Pallet Assembly Weight Reduction via Perpendicular Cross Beams
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pallet designs aim to minimize components and weight while maintaining rigidity and performance under UL Standard 2335, which evaluates heat release performance, but they often compromise on component complexity and fire-retardant material usage.
Innovation Solution
The pallet assembly features a reduced number of components with single cross beams oriented perpendicularly, minimized reinforcement member sizes, and strategically positioned peripheral rails to reduce weight and improve performance, ensuring the pallet collapses without interfering with heat sources during UL standard testing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If reinforcement members are made larger and more numerous to increase strength, then load-bearing capacity improves, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement members are segmented into discrete components: a peripheral rail forming a rectangular frame and separate cross beams positioned at specific locations. This segmentation allows optimization of each component's size and position to provide maximum strength with minimum material, resolving the contradiction between strength and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
Cross beams are positioned locally at strategic locations where structural support is most needed, rather than uniformly distributing reinforcement throughout. This local quality approach concentrates material where it provides maximum structural benefit, increasing load-bearing capacity without proportionally increasing overall weight.
2Stability of the object's composition
If reinforcement members are positioned to provide continuous support, then structural stability improves, but performance under UL Standard 2335 deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The peripheral rail is positioned to extend only partially between rack ledges rather than spanning the full distance. This partial action provides sufficient structural stability for normal operation while allowing the pallet to collapse appropriately under UL Standard 2335 testing conditions, preventing interference with heat sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement member configuration allows the pallet structure to transition from a stable state during normal use to a collapsed state during fire testing. The peripheral rail and cross beams are positioned to maintain structural integrity under normal loads but enable controlled collapse when subjected to rack ledge constraints during UL testing.
3Strength
If multiple cross beams are used in reinforcement members, then rigidity improves, but component complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement structure is segmented into a peripheral rail and a minimal number of cross beams (typically one or two per side). This segmentation provides the necessary rigidity through strategic placement rather than through quantity, reducing component complexity while maintaining structural integrity.
4Strength
If peripheral rail extends fully between ledges, then support to deck improves, but interference with heat sources during testing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The peripheral rail is designed to extend only partially between rack ledges rather than spanning the full distance. This partial extension provides adequate deck support for normal operation while ensuring that the rail does not protrude far enough to interfere with heat sources during UL Standard 2335 testing, allowing the pallet to collapse and smother flames effectively.
Data Source
AI summary
A pallet assembly includes an upper deck and a lower deck spaced by a plurality of columns. The weight of the pallet is reduced without significant reduction in strength by providing only a single cross beam in each of the upper and lower reinforcement members and orienting them perpendicular to one another. The reinforcement members are minimized for weight reduction and for improved performance in heat tests. The peripheral rail of the upper reinforcement member is reduced such that it rests on only an inwardly open recess on an inner corner of each of the corner columns. This reduces the size and weight of the upper reinforcement member, while still providing support to the upper deck. Additionally, the peripheral rails of both the upper and lower decks are reduced in length such that either ledge does not directly support them while the pallet is stored on a rack. As a result, in the case of sufficient heat source on the pallets, the pallets will eventually collapse without interference from the reinforcement members and at least partially smother the heat source.