Wire Mesh Shelf Nose Piece With Flush Fasteners to Prevent Snagging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wire shelf structures in apparel warehouses have protruding edges and fastener heads that snag and damage lightweight products, such as clothing packages, due to their design.
Innovation Solution
A shelf structure with a nose piece having an upper flange that extends under the grid, creating a flush surface and a downwardly recessed rear lip to prevent snagging, along with fastener apertures that recess fastener heads below the support plane, and optional reinforcing straps for structural support and protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional nose piece with upper flange and fastener is used to secure the shelf to the cantilever arm, then the shelf structure is structurally sound and securely attached, but the rear edge of the nose piece and the head of the fastener extend upward above the top support plane of the grid, creating snag points that damage lightweight products
Solution Approach 1:
The nose piece upper flange is bent at approximately 90 degrees to extend horizontally underneath the grid, moving the attachment structure from a vertical profile that protrudes above the support plane to a horizontal configuration below the grid. This dimensional repositioning eliminates protruding edges while maintaining secure attachment to the cantilever arm through fasteners passing through apertures in the flange.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful protruding elements (rear edge of nose piece and fastener head) are extracted or removed from the space above the top support plane. The nose piece geometry is specifically designed so that its rear edge does not extend above the support plane, and fastener heads are positioned below the grid, eliminating snag points while preserving the attachment function.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the nose piece upper flange is bent to extend horizontally underneath the grid to eliminate protruding edges, then product snagging is prevented, but the complexity of the nose piece manufacturing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The nose piece is fabricated from a curved or bent sheet metal flange with a specific geometry where the upper flange is pre-bent at approximately 90 degrees. This parameter change in the base material shape allows the horizontal extension underneath the grid to be achieved through forming operations rather than complex assembly, simplifying manufacturing while eliminating protruding edges that cause product damage.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If fastener apertures are positioned in the nose piece upper flange to allow fastener heads to recess below the grid top support plane, then no protruding fastener heads are present to snag products, but the precision required for aperture placement and fastener installation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fastener apertures are pre-positioned in the nose piece upper flange at specific locations that ensure when fasteners are installed, their heads will recess below the grid top support plane. This preliminary positioning of apertures during nose piece fabrication establishes the correct geometry in advance, guiding fastener installation to achieve the desired recessed configuration without requiring high-precision adjustment during assembly.
Data Source
AI summary
A welded wire mesh shelf structure is provided for cantilevered racks for warehouse storage. The shelf structure includes a welded wire mesh grid and a nose piece attached to the grid such that a top nose surface is flush with and defines an extension of an upper support plane defined by the wire grid. Fasteners attaching the shelf structure to cantilevered arms are flush with or recessed below the top support plane such that no protruding edge is presented by the nose piece to snag articles sliding on the upper support plane.