Fire Retardant Pallet Assembly with Segmented Reinforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Plastic pallets used for food transport face challenges in making all surfaces washable and capable of contamination testing while meeting stiffness and load capacity requirements, and fire performance, with fire-resistant additives complicating recycling.
Innovation Solution
A pallet assembly design featuring integrally molded upper and lower plastic portions with reinforcement frames that allow for easy cleaning and fire retardant coatings on the reinforcement frames, enabling efficient washing and swabbing while maintaining structural integrity and facilitating recycling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fire-resistant additives are incorporated into plastic components, then fire performance is improved, but recycling becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The pallet is divided into plastic components (deck, columns, runners) and separate reinforcement members (steel or plastic). Fire-resistant additives are only incorporated into the plastic components, not the reinforcement members, enabling selective recycling of the reinforcement members while maintaining fire performance where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The fire-resistant properties are extracted from the entire pallet structure and concentrated only in the plastic components. The reinforcement members are separated and made free of fire-resistant additives, allowing them to be easily recycled while the plastic components retain necessary fire resistance.
2Strength
If reinforcements are secured to the underside of the deck and runners, then stiffness and load capacity are improved, but washability and contamination testing become more complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement system is segmented into separate reinforcement members that are positioned between structural components rather than attached to external surfaces. This segmentation allows all external surfaces to remain accessible for washing and testing while reinforcements provide structural support internally.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement members are nested between the deck and columns, and between columns and runners, creating a layered structure where reinforcements are protected internally while external surfaces remain fully accessible for cleaning and contamination testing.
3Reliability
If fire-resistant coatings are applied to plastic components, then fire performance is improved, but recycling becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The pallet components are segmented into plastic parts and reinforcement members. Fire-resistant coatings are applied only to plastic components where they are needed for fire performance, while reinforcement members remain uncoated and easily recyclable.
Solution Approach 2:
Fire-resistant properties are applied locally only to the plastic components (deck, columns, runners) rather than uniformly across all parts. The reinforcement members maintain their original recyclable properties while plastic components gain fire resistance where required by safety standards.
Data Source
AI summary
A pallet assembly includes an upper portion including an upper deck and a plurality of upper column portions extending downward from the upper deck. A lower portion includes a plurality of lower column portions extending upward and a plurality of runners connecting the plurality of lower column portions. An upper reinforcement member is between an upper surface of the lower column portions and a lower surface of the upper deck. A lower reinforcement member between a lower surface of the upper column portions and an upper surface of the runners.