DE102011052639A1 - Damping element for large load carriers - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a damping element (10) for a transport unit, in particular for a large load carrier (20), which can be compressed under resistance in the direction of an expected load entry (R). In this case, damping element (10) can be inserted into a cavity (32) of a foot part (22) or a support element of the transport unit and has a plurality of wall sections (12, 14) which span a thin-walled hollow body. Two in the load application direction (R) spaced, plane-parallel end wall portions (12) are connected at their edges over at least two outwardly curved and in the buckling direction bending elastic or plastically deformable side wall portions (14).

Description

The present invention relates to a damping element for a transport unit, in particular a large load carrier or a so-called. Big box, according to the preamble of claim 1, which is compressible in the direction of an expected load entry under resistance. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a molded part for producing such a damping element and a transport unit with such a damping element.

Large load carriers and so-called big boxes have on their underside usually single or pallet-like skids connected support feet to handle a forklift such. B. to allow a forklift or pallet truck. In this case, the large load carrier on the one hand heavy goods of any kind can take, on the other hand, however, have the lowest possible weight. Therefore, many such large load carriers are made of plastic in a lightweight construction. The support feet are designed according to the expected load.

However, if such a large load carrier from a certain height, z. B. of a forklift, falls on the ground, the support feet of this jerky load often do not stand, even if the large load carrier strikes with its entire weight on only one support foot (see 10 ). For this reason, damage in this area is often observed in such large load carriers, ranging from larger dents to complete demolition or breakage of the foot area. If, as is the case in many embodiments, the support legs are integrally formed with the body of the large load carrier, massive damage only one support leg can lead to the uselessness of the entire large load carrier, which must be replaced by another costly large load carrier.

The prior art has no solution to this problem. The from the prior art, such as from DE 42 07 727 A1 and DE 10 2009 017 128 A1 , known damping elements are usually interposed between the substructure and the load carrier and serve more to protect the goods transported as the protection of the transport unit. These solutions do not offer protection against a rather selective load application on a foot element.

Against this background, the object of the present invention is to minimize a punctual or localized load application to a support element or a substructure of a transport unit, in particular a large load carrier made of plastic, and thus to allow a length of use of the transport unit.

This object is achieved with respect to a damping element by the features of claim 1 and in terms of the transport unit by the features of claim 5. A suitable for producing a damping element according to claim 1 molding is the subject of claim 4.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

The damping element according to the invention can be inserted into a cavity of a foot part or a support element of the transport unit and has a plurality of wall sections, which span a thin-walled hollow body. Two of these wall sections form two end wall sections, which are spaced apart in load application direction or facing each other and are preferably arranged plane-parallel. These two end wall sections are connected to each other via curved side wall sections. These curved side wall sections can be flexurally or plastically deformed in and across the load application direction.

Since the side wall portions are curved, they are not compressed during a load application on one of the two end wall sides, which under some circumstances would lead to a breakage of the damping element, but bent in a predetermined direction. A pulse-like or jerky load entry on an end wall side is damped by the flexurally elastic or plastic deformation work of the damping element, so that a more uniform and less shock-like load is transmitted to the opposite end wall side. The curved side wall portions thus act as between the end wall portions arranged spring elements.

Preferably, the damping element has a symmetrical cross-section, that is, if the damping element has two curved side wall sections, so they are on opposite sides, or in three side wall sections, these form an isosceles, preferably an equiangular triangle, etc. This is as uniform as possible damping and Guaranteed load transfer to the other side of the damping element. Due to the symmetry of the damping element does not tilt, but deforms the same on all sides. Symmetrical also means that opposing side wall sections can have the same curvature, the same wall thicknesses, lengths and widths.

According to an embodiment that is stable on the one hand and easy to produce on the other hand, the end wall sections each have a rectangular shape and are connected to one another by four curved side wall sections, ie two pairs of side wall sections lying opposite each other.

According to one aspect of the invention, the side wall sections are not interconnected with each other. As a result, the side wall portions do not interfere with each other, so that they are bent only according to their curvature and not also stretched laterally or pulled apart, which would be the case if they were directly connected. This ensures a reversible bending elastic deformation.

If the sidewall portions are inwardly, i. towards each other, are curved, there is a risk that the side wall portions meet at a flexurally elastic or plastic deformation inwardly to each other and interfere with each other. Therefore, according to a preferred embodiment, the side wall portions are each arched outwards. Mutual obstruction can also be prevented if the side wall sections are curved in the circumferential direction alternately times to the outside and sometimes inside.

In order to reduce the forces acting on the foot part or support element, the damping element should be selected in terms of material and / or cross-sectional area so that it has a higher resistance in load application direction than the foot part or support element of the transport unit, in which the damping element is to be used. As a result, a large part of the load input is absorbed, damped and transmitted by the damping element, thus relieving the structures of the foot element which are not designed for such shock-like stresses.

In order to keep production of the damping element as low as possible in terms of manufacturing and cost, the damping element may be formed from a one-piece, bending-formed and welded metal sheet metal part formed at selected edges.

A corresponding sheet metal part for producing a damping element according to the invention is formed from a cross-shaped, the pattern of a hexahedron corresponding sheet metal molding. After bending forming, the four rectangular sections in the longitudinal direction form the two end wall sections and two of the side wall sections, and the two sections extending transversely in each case form the two other side wall sections. As a result, damping elements according to the invention can be produced with less use of material and less time and thus cost. When the width of two side wall portions is smaller than the edge length of the end wall portion, not only can the distance between adjacent side wall portions be increased, but also the bending stress that would occur at the corners of the meeting bending edges. Furthermore, these side wall sections may additionally be provided with relief notches on the bending edges.

The subject of claim 5 is a transport unit, such as. As a large load carrier, a big box or a pallet, with a plurality of arranged at a bottom portion foot parts or support elements, wherein in a cavity of at least one foot part or support element, an inventive damping element is inserted such that it is a load application, in particular a vertical impact, on Foot part or support element under flexurally elastic or plastic deformation dampens. Since a shock, z. B. when the transport unit strikes from a certain height with the foot first on the ground, is damped by the damping element, it does not lead to the aforementioned serious damage to the foot, but only to lower deformations, which is the functioning of the substructure or large cargo carrier Overall, do not affect. The damping element thereby serves for energy absorption. This ensures a longer utilization of the boxes, even if a punctual or localized load peak occurs at the foot part.

The solution of inserting a separate, easily manufactured and lightweight damping element into a cavity of a foot region can be realized much more simply than an integrated solution which allows the production of the foot region, e.g. In the injection molding process would make more complex and thus more expensive. Since the foot elements, if they are produced by injection molding of plastic, usually have cavities anyway, the damping element according to the invention can be used without or with only minor design changes or reworking in transport units. In some cases, even existing systems can be retrofitted with the damping element according to the invention.

By inserting the damping element, a further load path is created in the foot element, via which a load application can be transmitted from the foot element to the bottom section. As a result, the otherwise over the side walls of the foot member extending load path through the Damping relieved, especially when the resistance of the damping element is selected higher than that of the side wall portions of the foot part.

Preferably, the damping element is inserted into the cavity so that the two end wall sections abut in load application direction respectively to corresponding walls of the foot member and possibly bottom portion and the curved side wall portions have a lateral clearance transverse to the load insertion direction. In a preferred embodiment, the end wall sections lie under a flexurally elastic prestressing of the side wall sections. As a result, the damping element is fixed in the cavity and can not move back and forth. On the other hand, the lateral play allows a flexurally elastic or plastic deformation of the side wall sections in the event of a jerky load application. Thus, the damping element can be fastened in the cavity of the foot without further fastening means and corresponding assembly work. Thus, it is possible to dispense with any screw connections and through holes which would otherwise have to be taken into account in the design and manufacture.

By inserting the damping element in the cavity or a recess of the foot part, a double wall structure is created in a simple manner, which substantially increases the rigidity of the foot part and is easier to produce than e.g. by injection molding. The damping element is, so to speak, a reinforcing element of the foot part, so that the transport unit or the container can also be used for higher stack loads.

The lateral play between the side wall sections of the damping element and the cavity inner wall of the foot part can preferably be selected such that the side wall sections can deform laterally flexurally or plastically, on the other hand come into contact with the side walls of the foot element at a predetermined load entry and the deformation caused thereby. It is thereby achieved that the cavity defined by the wall sections of the foot part is supported from the inside by the damping element and none of the side walls of the foot part can collapse or buckle inwards. Thus, the damping element in a jerky load entry on the foot has a supporting and structure-preserving function. This ensures that the shape required for the functioning of the foot part is maintained and at most smaller deformations remain. This ensures a longer degree of utilization of the transport unit or at least the substructure.

According to one aspect of the invention, a foot part with the damping element inserted therein with at least one fastener releasably secured to the bottom portion such that one end wall portion of the damping element bears against the inside of a bottom or support portion of the foot and the other end wall portion at an underside of the Floor section of the transport unit is applied.

Due to the bipartite of the foot member and the bottom portion, the damping element can be easily introduced into the foot member and secured thereto with the bottom portion of the transport unit. Furthermore, this modularity allows the replacement of the foot element, in case it is damaged in time despite the damping element, while the body of the transport unit can continue to be used. Since the damping element can not only carry pulse-like load entries, but also sustained loads, the joint between the plastic-made bottom portion and the foot made of plastic foot is significantly relieved. Precisely for this reason has been largely dispensed with in large load carriers on a two-part solution with a highly stressed attachment portion. The use according to the invention of the damping element facilitates a modular solution.

Alternatively, the damping element can be inserted into the foot part not from above, but from the side and optionally closed with a lid.

Brief description of the drawings

The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show it:

1 a perspective view of a damping element according to an embodiment of the invention;

2 a plan view of the damping element of 1 ;

3 a first side view of the damping element of 1 ;

4 a second side view of the damping element of 1 ;

5 a bottom view of the damping element of 1 ;

6 a metal sheet pattern for the preparation of the damping element of 1 ;

7 a sectional perspective view of a foot portion of a large load carrier with a damping element inserted therein according to the embodiment of the invention;

8th a partial cross-sectional view of the large load carrier with the inserted damping element according to the embodiment;

9 a schematic representation of the operating principle of the damping element according to the embodiment; and

10 the loading zones of a falling on a footboard large load carrier according to the prior art.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments

1 shows a perspective view of a damping element 10 , In the damping element 10 it is a thin-walled body with two spaced-apart, substantially rectangular-shaped and mutually plane-parallel end walls 12 and four outwardly arched sidewalls 14 which the respective outer sides of the end walls 12 connect with each other. The damping element 10 consists of a one-piece sheet metal part, which consists of a thin, z. B. 2 mm thick, sheet metal is cut out, bending is formed and, after it in the in the 1 shown shape, then at certain edges (see 5 ) is welded to fix the hollow body shape.

From the 1 It can also be seen that the side walls 14 not directly with each other, but only over the end walls 12 connected to each other.

2 shows a plan view of the damping element 10 or on the upper end wall 12-1 as well as the arched side walls projecting on all sides 14 , From the 2 are also bending edges K1 to K4, at which the initially planar sheet metal shaped part is folded. Here is the width of a pair of opposite side walls 14-3 . 14-4 less than the corresponding sides of the end walls 12 and moreover on both sides with relief notches 16 provided during the forming process, the bending stresses in the end wall 12 to minimize.

The 3 and 4 show two side views of the damping element 10 , From the figures it can be seen that not only the respective opposite side walls 14-1 and 14-2 respectively. 14-3 and 14-4 but all sidewalls 14 have the same degree of curvature. It should be noted that the side walls 14 are only slightly curved so that they have a predetermined bending behavior in load application direction R due to the buckling direction to the outside, on the other hand, however, are relatively rigid.

In addition to the already mentioned four bending edges K1 to K4 on the one end wall 12-1 is there another bending edge K5 between a side wall 14-2 and the other end wall 12-2 as in the 3 and 4 is shown. The front sides of the other three side wall sections 14-1 . 14-3 . 14-4 be at the corresponding side edges of this end wall 12-2 welded or glued, as can be seen from the 5 results.

6 shows the shape of the corresponding sheet metal part before the forming. The pattern of the sheet metal part has the shape of a cross, wherein in the longitudinal direction, the two end wall sides 12-1 and 12-2 and two of the sidewall portions 14-1 and 14-2 are interconnected and in the transverse direction, the other two side wall sections 14-3 and 14-4 each with the one end wall 12-1 are connected.

The use of the damping element in the support foot region of a large load carrier will now be described. 7 shows a perspective partial sectional view of a bottom portion 18 a large load carrier 20 with a foot element attached thereto 22 , The foot element 22 is from below in one at the bottom section 18 correspondingly provided recording 24 used and with side edges 26 of the bottom section 18 screwed. The foot element 22 has on its outside a circumferential shoulder 28 passing through stiffening ribs 30 is reinforced in the vertical direction. If the foot element 22 in the bottom section 18 is inserted, there is the circumferential shoulder 18 in contact with the side edges 26 of the bottom section 18 and so can vertical forces from the foot element 22 on the bottom section 18 and vice versa.

Both the bottom section 18 as well as the foot element 22 are made of plastic.

The foot element 22 is an upwardly open thin-walled body in which, as in the 7 shown the damping element 10 Finds room and can be used in it. Like from the 7 can be seen, is the height of the damping element 10 ie the distance between both end walls 12 , greater than the depth of a cavity 32 in the foot element 22 so that the damping element 10 over the foot element 22 protrudes. If the foot element 22 at the bottom section 18 is fastened, comes the upper end wall 12 in plant with a bottom 34 of the bottom section 18 so that the damping element 10 a load entry F from below on the foot element 22 on the bottom section 18 can transfer.

From the 7 and in particular from the 8th it can be seen that the damping element 10 to a lateral inner wall 36 of the foot element 22 a game S has. Even if this is in the 7 and 8th is not recognizable, so has the damping element 10 to the two inner wall sides, not shown, a corresponding game S on. This will allow the sidewall sections 14 when a vertical force component on the foot element 22 and thus on the damping element 10 acts, be compressed in the vertical direction and be deformed in the transverse direction to bending elastic or plastic. The game S leaves the vertical bending of the sidewall sections 14 necessary space aside.

If the damping part 10 is compressed and the curved side wall sections 14 even further bulge outward, they come to all sides in contact with the inner wall 36 of the foot element 22 , This will be the inner wall 36 of the foot element 22 from the sidewall sections 14 of the damping element 10 each supported from the inside, thereby preventing the side wall 36 of the foot element and the side edges 26 of the bottom section 18 kink and collapse inside.

The 9 shows the operating principle of the damping element 10 after a load entry on the foot element 22 with a vertical force component F. The mechanical properties of the damping element 10 , Material, wall thickness, cross-sectional profile, etc., are chosen so that the resistance, in particular the flexural rigidity, of the damping element 10 larger than the foot element 22 and the side flanks 26 the recording 28 at the bottom section 18 are. This will, as in the 9 not just another load path is created, showing the load path across the side wall 36 , the shoulder 28 and the side edges 26 largely relieved, but are attenuated due to the bending elastic or plastic deformation capability of the damping element load peaks, so that not too high loads on the underside 34 of the bottom section 18 occur. Furthermore, the surface load is due to the flat contact of the two end wall sides 12 on the ground 38 of the foot element 22 on the one hand and the underside 34 at the bottom section 18 not too high.

By making the sidewall sections 14 of the damping element 10 not mutually connected to each other, the damping element can also shear very well, ie horizontal relative displacements of the end walls 12 to each other, or oblique load effects in which the initially plane-parallel end walls 12 be tilted to each other, compensate, so that the damping element 10 even with such stresses, z. B. when a forklift tines the foot element 22 touched on the side, the actual functionality of the damping element is not lost.

The present invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment. However, it goes without saying that the invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the damping element of another material with similar shape and effect, eg. B. be made of a plastic. In addition, the damping element instead of four curved side walls also have only two opposing side walls. On the other hand, the end walls other geometric shapes, such. B. have a triangular shape, or other regular polygonal shapes with a corresponding number of curved side wall sections. The side wall sections can, if they have enough space for deformation to the inside, also be curved inwards.

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• DE 4207727 A1 [0004]
• DE 102009017128 A1 [0004]

Claims (10)

Damping element ( 10 ) for a transport unit, in particular for a large load carrier ( 20 ), which is compressible in the direction of an expected load application (R) under resistance, characterized in that it enters a cavity ( 32 ) of a foot part ( 22 ) or a support element of the transport unit, in particular under bias, usable damping element ( 10 ) several wall sections ( 12 . 14 ), which span a (thin-walled) hollow body, wherein two in load application direction (R) spaced, preferably plane-parallel, end wall sections ( 12 ) at its edges over at least two, preferably outwardly, arched and in the buckling direction bending elastic or plastically deformable side wall sections ( 14 ) are connected. Damping element ( 10 ) according to claim 1, characterized in that the end wall sections are rectangular and have four curved side wall sections ( 14 ), which in turn are not directly connected to each other. Damping element according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is formed from a one-piece, bending-formed and welded to selected edges metal sheet molding. Molded part for producing a damping element ( 10 ) according to one of the preceding claims, which is formed from a cross-shaped, the pattern of a hexahedron corresponding sheet metal molding, whose four rectangular sections in the longitudinal direction after the bending forming the two end wall sections ( 12 ) and two of the sidewall portions ( 14 ) and the two sections extending transversely from each other form the two other side wall sections (FIG. 14 ) form. Transport unit, in particular large load carrier ( 20 ), with a plurality at a bottom portion ( 18 ) arranged foot parts ( 22 ) or supporting elements, characterized in that a damping element ( 10 ) according to one of claims 1 to 4 in a cavity ( 32 ) at least one foot part ( 32 ) is inserted such that there is a load application, in particular a vertical impact, on the foot part ( 32 ) attenuates under bending elastic or plastic deformation. Transport unit according to claim 5, characterized in that the damping element ( 10 ) for transmitting a load entry another load path between the foot part ( 22 ) and bottom section ( 18 ). Transport unit according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the damping element ( 20 ) is inserted into the cavity so that the two end wall sections ( 12 ), preferably under flexurally elastic prestressing of the side wall sections, in load application direction (R) in each case rest and the side wall sections ( 14 ) transverse to the load application direction (R) a side game ( 2 ) to have. Transport unit according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that material and cross-sectional area of the damping element ( 10 ) are selected so that in load application direction (R) a higher resistance, in particular higher bending stiffness, than the foot part ( 22 ) Has. Transport unit according to one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that the side wall sections ( 14 ) of the damping element ( 10 ) at a predetermined load entry under flexurally elastic or plastic deformation also with corresponding inner wall sections ( 36 ) of the foot part ( 22 ) come into contact. Transport unit according to one of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that a foot part ( 22 ) with the damping element ( 10 ) by means of at least one fastener releasably attached to the bottom portion ( 18 ) is fastened such that the one end wall section ( 12 ) on the inside of a support portion of the foot part ( 22 ) and the other end wall section ( 12 ) on a lower side ( 34 ) of the bottom section ( 18 ) is present.

Images