Plastic Pallet Rib Structure for High Load at Low Weight
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plastic pallets struggle to achieve the strength and stiffness of wooden pallets while maintaining a low weight, often requiring excessive material or reinforcements that result in undesirably heavy structures.
Innovation Solution
A plastic pallet design featuring a unique rib structure with cross-oriented ribs, hollow center leg, and internal supports that reduce weight without compromising strength, utilizing recycled plastic for enhanced durability and load-bearing capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If plastic pallets use more material or reinforcements to achieve wood-like strength, then load-bearing capacity is improved, but weight increases undesirably
Solution Approach 1:
The pallet is divided into multiple functional components: a base structure with load-bearing beams, a deck system with stringers and support bars, and recessed areas for reinforcement. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently for strength-to-weight ratio, achieving wood-like load-bearing capacity without excessive overall weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite construction by combining different plastic materials with varying properties - denser materials for load-bearing beams and reinforcement elements, lighter materials for deck components. This composite approach enables the pallet to achieve high strength where needed while maintaining low weight in non-critical areas, resolving the contradiction between strength and weight.
2Weight of moving object
If plastic pallets use ribbed supports to reduce weight, then weight is reduced, but stiffness and creep resistance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The pallet design applies local quality by providing full reinforcement only in areas requiring maximum strength (corner posts, support beams under load zones) while using lighter ribbed construction in non-critical areas. The recessed areas strategically position reinforcement elements only where structurally necessary, maintaining stiffness and creep resistance while minimizing overall weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates reinforcement elements that extend in multiple dimensions - vertical reinforcement in corner posts, horizontal support bars across the deck, and diagonal bracing elements. This multi-dimensional reinforcement approach provides comprehensive stiffness and creep resistance without requiring excessive material in any single plane, thereby controlling weight.
3Strength
If solid-section plastic pallets are used to achieve good stiffness, then stiffness is improved, but weight increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The solid-section stiffness is achieved through segmented reinforcement rather than a completely solid structure. Load-bearing beams are reinforced with internal ribs and cross-bracing that create a semi-solid structure, providing wood-like stiffness while removing excess material to reduce weight by approximately 50% compared to solid-section plastic pallets.
Solution Approach 2:
The pallet employs a porous or hollow-core construction in non-critical sections, such as hollow corner posts and open-ribbed support structures. These porous elements maintain structural stiffness through strategic wall thickness and rib placement while dramatically reducing material content and weight, achieving the desired stiffness-to-weight ratio.
Data Source
AI summary
The presently disclosed pallet is made of plastic, optionally recycled plastic, is low weight, and can handle weight up to more than 2.75 tons as a stacking load. The pallet has a unique design of ribs forming an upper deck and a lower deck to hold the required load. The upper deck and lower deck of the pallet are separated by a group of legs. Cross ribs are provided in each of the upper and lower decks and are oriented perpendicularly to reduce the weight of the pallet without significantly reducing its strength.