Polymeric Core Load Bearing Structure with Underside Depressions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional load-bearing structures, particularly wooden pallets, are unsuitable for international shipping due to the risk of wood-boring insects and mold, and are heavy, making them costly for air transportation and less sanitary for food products, while existing plastic alternatives may not provide adequate strength and durability.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight polymeric core load-bearing structure with depressions and corresponding features on the underside, which enhances strength and rigidity without increasing weight, allowing for more cargo capacity and improved transportation efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If wooden pallets are used for international shipping, then they provide adequate strength and durability, but they are heavy, unsanitary, and risk transporting wood-boring insects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from wood to polymeric core materials, fundamentally altering the weight-to-strength ratio. The polymeric core provides sufficient strength while significantly reducing weight compared to traditional wooden pallets, directly resolving the contradiction between strength and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite construction by combining a polymeric core with a polymeric film layer. This composite structure leverages the lightweight properties of the polymeric core while the film layer provides protective functions, achieving both reduced weight and maintained strength/durability.
2Strength
If wooden pallets are used for international shipping, then they provide adequate strength and durability, but they are unsanitary and harbor insects and mold
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs disposable or single-use polymeric pallets that eliminate the need for repeated cleaning and treatment. The polymeric material inherently resists mold and insect infestation, and the pallet can be discarded after use, avoiding the sanitation issues associated with reusable wooden pallets.
Solution Approach 2:
The polymeric film layer in the composite structure provides a non-porous, sanitation-resistant barrier that prevents insect and mold contamination, fundamentally solving the sanitation problem of wooden pallets while maintaining structural strength.
3Strength
If thicker or heavier core materials are used to improve load bearing capabilities, then strength and durability increase, but weight increases and cargo capacity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the thickness parameter of the polymeric core to achieve the minimum required strength for load bearing while minimizing weight. The polymeric material's high strength-to-weight ratio allows for thinner core designs compared to traditional materials, increasing cargo capacity.
4Weight of moving object
If thinner core materials are used to reduce weight, then cargo capacity increases, but strength and durability decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure where the polymeric core is reinforced with a polymeric film layer. This composite approach allows the core to be thinner and lighter while the film layer provides additional strength and durability, resolving the contradiction between weight reduction and strength maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies the polymeric film layer specifically at critical areas where strength is needed, such as edges and load-bearing surfaces. This localized reinforcement allows the core to remain thin and lightweight in non-critical areas while maintaining overall structural integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a thinner, movable load bearing structure having indentations, grooves, valleys, channels or other similar depressions on its underside. These depressions are mated with corresponding features for improved loading bearing capabilities. The load bearing structures also includes roughened side edges for improving the strength of the edges. The load bearing structure may be a dunnage platform or a container for storing and/or shipping cargo.