Nestable Pallet Leg Structure for Racking and Conveyor Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Nestable pallets face limitations in racking stability, double stacking, and conveyor alignment due to their inwardly tapered legs, which result in reduced safety margins, instability, and increased risk of swiveling.
Innovation Solution
A nestable pallet design with hollow legs featuring a lower-leg extension projecting horizontally from the inwardly-tapered portion towards the edge of the pallet, combined with an upper-leg opening, allowing for improved alignment and stability during stacking and conveyance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If nestable pallet legs are made inwardly tapered to allow nesting, then compact nestability is improved, but racking stability deteriorates due to reduced safety margins
Solution Approach 1:
The leg is segmented into two functional zones: an upper inwardly-tapered portion for nesting and a lower extended portion for stability. This segmentation allows each zone to fulfill its specific function without compromising the other, resolving the contradiction between nesting compactness and racking stability
Solution Approach 2:
The leg extension adds a horizontal dimension to the leg structure, projecting outward from the vertical leg axis. This dimensional addition increases the horizontal footprint of the leg without interfering with the vertical nesting function, thereby improving racking stability while maintaining nesting capability
2Ease of operation
If nestable pallet legs are made inwardly tapered, then nesting functionality is improved, but double stacking capability deteriorates due to inability to reach crate walls
Solution Approach 1:
The leg is divided into an upper nesting portion and a lower extended portion, allowing the upper part to maintain inward taper for easy nesting while the lower extension reaches outward to contact crate walls for stable double stacking
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the leg have different geometries optimized for different functions: the upper portion has inward taper for nesting, while the lower portion has horizontal extension for crate wall contact, enabling both nesting functionality and double stacking capability
3Ease of operation
If nestable pallet legs are made inwardly tapered, then nesting is enabled, but conveyor alignment deteriorates due to increased risk of swiveling
Solution Approach 1:
The leg structure is segmented with the upper portion optimized for nesting and the lower extended portion optimized for conveyor alignment, preventing swiveling while maintaining nesting capability
Solution Approach 2:
The lower-leg extension is designed to protrude horizontally before contact with conveyor guides, establishing proper alignment in advance and preventing swiveling motion during conveyor transport
Data Source
AI summary
A nestable pallet (100, 200, 300, 400) has a deck (102) for supporting a load and a set of hollow tapered legs (106), the legs having an upper opening and an inwardly-tapered internal surface (108) for receiving part of a corresponding leg of another pallet when a plurality of similar pallets are stacked. Some of the hollow legs have a peripheral support configuration that includes a lower-leg extension (110), projecting horizontally from an inwardly-tapered portion of the leg towards an edge (112) of the pallet and an upper-leg opening (114) for receiving the lower-leg extension of another pallet when a plurality of similar pallets are stacked.