GB2205032A

GB2205032A - Racking structure

Info

Publication number: GB2205032A
Application number: GB08712259A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Donald E Poyner; Roger Wilde
Original assignee: Link 51 Ltd
Current assignee: Link 51 Ltd
Priority date: 1987-05-23
Filing date: 1987-05-23
Publication date: 1988-11-30
Also published as: EP0292768B1; ES2080720T3; DE3854800T2; EP0292768A1; GB8712259D0; DE3854800D1; ATE131699T1

Abstract

A racking structure comprises vertical members or struts (6), a rectangular shelf (8) and four support members (10) by which the shelf may be mounted on the struts. Thus each strut (6) comprises spaced side walls (12) provided at regular spaced intervals with apertures or slots in each of which a support member (10) may be located. Each support member comprises a central portion (28) from one end of which a up-turned leg (30) is provided, whilst extending downwardly therefrom is a first supplementary leg (32), the distance between the inside face of the leg (30) and the outside face of the leg (32) being equal to the thickness of the wall (12). Extending from an opposite end of the portion (28) is a second supplementary leg (34), inclined to the central portion: when the support member (10) is inserted with its leg (30) located in one of the apertures (14) engaging the inner face (12a) of the wall immediately above the slot (14), the leg (32) engages the outer face (12b) of the wall immediately below the slot (14), whilst the leg (34) engages the face (12b) of the wall at a position spaced from the aperture (14). Extending upwardly from the central portion (28) is an engagement portion (36), one face (38) of which is inclined away from the first leg (30) over which an aperture (25) in the shelf may be located.

Description

4 A 2205032 Title: "Improvements relating to racking structures"

Description of Invention

This invention is concerned with improvements relating to racking structures, particularly of the kind (hereinafter referred to as being of the kind specified) comprising a plurality of upright members or struts, at least one shelf, and a plurality of support members or clips adapted to be engaged within apertures of the struts and by which the shelf may be supported between the struts.

Conventionally a racking structure "bay" comprises four struts disposed at the corners of a rectangle, and four clips adapted to be interfitted with the struts at selected horizontal positions to support the shelf in a horizontal plane. In practice each pair of struts may form the vertical support for two adjacent bays, and each bay may comprise a plurality of shelves, each supported by four clips.

In addition bracing struts may be connected diagonally between adjacent struts to provide for rigidity of the structure.

Is Difficulty is conventionally encountered in maximising the load bearing capability of the racking structure whilst maintaining ease of erection, and for providing the necessary rigidity without unduly adding to the number of components adequately to brace the structure.

According to this invention there is provided a racking structure of the kind specified wherein each support member is provided with a first leg adapted to be inserted through one of the apertures of a strut and to engage one side of the strut above said aperture, and a supplementary leg adapted to transmit downward loading on support member to an opposite side of the strut below the aperture.

Preferably the supplementary leg may be so located as to transmit load to a portion of the strut immediately adajcent to the aperture, to provide a force reducing tendency for the walls of the strut to be deformed under load.

Alternatively the supplementary leg may be located so as to transmit load to a portion of the strut spaced from the aper ture, in the manner of flying buttress.

Preferably however two supplementary legs are used, one being located so as to transmit load to a portion of the strut immediately below the aperture, the other being so located so as to transmit load to a portion of the strut spaced from the aperture.

Preferably the support member comprises an engagement portion which when the support member is engaged within an aperture of a strut, extends generally upwardly, within which a complementary aperture in the shelf (such as at a corner portion thereof) may be engaged to retain the shelf in a desired position in relation to the racking structure.

Preferably the engagement portion of the support member provides a surface which is so arranged in relation to the aperture in the shelf as to engage the shelf in a coming or wedging action. Thus advantageously the wedging action is one which pulls the shelf and the strut together, desirably into engagement, such as between a wall of the strut and a resilient wall of the shelf. In this manner downward loading of the shelf may be effective to increase the pressure between the shelf and the strut, increasing the rigidity of the structure and lessening the need for diagonal bracing.

According to this invention there is also provided a racking structure of the kind specified wherein each support member comprises an engagement portion which when the support member is engaged within an aperture of a strut, extends generally upwardly, the shelf being provide at each corner region thereof with an aperture which may be positioned over the engagement portion to locate the shelf in relation to the strut, wherein the engagement portion cooperates with the engagement aperture frictionally to retain the shelf in its support position by a wedging action.

Preferably an inside face of the engagement portion is inclined in relation to the aperture of the shelf to provide an inclined cam face, desirably which is operative to pull the shelf and an adjacent strut together.

Advantageously a side wall of the shelf is resiliently compressable against a side wall of the strut when the shelf is mounted on the suport member.

There will now be given a detailed description, to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, of a racking structure which is a preferred embodiment of this invention, having been selected for the purposes of illustrating the invention by way of example.

In the accompanying drawings:

t 1 FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional view of part of the racking structure which is the preferred embodiment of this invention; FIGURE 2 is perspective view of a support member of the preferred embodiment, and Is FIGURE 3 is a plan view on Figure 1.

The racking structure which is the preferred embodiment of this invention will be described in relation to one bay only, comprising four vertical members or struts 6, a rectangular shelf 8, and four support members by which the shelf may be mounted on the struts 6. However only one corner of the bay is shown in the drawings, and it is to be understood that each of the other corners are similiar.

Each strut 6 comprises (inter alia) spaced side walls 12 provided at regular spaced intervals with apertures or slots 14. The struts are erected at the corners of a rectangle of size to allow the shelf 8 to be located between inwardly-facing ones of the side walls 12.

Each support member 10 is conveniently formed as a metal pressing, comprising a central portion 28 from one end of which an up-turned leg 30 is provided, whilst extending downwardly therefrom is a first supplementary leg 32, the distance between the inside face of the leg 30 and the outside face of the leg 32 being equal to the thickness of the wall 12.

The leg 30 is so dimensioned so as to enable it to be inserted upwardly into a slot 14 into a position in which it engages the inner face 12a of the wall 12 immediately above the slot 14, and the central portion 28 extends horizontally. In this position the leg 32 rests against the opposite (outer) face 12b of the wall 12 immediatley below the slot 14, holding the support member in its inserted position.

Extending from an opposite end of the portion 28 is a second supplementary leg 34, inclined to the central portion: when the support member is in its inserted position, an abutment face 35 of the leg 34 also engages the face 12b of the wall 12, at a position spaced from the aperture 14.

Upwardly extending from the central portion 28 is an engagement portion 36, one face 38 of which is inclined away from the first leg 30.

The shelf 8 is preferably constructed of folded metal, comprising in addition to a top surface 9 a pair of longitudinal side walls 18 of box cross section, and a pair of lateral side walls 20 provided w'%th in-turned lips 22. A gap 24 is provided between the end faces of the longitudinal walls 18 and the lateral walls 20, provided sufficient room to enable the lateral walls to be deflected inwardly.

Within the base of each longitudinal wall an aperture or slot 25 is provided, the four slots 25 being located generally at the corner regions on the shelf at positions such that, as the shelf is lowered towards four support members inserted into the four struts in a generally horizontal array, the four engagement portions 36 each enter one of the slots 25. The inclined cam faces 38 of the portions 36 engage the shelf and move the shelf, particularly the walls 12 thereof, and the struts 6, together, deforming the walls by engagement with the outer faces 12b of the walls 12.

In this manner a tight fit between the shelf and all four of the struts of the bay is insured. In addition transmission of load to the support members is provided from a region as close to the struts as possible, tending to reduce bending loads on the support members. What bending load there is on the support members is taken in part by a tensile load in the regions of the face 12a of the strut immediately above the slot 14, and in part by a compressive food by the first supplementary leg 32 on the face 12b of the wall 12 immediately below the slot 14, and by the second support leg 34 acting as a flying buttress.

In addition to the transmission of load, the leg 32 aids location of the support member in an aperture, and should a support member be displayed by an upward impact on the shelf, will tend to assist the return of the support member to a correct position.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, or a class or group of substances or compositions, as appropriate, may, separately or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

1

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A racking structure of the kind specified wherein each support member is provided with a first leg adapted to be inserted through one of the apertures of a strut and to engage one side of the strut above said aperture, and cl supplementary leg adapted to transmit downward loading on the support member to an opposite side of the strut below the aperture.

2. A racking structure according to Claim 1 wherein the supplementary leg is so located as to transmit load to a portion of the strut immediately adajcent to the aperture, to provide a force reducing tendency for the walls of the strut to be deformed under load.

3. A racking structure according to Claim 1 wherein the supplementary leg is located so as to transmit load to a portion of the strut spaced from the aperture.

4. A racking structure according to Claim 1 comprising two supplementary legs, one being located so as to transmit load to a portion of the strut immediately below the aperture, the other being so located as to transmit load to a portion of the strut spaced from the aperture.

5. A racking structure according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the support member comprises an engagement portion which when the support member is engaged within an aperture of a strut, extends generally upwardly, within which a complementary aperture of the shelf may be engaged to retain the shelf in a desired position in relation to the racking structure.

6. A racking structure according to Claim 5 wherein the engagement portion of the support member provides a surface which is so arranged in relation to the aperture in the shelf as to engage the shelf in a camming or wedging action.

7. A racking structure of the kind specified wherein in each support member comprises an engagement portion which when the support member is k Is engaged within an aperture of a strut, extends generally_ upwardly, the shelf being provided at each corner region thereof with an aperture which may be positioned over the engagement portion to locate the shelf in relation to the 11 strut, wherein the engagement portion cooperates with the engagement aperture frictionally to retain the shelf in its support position by a wedging action.

8. A racking structure according to Claim 7 wherein the engagement portion is inclined in relation to the aperture of the shelf to provide an inclined cam face.

9. A racking structure according to one of Claims 7 and 8 wherein a side wall of the shelf is resiliently compressible against a side wall of the strut when the shelf is mounted on the support member.

10. A racking structure constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A support member for use in a racking structure of the kind specified, the support member comprising a central portion from one end of which a leg, which is adapted on insertion into an aperture of a strut of the racking structure to engage the inner side of the strut, extends upwardly, and a first supplementary leg adapted to engage the outer side of the strut extends downwardly, the support member comprising a second supplementary leg extending downwardly from the central portion at a position spaced from the first supplementary leg and which is adapted to engage the outer side of the strut at a position spaced from that at which the first supplementary leg engages the strut.

12. A support member for use in a racking structure of the kind specified, the support member comprising a central portion from one end of which a leg which is adpated to engage the inner side of a strut of the structure extends upwardly, and a first supplementary leg adapted to engage the outer side of the strut extends downwardly, the support member comprisihg an engagement portion extending upwardly from the central portion at a position spaced 1 1 1 a - from the leg, one face of which engagement portion is inclined away from the leg.

13. A support member constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.

a Piiblighed 1988 at The Patent Office. State House, 66M High Holborn, London WC1R 4TP. Further copies may be obtained from The Patent Office,