GB2082543A

GB2082543A - Bearer for load handling pallets

Info

Publication number: GB2082543A
Application number: GB8125277A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: NEFAB PLYWOODEMBALLAGE AB
Current assignee: NEFAB PLYWOODEMBALLAGE AB
Priority date: 1980-08-27
Filing date: 1981-08-19
Publication date: 1982-03-10
Also published as: NO812741L; NL192677C; DE8124269U1; FI65590B; JPS5777448A; JPH0212817B2; BE890089A; DE3132846C2; MX152626A; IT8183451A0; NL192677B; DE3132846A1; DK149921B; ES270778U; CH652680A5; CA1185906A; FI812553L; NO152289C; IT1146695B; FR2489257B1

Abstract

A spacer for loading pallets comprises a tubular member having a number of pointed securing tabs (3a) adapted to penetrate into and connect the tubular member to a deck-forming member of the loading pallet, and a number of support members (3) extending at a right angle to the securing tabs and being formed, like the securing tabs, in one piece with the tubular member. The spacer is prepared from a thin-walled sheet metal portion, which has been given a polygonal tubular shape in cross section by axially extending bending zones (7) located in border areas between securing tabs (3a) and support member (3). Each tube wall portion (12) defined by two adjacent bending zones (7) and associated to a supporting member (3) extends at an angle to two other adjacent tube wall portions (12) located on opposite sides thereof. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A spacer for loading pallets The invention relates to a spacer for loading pallets, comprising a tubular member, which has, at least at one end thereof, a number of securing tabs extending generally in axial direction and adapted to penetrate into and connect the tubular member to a deck-forming member of the loading pallet, and a number of support members extending at an angle to the securing tabs and being formed, like the securing tabs, in one piece with the tubular member, which, in cross section, has a polygonal shape formed by axially extending bending zones located in the border area between tabs and support members.

Such spacers, which e.g. are known by the US patent 3 641 948 (Figs. 1 and 12), should be so strong that they a.o. may resist the stresses occurring due to strokes or bumps from the forks being introduced between the deck members on lifting and lowering of the loading pallet. The spacers according to said patent do not, however, seem to be able to fulfill these requirements without use of very thick sheet material therein; this being due to the fact that the bending zones, i.e. the zones located on opposite sides of a single planartube wall portion, only as an exception contribute to the polygonal tubular shape of the spacer, namely at a corner portion formed e.g.

at every third or every second securing tab. This means that the planar sheet metal portion extending between two bending zones truly contributing to the polygonal tubular shape becomes comparatively large and thus, rather easily deformable on strokes and impacts from afork.

This invention aims at removing this disadvantage and obtain a more rigid and economical spacer. This is obtained in that each tube wall portion defined by two adjacent bending zones and associated to a supporting member extends at an angle to two other adjacent tube wall portions located on opposite sides thereof.

With reference to the appended drawings, a more specific disclosure of an embodiment according to the invention will follow hereinafter.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a partially cut perspective view of a spacer according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a sheet portion, which is intended for the production of the spacer in Fig. 1 and in which a number of teeth have been stamped; Fig. 3 is a simiiar plan view illustrating every second tooth bent while forming support members; Fig. 4 is an end view of the spacer according to the invention bent to final shape; Fig. 5 is a cut end portion of a spacer according to a variation ofthe invention; and Fig. 6 is a side view illustrating a loading pallet including a spacer according to the invention.

The preparation of the spacer according to the invention includes three working steps, namely punching, bending and welding. In Fig. 2, it is illustrated that a sheet metal portion 1 by punching has been provided with two sets of similar teeth 2, 2' being triangular or pointed. More specifically, each of these sets 2, 2' includes ten teeth 3, 3a, 3, 3a . . .

etc. At one end of the sheet metal portion 1, a part 4 is left which at its opposite ends lacks teeth or toothforming portions. More specifically, this part 4 is at the top and at the bottom defined by straight border edges 5, the distance between said border edges being generally equal to the distance between the valleys 6 between adjacent teeth 3, 3a. In practice, the sheet metal portion 1 may be manufactured from galvanized sheet metal having a thickness of about 1 mm.

In Fig. 3 it is illustrated that every second tooth in each of the tooth sets 2, 2' has been bent at an angle, namely a right angle, to the web of the sheet portion 1. More specifically, the teeth 3 have been bent relative to the sheet web while forming support members, the intermediate teeth 3a having been retained uneffected while forming securing tabs suitable to be driven into wood or similar material.

In Figs. 1 and 4 it is illustrated that the sheet metal portion according to Fig. 3 has been given a polygonal tubular shape in cross section by means of axially extending bending zones of two kinds, namely on one hand first bending zones 7 located in the border area between the securing tabs 3a and support members 3 and on the other hand second bending zones 8 extending from the points of the securing tabs generally parallel to the first bending zones 7. During this bending, the teeth 3 forming the support members are directed towards the center of the tubular member and the portions of the sheet metal web associated to the securing tab teeth 3a are likewise directed inwardly towards the center of the tubular member so that said second bending zones 8 are disposed more closely to the center of the tubular member than the first bending zones 7.After bending the sheet portion in accordance with Fig. 4, the end part 4 is welded to the opposite end part by one or more welds 9 of suitable kind.

In the embodiment illustrated, the number of teeth 3, 3a in each set is ten, which means that the number ofgenerallyplanartubewall portions 12 defined by two first bending zones 7 is five and hence it follows that the sheet portion or tubular member is given a pentagonal shape. This cross sectional shape, as well as other cross sectional shapes of higher order, i.e. with even more teeth and bending zones respectively, is preferable since the number of reinforcing, bended tube wall portions is great irrespective of where a fork hits the spacer. Each portion 12 is inclined relative to two adjacent portions 12 on opposite sides thereof. The bending zones 7 and 8 are comparatively sharp. This means that the tabs 3a have a generally triangular shape as viewed from above.

In Fig. 5, an alternative embodiment is illustrated in which a plurality, more specifically three, of second bending zones 8a, 8b and 8c is associated to each pair of securing tabs 3a. Thetwofirst- mentioned of these bending zones or edges point inwardly towards the center of the spacer while the latter, which extends from the point of the tab, is directed outwardly.

Finally, it is illustrated in Fig. 6 that a number of spacers (preferably four located at the corners) gen erally denoted 10 have been provided to intercon nect two deck-forming members or sheets 11 and hold these spaced from each other for the purpose of enabling introduction of the fork of a fork-lift truck between the members.

The advantages of the spacer according to the invention are numerous. By the polygonal tubular shape in cross section, the spacer may, as mentioned above, be prepared from comparatively very thin and non-expensive sheet metal while maintaining or even improving the resistance properties of the spacer with regard to the load from the goods on the loading pallet as well as with regard to stroke or impact stresses from a truck fork. Since the tube wall portions associated to the teeth 3a forming the securing tabs are bent not only along the web of the tubular member but also along the areas forming the tabs while forming continuous bending zones between opposite tooth points, the teeth or securing tabs obtain an extremely good rigidity so that they despite low sheet thickness may safely be pressed into the sheet members 11 with no tendency to deflect. Another important advantage is that the support members 3 are bent in a direction inwardly towards the center of the spacer, for what reason their normally sharp edges are bent inwardly of the wall of the spacer where the edges cannot injur e.g.

hands or clothes of the personnel having to handle the loading pallets.

The invention is obviously not limited only to the embodiment described and disclosed in the drawings. Thus, it is for instance possible to design a spacer having only one set of teeth, the spacer being connected to a sheet or deck member only at one end thereof, while the other end of the spacer is designed so that it is adapted to support directly against the ground in question. Furthermore, the number of teeth in each set may, as has been indicated, be greater than ten as illustrated in the drawings.

Claims

1. Aspacerforloading pallets, comprising a tubular member, which has, at least at one end thereof, a number of securing tabs extending generally in axial direction and adapted to penetrate into and connect the tubular member to a deck-forming member of the loading pallet, and a number of sv port members extending at an angle to the securing tabs and being formed, like the securing tabs, is ore ione piece with the tubular member, which, in cross sec tion, has a polygonal shape formed by axially extending bending zones located in the border area between tabs and support members, characterized in that each tube wall portion defined by two adjacent bending zones and associated to a supporting member extends at an angle to two other adjacent tube wall portions located on opposite sides thereof.

2. A spacer according to claim 1, wherein the tubular member has second bending zones which, between two tube wall portions forming an angle to each other, extend from the securing tabs generally parallel to the first-mentioned bending zones.

3. A spacer according to claim 2, wherein a sec ond bending zone extends generally from the point of a securing tab.

4. A spacer according to claim 1, wherein the support members are generally triangular.

5. A spacer according to claim 4, wherein the support members are bent in a direction towardsffie center of the tubular member.

6. A spacer according to claim I,wherein the securing tabs as well as the support members have the character of generally triangular teeth, every second of which, namely those formlng support members, being bent at an angle to the adjacent teeth so as to point in a direction to thecervtrofthe tubular member.

7. A spacer according to claim 6, wherein the teeth forming the securing tabs and the svre members are generally alike.

8. A spacer according to claim 2, whereh the second bending zones are located closerto teze center of the tubular memberthan the first bending zones.

9. A spacer according to claim 1, wherein the number of tube wall portions forming the polygonal shape of the tubular member and being defined by two first bending zones is at least five.

10. A spacer according to datum 2, wherein each securing tab is provided with a plurality of second bending zones.

11. A spacer for toading pall8ssubstantially as hereinbefore described with reience to and as illustrated in the various figures of the accompanying drawings.