US3587483A

US3587483A - Storage rack beam and storage rack utilizing same

Info

Publication number: US3587483A
Application number: US779451A
Authority: US
Inventors: Anthony N Konstant
Original assignee: Speedrack Inc
Current assignee: Speedrack Inc
Priority date: 1968-11-27
Filing date: 1968-11-27
Publication date: 1971-06-28
Anticipated expiration: 1988-06-28
Also published as: JPS51507B1; CA920986A

Abstract

A STORAGE RACK INCLUDING A PAIR OF HORIZONTAL, PARALLEL BEAMS, EACH OF WHICH IS A UNITARY SHEET OF STEEL FORMED AS A TUBE TO PROVIDE A RECESSED FACING SEAT FOR SUPPORTING A HORIZONTAL DECK. THE TOP WALL IS FORMED OF ADJACENT OVERLAPPING WALL SECTIONS WHICH REINFORCE EACH OTHER AND ARE GENERALLY EQUAL IN WIDTH TO THE BOTTOM WALL. BY PROVIDING A DEPENDING SHORT FLANGE ON THE UNDERLYING WALL SECTION, MANUFACTURING IS FACILITATED. BY EXTENDING THE WIDTH OF THE UPPER WALL SECTION OVER THE SEAT, A RESTRAINING SLOT IS FORMED TO HOLD THE DECK IN PLACE.

Description

United States Patent Inventor Anthony N. Konstant Mt. Prospect, [11.

Appl. No. 779,451

Filed Nov. 27, 1968 Patented June 28, 197 l Assignee Speedrack lnc.

Skokie, lll.

STORAGE RACK BEAM AND STORAGE RACK 2,937,767 5/1960 Butler 211/148 3,042,221 7/1962 Rasmussen 211/148 3,070,237 12/1962 Fullert0n.... 211/176 3,102,641 9/1963 Konstant 211/148 3,127,995 4/1964 Mosinski 211/148 3,397,858 8/1968 Williams..... 211/177 3,463,325 8/1969 Zagotta 211/177 Primary Examiner-Francis K. Zugel AttorneyAnderson, Luedeka, Fitch, Even and Tabin ABSTRACT: A storage rack including a pair of horizontal, parallel beams, each of which is a unitary sheet of steel formed as a tube to provide a recessed facing seat for supporting a horizontal deck. The top wall is formed of adjacent overlapping wall sections which reinforce each other and are generally equal in width to the bottom wall. By providing a depending short flange on the underlying wall section, manufacturing is facilitated. By extending the width of the upper wall section over the seat, a restraining slot is formed to hold the deck in place.

STORAGE RACK BEAM AND STORAGE RACK UTILIZING SAME This invention relates generally to storage racks and, more particularly, to a storage rack beam of improved construction and to a method for making same.

Storage racks of various designs are in use for storing a variety of materials in warehouses and other storage areas. One type of storage rack commonly used for storing heavier materials includes a plurality of vertical posts and pairs of horizontal beams attached to the posts which support a deck upon which the stored items rest.

In storage racks of the particular type described, it is generally desirable to keep the deck from shifting with respect to the beams and posts. Displacement of the deck can be prevented by riveting, bolting, or otherwise linking the deck to the beams which support it. Such procedures are often undesirable because they add to the cost of the storage racks and, once the rack is assembled, make it difficult to dismantle. For this reason, storage racks often employ beams which are formed, along facing interior upper corners, with a vertical shoulder adjacent a horizontal seat upon which decking may be supported. With the decking resting on the seat, the adjacent upwardly extending shoulder prevents displacement of the decking in the fore-and-aft direction. Storage racks employing beams of this type are shown in U.S. Pats. Nos. 2,932,368 and 3,102,641.

Although storage racks incorporating such beams for supporting decks have been used successfully in many cases, improved constructions for such beams are always being sought. These beams have usually been manufactured from two separate pieces, which has required assembly in a manner to assume close longitudinal alignment of the two pieces. Beams incorporating such a vertical shoulder and adjacent seat have also been rolled from a unitary tube of steel. Such unitary beams, because the top wall will necessarily be narrower than the width of the initial square tube and will only be a single thickness of steel thick, have a relatively low bending strength to weight ratio for it'is the top wall of the beam that is typically under compression. To make the top wall thicker by using a heavier gauge steel results in inefficient utilization of steel because additional steel is inherently provided in the sides and bottom walls.

Another problem sometimes encountered in connection with storage racks of this general type is that, when a heavy load is dropped accidentally or intentionally onto the deck, the deck may rebound out of alignment andresult in the deck protruding above the supporting beams causing difficulty in loading as well as hazard and may well cause injury to the product loaded. This problem cannot be solved by riveting or bolting the deckto the beams without sacrificing the ease of assembly and the efficiency of adjustability desirable in a storage rack.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved storage rack.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved beam for use in a storage rack.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved storage rack beam which has an excellent strength to weight ratio.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a storage rack which is readily dismantled and which incorporates a deck that is positively restrained from rebounding out of place when a heavy load is dropped on it.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a storage rack constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view through a modified form of a storage rack beam shown in an intermediate position during the manufacturing process; and

FlG. 4 is a sectional view through a storage rack beam ofa further modified design.

Very generally, a storage rack 9 is illustrated which is made up of pairs of beams, such as

beams

11 and 12, that are supported horizontally between

vertical posts

13, 14, 16 and 17. As best seen in FIG. 2, the beam 11 is formed ofa single strip or sheet of steel to include a bottom wall 18 extending between a pair of

upstanding sidewalls

19 and 20. An inturned shelf or recessed seat 22 is formed at the upper end of the sidewall 20, and a vertical shoulder 21 extends upward therefrom. The top wall of the beam is formed by a pair of overlapping

top wall sections

23 and 24 which lie adjacent and in reinforcing contact with each other. The beam 11 may be secured in tubular configuration by a longitudinal weld line along the edges of the

top wall sections

23 and 24 as indicated by reference letter W. A horizontal deck 25 extends between the

beams

11 and 12 and has its opposite edge portions resting in the recessed seats provided in the beams. Generally the thickness of the deck 25 will be about equal to the height of the vertical shoulder 21 so that the upper surface of the deck is about flush with the top surfaces of the beams.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 1, the storage rack 9 is illustrated with upper and

lower decks

24 and 26. The decks may be of any suitable construction, and plywood is one example of material that is often used. The four

vertical posts

13, 14, 16 and 17 may have support feet 27 welded or otherwise suitably attached to the lower ends of the posts to provide a broad load-bearing surface and more stable support. The

posts

13, 14, 16 and 17 may be of any suitable construction, and the illustrated posts are made of channels of generally C- shaped cross section having inturned flanges. Rigidity is added to the structure by joining posts at the same ends in pairs to form end frames. For example, in the illustrated rack 9, the

posts

13 and 14 are secured together by a pair of horizontal cross ties 29 and 31 and a diagonal cross tie 32 which extend into the openings between the inturned flanges of the posts and are appropriately welded thereto.

The lower deck 26 is supported below the upper deck 24 by a pair of

horizontal beams

37 and 38 which are duplicates of

beams

12 and 11. The

beams

11, 12, 37 and 38 are provided with mounting brackets 39 at each end thereof which are welded or otherwise suitably affixed to the beams. Each of the

vertical posts

13, 14 16 and 17 is provided with two vertical rows of holes 41 spaced at uniform vertical intervals along the height of the posts. The brackets 39 are provided with slots that correspond with the spacing of holes 41, and the brackets are detachably secured to the posts by locking pins. The connection employed is shown in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 2,932,368.

The beam 12 is generally similar to the beam 11 including a bottom wall 43, a pair of

sidewalls

44 and 45, a vertical shoulder 46 and a shelf or seat 47 whereupon the deck 24 rests. The top wall of the beam 12 is similarly formed by overlapping

top wall sections

48 and 49 which lie adjacent and reinforce each other. However the upper wall section 48 is wider than the lower wall section 49 so that it extends beyond the vertical shoulder 46 and overlies the shelf 47 in spaced parallel relation thereto. As a result, a slot is formed for capturing the edge of the deck 24 which effectively prevents the deck 24 from rebounding upward out of the recessed seat in the event a heavy load is dropped onto the deck. The tubular configuration of the beam 12 is secured by joining the top wall sections by a line of weld W at the edge of the top wall section 49 and near the middle of the overlying top wall section 48.

In order to provide the

seats

22 and 47 in tubular beams of the type illustrated, the width of the top wall of the tubular beam is necessarily less than the bottom wall. The top wall is a very important member in carrying the compressive loading of the beams. It was found that if the top wall could be stiffened or somehow appropriately reinforced, a beam of substantially greater load-bearing strength could be provided without going to a heavier gauge steel or to beam of greater depth. The dou ble thickness of steel in the overlapped top wall facilitates balancing the mass of steel in the top and bottom walls and provides an excellent weight to load-bearing strength relationship. Moreover, the unitary beam having this double-lap construction is considered to facilitate substantial manufacturing advantages.

Referring to the beam ll, the

wall

23 and 24 are formed from the opposite edges of the strip or sheet from which the beam is constructed. These overlapping walls can be formed to reasonably close dimensional tolerances, and when the free edge of the lower top wall section 24 extends all the way to the interior surface of the sidewall 19, it provides a ready reference point for assembly. Because the beams are of unitary construction, they may be formed by a progressive rolling operation which gradually transforms the single strip of steel into the desired beam cross-sectional configuration. By suitably adjusting the rolling apparatus, the beam may be made in several depths and widths with one set of tooling. The double lap construction at the top of the beam allows the area of the top and bottom walls to be effectively equalized for efficient weight to beam strength ratio. Likewise, it can be seen that such a forming operation can easily accommodate the optional provision of an extra-wide upper wall section 48 to provide the slot wherein one edge of the deck 25 will be restrained. As illustrated in the drawings, if such a slot is provided, it is employed in only one of each pair of two beams to facilitate sliding insertion of one edge of the deck into the slot in the beam, after the beams have been secured to the vertical posts, the other edge of the deck being merely dropped into seated location.

In the modified version of the storage rack beam 11 illustrated in FIG. 3, the lower wall 24 of the overlapping top wall section is provided with a downturned flange 55 at the edge thereof. This short downturned flange 55 requires little more material and provides advantages both in rigidity and manufacturing operation. Clearly, the provision of the downturned flange 25 adds stiffness to the lower member 24' of the top wall. Likewise, the radius of curvature at the point of transition to the downturned flange allows the radius of curvature at the comer between the overlying top wall section 23 and the sidewall 11 to be closely matched. Furthermore, in a rolling operation performed as contemplated, the individual wall sections will each be initially formed by bending or folding along fold lines which will later become the corners of the beam and then the beam will be finally folded into its generally rectangular tubular form. FIG. 3 illustrates the beam 11 as it might appear prior to this final folding operation. The downturned flange 55 provides a guide surface to assure that the top wall section 24 will slide under the top wall section 23' and is particularly valuable in the instance wherein the attitude of the wall sections 23' and 24', at this stage of the folding operation, is such that their outer edges fairly nearly coincide. Accordingly, such a mechanical forming operation is facilitated by the provision of the flange 55.

The foregoing overall described construction of the storage rack and of the improved beam provides significant advantages in manufacturing, assembly and use of storage racks as set forth above. Such advantages, taken singly and in combination, provide a substantial improvement over previous designs. The improved beam is relatively light in weight for a given strength and provides savings in manufacturing cost.

Various modifications of the invention, in addition to those shown and described herein, will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description and accompanying drawings. For example, the beam 11 might be constructed with the top wall section 24 overlying the top wall section 23. Moreover, it should be recognized that the advantages which are obtained from capturing the edge of the deck within the slot formed by the overlying upper wall section of the beam can be gained whether or not advantage is also taken of single sheet construction. As shown in FlG. 4, a storage rack beam 61 may be constructed from two separately formed halves 63 and 65 which are suitably interconnected, as by welding along two longitudinal lines, and formed to provide a slot 67 similar to that provided in the beam 12. Furthermore, a pair of beams having such slots may be used to simultaneously restrain opposite edges of a deck; however, in such an instance adequate provision should be made for installation of the deck within the facing slots of the beams. The beams may be mounted to the columns in a different manner than as illustrated so as to provide access at the sides of the rack which would allow the deck to be slid into place in the assembled rack, or the deck may be first fitted into the slot in one beam and then supported manually while the other of the pair of beams is attached to the columns. Such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Various of the features of the invention are set forth in the claims which follow.

lclaim:

l. A storage rack comprising at least one pair of spaced apart horizontal beams, posts at the ends of said beams supporting said beams in parallel relationship to each other, each of said beams being a unitary sheet of structural material formed into a tubular construction to include a bottom wall, a pair of upstanding sidewalls, one of said sidewalls being of a lesser height and terminating in an inturned wall portion that provides a horizontal shelf, a vertical shoulder upstanding from the interior edge of said shelf, a horizontal first top wall section formed at the upper end of said shoulder section and extending toward said other sidewall, and a horizontal second top wall section which extends from said other sidewall toward said shoulder, said first and second top wall sections being joined by means to lie adjacent each other in overlapped relationship and form the top wall of said tubular beam construction, the total width of said first and second top wall sections being at least about equal to said bottom wall, and a deck extending between said beams and having opposite edge portions thereof resting on said shelves in said pair of beams, said second top wall section of one of said pair of beams overlying said first section and extending a sufficient distance past said shoulder to form a slot for retaining one of said edge portions of said deck.

2. A storage rack according to claim 1 wherein said overlapped first and second top wall sections are generally equal in width.

3. A storage rack according to claim 1 wherein a downturned flange is provided at the edge of said first top wall section, which flange lies adjacent the interior surface of said other sidewall.

4. A storage rack beam adapted for employment as one of a pair of parallel horizontal beams which may support a flat deck therebetween, said beam being a unitary sheet of structural material of substantially constant thickness formed into tubular construction to include a bottom wall, a pair of upstanding sidewalls, one of said sidewalls being of a lesser height and terminating in an inturned wall portion that provides a horizontal shelf, a vertical shoulder upstanding from the interior edge of said shelf, a horizontal first top wall section formed at the upper end of said shoulder and extending toward said other sidewall, and a horizontal second top wall section which extends from the top of said other sidewall toward said shoulder, said first and second top wall sections being joined by means to lie adjacent each other in overlapped relationship and form the topwall of said tubular beam, the total width of said first and second top wall sections being at least about equal to the width of said bottom wall and said second top wall section overlying said first section and extending a sufficient distance past said shoulder to form a slot for retaining an edge ofa flat deck supported by said beam.

5. A storage rack beam according to claim 4 wherein said overlapped first and second top wall sections are generally equal in width.

6. A storage rack beam according to claim 4 wherein a downturned flange is provided at the edge of said first top wall section and said flange lies adjacent the interior surface of said other sidewall.

7. A storage rack beam designed for employment as one of a pair of parallel horizontal beams and to support a flat deck extending between the pair of beams, said beam being generally tubular in shape and including a bottom wall, a pair of up standing sidewalls, one of said sidewalls being shorter than the other and terminating in an inturned horizontal shelf portion, a vertical shoulder upstanding from the interior edge of said horizontal shelf portion, and a horizontal top wall connected to said other sidewall, said horizontal top wall extending from the top of said other sidewall past said shoulder and overlying said horizontal shelf portion a sufficient distance to form a slot therebetween for retaining an edge portion of a flat deck supported by said beam.

8. A storage rack beam in accordance with claim 7 wherein said tubular beam is formed from a unitary sheet of material having a line of joinder located along said top wall.

9. A storage rack beam in accordance with claim 7 wherein said tubular beam is formed from two halves which are joined along common surfaces at the top and bottom of said beam.