NL192677C - Spacer for the connection between the decks of a pallet. - Google Patents

Description

1 192677

Spacer for the connection between the decks of a pallet

The invention relates to a spacer for connecting the decks of a pallet, which spacer is substantially tubular, with a polygonal cross section, made of sheet material, composed of substantially flat wall parts separated by penetration points provided at both ends , inwardly curved intermediate parts, the flat wall parts at their two end edges being converted to form support members.

Such a spacer is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,641,948, Figure 12.

This known spacer has only limited strength and rigidity. On the one hand, this limitation is related to the fact that the curved intermediate parts forming the penetration points at the ends have a width which is only a small fraction of the width of an individual wall part, while it is slightly inwardly curved. The circular sectoral indentations in the intermediate strips can in themselves be called stiffening ribs, although the increase in stiffness achieved therewith is relatively small. On the other hand, the limitation of this known piece results from the fact that the cross-sectional shape of the spacer as a whole is a pane, each side of the pane comprising two in-plane and rib-separated wall pieces. There the piece is much more deformable than if neighboring wall parts at the ribs were to make a clear angle to each other, creating a regular polygonal shape. This has not been achieved in the embodiment of figure 10 of said publication in that the regular pentagonal structure is obtained from 20 circularly curved wall parts.

The object of the invention is to overcome this problem and in a simple manner make the spacer so strong or so rigid that it can withstand the forces which arise as a result of the strokes or impacts of the forks used in adding and setting down the pallet.

The spacer according to the invention is characterized in that - in the starting material the width of the zones which will form the pointed intermediate parts is of the same order of magnitude as the width of the wall parts, - that each of the intermediate parts is provided halfway the width. of a fold line and by a fold line connects to each adjacent wall part, and - that the zones of the intermediate parts adjacent to the fold lines which form the connection with the adjacent wall part are flat and all these zones form an equal angle with the adjacent wall part .

A spacer is thus obtained which, when using sheet material of the same thickness, is considerably stiffer. Each flat wall section forms a side of a polygonal shape in cross-section, while on the other hand the intermediate parts are formed into substantially triangular ribs with sharp fold lines and such large dimensions that they make a major contribution to the rigidity of the whole.

The stiffness can be increased even further in a preferred embodiment, characterized in that the fold lines are half-width fold lines of the intermediate parts, outward-facing fold lines, wherein a further inwardly directed fold line is provided in each of the halves.

Thus, within each stiffening rib, yet a further stiffening rib is formed by introducing two further fold lines and returning the center fold line.

Manufacturing is facilitated when the penetration points at the intermediate parts and parts of the wall parts converted into support members are substantially triangular.

The corresponding shape makes it easy to use tools.

Finally, an optimal choice means that the spacer has a pentagonal cross-sectional shape.

The invention will be explained below with reference to the drawing of an embodiment.

Figure 1 shows the spacer according to the invention in perspective, partly sectioned; Figure 2 is a view of a piece of sheet intended for the production of the spacer of Figure 1 in which a number of teeth have been punched; Figure 3 is a similar view with every other tooth turned to form support members; Fig. 4 is an end view of the spacer bent into its final shape; Figure 5 is a cut-off end portion of a spacer according to a variant, and Figure 6 is a side view of a pallet containing spacers according to the invention.

The manufacture of the spacer consists of three steps, which are die cutting, bending and welding. Figure 2 shows that a piece of sheet metal 1 is provided by punching with two sets of similar teeth 2, 2 'which are triangular or pointed. More specifically, each of these sets 2, 2 consists of ten teeth, 3, 3a, 3, 3a ... etc. At one end of the sheet metal piece, a portion 4 remains that

Claims (4)

192677 2 each side has no teeth or parts that form teeth. More specifically, this section 4 is defined at the top and bottom by straight sides 5, the distance between those straight sides generally being equal to the distance between the opposite valleys 6 which are always between two adjacent teeth 3, 3a. In practice, the sheet metal piece 1 can be manufactured from galvanized sheet metal with a thickness of about 1 millimeter. Figure 3 shows that every other the teeth in each of the series of teeth 2, 2 'are bent at right angles to the plane of the piece of plate 1. More specifically, the teeth 3 are bent with respect to the plane of the plate to thereby form support members, the intermediate teeth 3a remaining unchanged to thereby form securing protrusions suitable for being driven into wood or similar material. Figures 1 and 4 show that the sheet metal piece according to Figure 3 has been given a tube shape which is polygonal in cross section by bending or converting around folding lines. There are two types of oxially running fold lines, namely, first fold lines 7 which are located in the transition area between the securing projections 3a and supporting parts 3, and second fold lines 8 which on the other hand extend from the points of the securing projections halfway between and parallel to the first fold lines 7. During bending or bending, the teeth 3 forming the support members are converted towards the centerline of the spacer and the intermediate parts of the sheet metal piece associated with the teeth 3a serving as penetration points are also directed inward, thus also in the direction of the centerline of the spacer, so that the second fold lines 8 are closer to that centerline of the spacer 20 than the first fold lines 7. After converting or bending the piece of sheet to the shape of Figure 4, the end portion 4 welded at the opposite end with one or more welds 9. In the illustrated embodiment, wire the number of teeth 3, 3a in each series is ten pieces, which means that the number of substantially flat pipe wall parts 12 bounded by two first folding lines 7 each amounts to five, and it follows that the tubular member has a pentagonal shape. This cross-sectional shape, like other higher-order cross-sectional shapes, i.e. with even more teeth resp. bending zones, preferable because the number of folding lines reinforcing the construction is large, regardless of where the fork lift fork strikes the spacer. Each wall portion 12 is at equal angles to two adjacent zones of the intermediate members and thus also to the portions 12 on either side thereof. The fold lines 7 and 8 are relatively sharp. This means that the top view points 3a generally have a triangular shape. Figure 5 shows another embodiment in which, in addition to the folding line 7, three further folding lines 8a, 8b and 8c are made in each intermediate part. The former two of these fold lines point inward toward the centerline of the spacer, while the latter extending from the end of the penetration points faces outward. Finally, in figure 6 it is shown that a number of spacers (preferably four which are located in the corners) and which are generally indicated by 10, are used as interconnection between two decks or plates 11 which form loading surfaces in order to keep a distance so that the fork of a forklift can be inserted. 40 1. Spacer for connecting the decks of a pallet, which spacer is substantially tubular, with a polygonal cross-section, made of sheet material, composed of 45 substantially flat wall parts separated by inwardly bent intermediate parts provided at both ends with penetration points the flat wall parts at their two end edges being converted to form supporting members, characterized in that - in the starting material the width of the zones which will form the pointed intermediate parts is of the same order of magnitude as the width of the wall parts ( 12), 50. that each of the intermediate parts is provided with a folding line (8; 8c) halfway along the width and connects by a folding line to each adjacent wall part (12), and - that the zones of the intermediate parts adjoining the folding lines ( 7) which form the connection with the adjacent wall part (12), are flat and - all these zones form an equal angle with the adjacent wall part. Spacer according to claim 1, characterized in that the fold lines (8c) are fold lines turned outwards halfway the width of the intermediate parts, wherein in each of the halves a further inwardly directed fold line {Ba; 8c) is fitted. 3 192677 Spacer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the penetration points (3) on the intermediate parts and parts (3) of the wall parts (12) converted into support members are substantially triangular. Spacer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it has a pentagonal cross-sectional shape. Hereby 2 sheets drawing