Pallet Container Composite Foot Design for Thermal Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pallet containers with composite pallets and plastic feet can experience reduced stability under thermal stress, leading to potential tipping or falling when exposed to fire, as the plastic feet soften, and existing solutions are costly and complex to produce and assemble.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a composite pallet with separate, plug-in sheet steel middle foot parts that are easily assembled and provide enhanced stability, featuring a box-shaped structure with angled side walls and flange strips, allowing for simplified production and assembly without welding, and includes a fire protection insulating mat to protect against heat.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If plastic feet are used in composite pallets, then production costs are reduced and assembly is simplified, but stability under thermal stress deteriorates causing tipping or falling when exposed to fire
Solution Approach 1:
The middle feet are divided into separate plug-in parts that can be easily assembled and disassembled, maintaining the simplicity advantage while allowing for material optimization in critical stability zones
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a hybrid construction combining plastic components (for cost-effective, simple assembly parts) with steel components (for heat-resistant, stable support structures). The steel middle feet provide thermal stability while the plastic components maintain manufacturing simplicity
2Strength
If one-piece molded central feet with deep ribs are used, then flexural rigidity is improved, but entry height for forklift forks deteriorates due to reduced clearance
Solution Approach 1:
The central feet are segmented into modular components with optimized geometries. The plug-in design allows the support structure to achieve necessary rigidity through interlocking mechanisms rather than deep ribs, preserving fork entry height
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of achieving rigidity through vertical depth (reducing fork clearance), the patent uses horizontal interlocking features and distributed support geometry to achieve structural stability without compromising entry height
3Ease of manufacture
If thin-walled floor pan with simple feet design is used, then production cost is reduced, but stability against tipping deteriorates when setting down from forklift
Solution Approach 1:
The feet are segmented into separate plug-in components with optimized mass distribution. The steel middle feet provide concentrated stability at critical points while the overall structure remains cost-effective through simplified manufacturing of individual parts
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies enhanced material properties (steel) specifically at the middle feet locations where tipping resistance is most critical, while other parts can use lighter, cheaper materials, achieving selective optimization
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution maintains stability for filled, stacked UL-IBCs under thermal stress for at least 25 minutes, preventing buckling and tipping, while reducing production costs and complexity, and ensures safe electrical discharge.
Implementation Method 1
fire protection insulating mat to protect against heat
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention relates to a pallet container (10) for storing and transporting liquid contents, comprising a rigid thin-walled inner container made of thermoplastic, a tube grid frame (12), which tightly surrounds the plastic inner container as a supporting jacket, and a base pallet (14), on which the plastic container rests and to which the tube grid frame (12) is securely connected, The base pallet (14) has a composite design which comprises an upper support plate (20) made of steel sheet, upper support pipes (32, 34) which run parallel and diagonally directly under the support plate (20), corner feet (22), central feet (24, 30), and a base pipe assembly (26) made of steel pipes, said assembly circulating below the corner and central feet (22, 24, 30). At least one central foot (24) consists of two separate steel sheet parts, namely an outer central foot part (38) and an inner central foot part (40) which are specially formed in a punching and bending method so as to be fixed between the upper support pipes (32, 34) and the base-side circulating base pipe assembly (26) in the final assembled state. Both central foot parts (38, 40) loosely engage into each other in a plugged formfitting manner.