Open-Slot Roll-Formed Decking for Lightweight Heavy-Duty Shelving
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current heavy-duty shelving systems are overly heavy, reducing their load capacity, difficult to install, and fail to meet fire safety and water penetration regulations due to their weight and construction materials.
Innovation Solution
A decking system comprising roll-formed panels with integrated side supports and slots that allow for 50% open deck, made from a single piece of material, enabling reduced weight, increased strength, and compliance with building codes through a manufacturing process involving cutting, punching, roll-forming, and welding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If heavy-duty decking is used to ensure structural strength, then the shelving unit can support heavy loads, but the overall load capacity of the system is reduced due to the weight of the decking itself
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the decking material by using roll-formed steel with specific gauge thicknesses (e.g., 20 gauge panels, 16 gauge side supports) and engineered slot dimensions. This allows the decking to achieve the necessary strength while maintaining reduced weight compared to traditional heavy-duty decking options.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional decking materials like wood slats or wire grids are used, then the shelving system can be constructed, but the systems are overly heavy and difficult to install requiring multiple people
Solution Approach 1:
The decking is segmented into multiple panels with integrated side supports that can be individually handled and installed. Each panel is designed to be a manageable size and weight, allowing single-person installation while maintaining overall system strength through the connection of multiple segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite construction combining roll-formed steel panels with integrated side supports made from the same material. This composite approach creates a unified component that is both strong and lightweight, eliminating the need for separate support structures and reducing overall weight while improving ease of installation.
3Reliability
If solid decking panels are used to ensure structural integrity, then the shelving unit provides continuous support, but the system fails to meet fire safety mandates requiring certain fire ratings and water penetration requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The decking panels incorporate slots that create a porous structure, allowing water to penetrate through the decking to reach the ground while maintaining structural integrity. The slot configuration (size, spacing, and orientation) is engineered to provide the required open deck percentage for fire safety compliance while preserving load-bearing capacity.
Data Source
AI summary
A decking member having a plurality of panels each with first and second side supports. The plurality of panels can each have a plurality of slots forming an open deck of at least 50%.