Polymeric Load Bearing Structure with Underside Grooves
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wooden dunnage platforms are unsuitable for international shipments due to the risk of importing wood-boring insects and are not sanitary, while plastic alternatives are heavier and more expensive, necessitating a lightweight yet durable load-bearing structure for cargo transport.
Innovation Solution
A load-bearing structure with a lightweight polymeric core covered by polymeric sheets or films, featuring grooves and corresponding features on the underside to enhance strength and rigidity without increasing weight, allowing for increased cargo capacity and improved durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If wooden dunnage platforms are used, then the structure is inexpensive and easy to manufacture, but it introduces wood-boring insects and is not sanitary
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from wood to plastic, transforming the platform from natural organic material to synthetic material. This parameter change eliminates the harmful factors (insects and unsanitary conditions) while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through injection molding processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite plastic materials that combine durability, sanitation, and insect resistance in a single material system. The plastic composition provides both structural integrity and resistance to biological contaminants, solving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and harm prevention.
2Reliability
If plastic dunnage platforms are used, then the structure is sanitary and durable, but the weight increases and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs porous or hollow structural elements within the plastic platform design. These voids reduce the overall weight of the platform while maintaining structural integrity through the plastic material's inherent strength. The porous structure allows weight reduction without sacrificing the sanitary and durable characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the plastic material parameters (density, thickness, wall composition) to achieve the minimum necessary weight for structural integrity while maximizing sanitation and durability. By carefully controlling material density and structural thickness, the platform achieves reliability without excessive weight.
3Strength
If thicker or heavier core material is used, then the load bearing capability improves, but the weight increases and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite construction combining a lightweight core material (such as foam or hollow structure) with a stronger plastic covering layer. This composite approach provides the necessary load bearing capability through the combination of materials, where the core provides volume efficiency and the covering provides surface strength, avoiding the need for heavy solid material.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies thicker or stronger material specifically at locations where load bearing is required, while using thinner or lighter material in non-critical areas. This localized quality approach optimizes the weight-strength ratio by concentrating material only where structurally necessary, reducing overall weight while maintaining adequate load bearing capability.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a 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 structure may be a dunnage platform or a container for storing and/or shipping cargo.