WO1999047026A1

WO1999047026A1 - Pallet rack repair system

Info

Publication number: WO1999047026A1
Application number: PCT/CA1999/000207
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dany Dion
Original assignee: Damotech Inc.
Priority date: 1998-03-13
Filing date: 1999-03-09
Publication date: 1999-09-23
Also published as: DE19983043T1; FR2778538A1; AU2708199A; GB0022383D0; CA2232178A1; DE19983043B4; CA2232178C; FR2778538B1; GB2351011A; ES2272103A1; GB2351011B; ES2272103B1

Abstract

There is provided a repair assembly and method for pallet racks wherein the assembly is used to replace a damaged front post. The repair assembly includes a tubular post (12) having a floor plate (20) at a lower end and a support plate (26) at an upper end with a horizontal brace (36) and a diagonal brace (34) to replace the existing braces. The assembly is structurally solid and has the diagonal brace placed sufficiently high above the floor to avoid damage by forklift trucks.

Description

PALLET RACK REPAIR SYSTEM

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to pallet racking arrangements and more

particularly, relates to a method system for repair of pallet racks.

Pallet racks originally received wide usage in warehouses wherein typically

they would extend in a plurality of rows for substantially the height of the building

with space being provided between the rows for forklift trucks to move. The forklift

trucks would then remove stock from the shelves for the shipping of quantities thereon

or for further processing.

More recently, the opening of large warehouse stores to the public have utilized

such pallet racks for direct access by the consumer. In this arrangement, the

warehouse and retail functions are combined.

Inherently, there are dangers in such a system and safeguards against collapse

must be provided. To date, most of the safety concerns have centered around the

various design criteria to ensure that the pallet racks are capable of accepting the loads

to which they are subjected. Normally, the pallet racks are of a knock down design

wherein the shelves or beams are hooked onto a post. The posts are generally

perforated to receive the hook elements and various designs of the post have been

proposed in the art. One may, for example, refer to U.S. Patent 4,064,996 illustrating

such a post structure.

While the use of pallet racks achieves substantial economies for the user, they

are very susceptible to damage. Inherently, the loaded pallets must be lifted onto the

racks by fork lift trucks. Due to the sometimes limited spaces, accidents are quite -2- frequent wherein the fork lift truck will accidentally collide with one of the support

posts. With the very high loads which the pallet racks carry, this is a dangerous

situation and any post even slightly damaged must be replaced.

In order to replace the damaged post, the loaded pallets must be removed from

the structure and the rack disassembled. After repair, the pallets must then be

reloaded on the structure.

The above process is both an expensive and time consuming one. Frequently,

once the post has been damaged, the forces acting on the structure will then cause

damage to some of the bracing and beams. For safety reasons, it frequently becomes

necessary to replace a substantial portion of the structure.

Although it has been proposed in the art to provide post protectors - see U.S.

Patent 4,113,110, such post protectors do not assist in preventing damage to the post at

a height above the protector.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for the repair of

pallet racks, which method minimizes the downtime when repairing a damaged post.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a repair system for the

repair of damaged pallet racks.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a repair

assembly for pallet racks comprising a tubular post having an upper end and a lower

end, a floor bearing plate secured to the tubular post at the lower end thereof, a

support plate secured to the tubular post at the upper end thereof, a connecting -3- member secured to the upper end of the tubular post, a horizontal brace extending

perpendicularly outwardly from a wall of the tubular post, a horizontal brace clamping

member located at a distal end of the horizontal brace, a diagonal brace extending

upwardly and outwardly from the wall of the tubular post, and a diagonal brace

clamping member located at a distal end of the diagonal brace.

In a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of

repairing a pallet rack having a front post with a damaged lower portion and an

undamaged upper portion, the method comprising the steps of supplying a repair

assembly comprising a tubular post having an upper end and a lower end, a floor

bearing plate secured to the tubular post at the lower end thereof, a support plate

secured to the tubular post at the upper end thereof, a connecting member secured to

the upper end of the tubular post, a horizontal brace extending perpendicularly

outwardly from a wall of the tubular post, a horizontal brace clamping member located

at a distal end of the horizontal brace, a diagonal brace extending upwardly and

outwardly from the wall of the tubular post, and a diagonal brace clamping member

located at a distal end of the diagonal brace, placing a lifting mechanism adjacent the

post, the lifting mechanism having means to engage and hold the undamaged upper

portion of the post, lifting the post a sufficient distance to transfer all weight bearing

on the damaged portion to the lifting mechanism, cutting and removing the damaged

lower portion and associated horizontal brace and diagonal brace, placing the repair

assembly of Claim 1 such that the tubular post replaces the damaged lower portion of

the front post, lowering the undamaged upper portion of the front post on the support -4- plate, and attaching the connecting member secured to the upper end of the tubular

post to the undamaged upper portion of the front post, and securing the clamping

means located at the distal ends of the horizontal brace and the diagonal brace to a rear

post of the pallet rack.

In greater detail, the repair assembly of the present invention is designed to

work with all standard pallet racks. In this respect, it will be understood that different

pallet racks will have different dimensions and the repair assembly will be configured

accordingly.

The repair assembly of the present invention is designed to be sufficiently

sturdy to permanently replace the damaged portion of the pallet rack and to withstand

any further damage from lift trucks and the like. Accordingly, it is constructed of

sufficiently robust material and in preferred embodiments, the post and braces are

made of steel between 1/4 and 3/16 inches thick. The same material will be used for

the connecting members.

As previously mentioned, damage frequently occurs when a portion of the

forklift truck hits the upright post. To the best of Applicant's knowledge, all of the

horizontal and diagonal braces are located at a relatively low height and particularly in

the case of the diagonal brace, the low height can lead to the danger of the whole

structure crumpling. In the present invention, the diagonal brace is situated at least

40 cm and preferably 45 cm above the floor bearing plate. This has been found to be

significant as it is above all portions of commercially available forklift trucks which

would be likely to make contact with the post. It is also preferred that the diagonal post form an angle of between 20 and

30 degrees with respect to the horizontal and more preferably, between 25 and

28 degrees. This angle is important in ensuring the overall rigidity of the structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus generally described the invention, reference will be made to the

accompanying drawings illustrating an embodiment thereof, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a repair system according to the present

invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view thereof;

Figures 3, 3a, 3b and 3c illustrate the replacement of a damaged post of a pallet

rack;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the equipment utilized during replacement of

the damaged post of the pallet rack;

Figure 5 is a side view illustrating engagement of the equipment with the

damaged post;

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the equipment of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a exploded view of the means of securing the repair assembly to the

post; and

Figure 8 is a cross sectional view of the assembled connector of Figure 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, and by reference characters thereto, -6- there is illustrated in Figure 1 a repair assembly which is generally designated by

reference numeral 10.

Repair assembly 10 includes a tubular post 12, having a front wall 14, an

opposed side wall 16, and a pair of side walls, only one side wall 18 being shown.

Located at the bottom of tubular post 12 is a floor bearing plate 20. Floor

bearing plate 20 extends beyond both front wall 14 and back wall 16; the portion

extending past front wall 14 has an aperture 22 therein to receive a fastening member

such as a bolt which will be secured to the floor. A C-shaped bolt guard 24 extends

substantially about the periphery of the portion extending beyond front wall 14 to

protect the bolt from damage. Similarly, an aperture is provided in the portion of floor

bearing plate 20 extending past back wall 16.

At the upper end of tubular post 12 there is a horizontal plate 26 welded

thereto. Also surrounding horizontal plate 26 and the upper portion of tubular post 12

is a C-shaped connector 28 having a front wall 30, a portion of which lies in

juxtaposition with front wall 14 of tubular post 12, their remaining portion extending

upwardly to receive the existing post of the pallet rack as will be discussed in greater

detail hereinbelow. Similarly, side wall 32 lies in juxtaposition to side wall 18 of

tubular post 12.

A horizontal brace 34 extends outwardly from back wall 16. Horizontal

brace 34 has an upper wall 36 and a bottom wall 38 which are substantially the same

as back wall 16 to thereby provide a very strong connection. Similarly, a diagonal

brace 46 extends diagonally outwardly and upwardly from back wall 16. In this -7- respect, it will be noted that diagonal brace 46 is located a distance above horizontal

brace 34 and extends at an angle of approximately 26 degrees. Diagonal brace 46

includes a top wall 48 and a bottom wall 50 which are slightly narrower than back

wall 16 of tubular post 12.

A C-shaped connector generally designated by reference numeral 40 is located

at the distal end of horizontal beam 34 and includes a front wall 42 and a pair of side

walls, only one side wall 44 being shown. Similarly, a C-shaped connector 52 is

provided at the distal end of diagonal brace 46.

Repair assembly 10, in Figures 1 and 2, is shown after having replaced a

portion of a damaged post 54 as used in a conventional pallet rack arrangement. In the

pallet rack arrangement there is also provided a rear post 56 and an upper horizontal

brace 58.

Each of posts 54 and 56, and as may be best seen in Figure 4, is of a formed

steel having an inwardly extending channel 64 with apertures 66 located therein. This

is similar to the arrangement shown, for example, in U.S. Patent 4,064,996 to Shillum.

In practicing the method of the present invention, reference will now be made

to the steps involved therein.

There is provided a lifting mechanism generally designated by reference

numeral 68 and which includes a base 70 having a recess 72 formed therein to permit

placement of the lifting mechanism proximate to front post 54. Mounted on base 70 is

a hydraulic jack 74 having an arm 76 extending upwardly therefrom. At the distal end

of arm 76 there is provided a post engaging attachment generally designated by -8- reference numeral 78. Post engaging attachment 78 will be specific to the type of post

being repaired and thus a number of different attachments may be employed.

Post engaging attachment 78 includes a front wall 80 from which a plurality of

members 82 extend. Each member 82 has a horizontal portion 84 which is

substantially perpendicular to front wall 80 and an upwardly extending portion 86. A

pair of side walls 88 extend rearwardly from front wall 80, each side wall 88 having

an aperture 90 formed therein to receive a pin 92 for attachment to arm 76.

Referring to Figures 3, 3a, 3b and 3c, there is illustrated front post 54 which

has been hit by a lift truck and has a lower damaged portion 96 and an upper

undamaged portion 98 (horizontal and diagonal braces not shown). Initially, lifting

mechanism 68 is placed into position whereby members 82 extending from front

wall 80 will engage with upper undamaged portion 98 through apertures 66. Hydraulic

jack 74 is then operated to lift post 54 to the extent necessary to remove any weight

bearing on lower damaged portion 96. Lower damaged portion 96 is then removed as

indicated by cut line 100.

Subsequently, repair assembly 10 is moved into position as shown in Figure 3b

and hydraulic jack 74 is then lowered to permit the bottom end of upper undamaged

portion 98 to rest on horizontal plate 86. A rear C-shaped reinforcing plate 106 is

placed inwardly of channel 64 and bolts 104 are then secured through C-shaped

connector 28. A similar procedure is followed with respect to connectors 40 and 52

located at the distal ends of horizontal brace 34 and diagonal brace 46 respectively.

Claims

-9- I CLAIM:

1. A repair assembly for pallet racks comprising:

a tubular post (12) having an upper end and a lower end;

a floor bearing plate (20) secured to said tubular post (12) at said lower end

thereof;

a support plate (26) secured to said tubular post at said upper end thereof;

a connecting member (28) secured to said upper end of said tubular post;

a horizontal brace (34) extending perpendicularly outwardly from a wall (16) of

said tubular post (12);

a horizontal brace clamping member (40) located at a distal end of said

horizontal brace (34);

a diagonal brace (46) extending upwardly and outwardly from said wall (16) of

said tubular post (12); and

a diagonal brace clamping member (52) located at a distal end of said diagonal

brace.

2. The repair assembly of Claim 1 wherein said diagonal brace (46) extends

outwardly from said wall (16) of said tubular post (12) at a distance from said floor

bearing plate (20) of at least 40 cm.

3. The repair assembly of Claim 1 wherein said diagonal brace (46) extends

upwardly and outwardly from said wall of said tubular post to form an angle of

between 20 and 30 degrees with respect to a horizontal plane. -10-

4. The repair assembly of Claim 3 wherein said angle is between 25 and

28 degrees.

5. The repair assembly of Claim 1 wherein each of said horizontal brace clamping

member (40) and said diagonal brace clamping member (52) comprises a C-shaped

member.

6. The repair assembly of Claim 1 wherein said floor bearing plate (20) has a first

portion extending forwardly of said tubular post (12) and a second portion extending

rearwardly of said tubular post (12), each of said first and second portions having an

aperture (22) therein, and a bolt guard (24) extending around said aperture in said first

portion.

7. A method of repairing a pallet rack having a front post (54) with a damaged

lower portion (96) and an undamaged upper portion (98), the method comprising the

steps of:

supplying a repair assembly comprising a tubular post (12) having an upper end

and a lower end, a floor bearing plate (20) secured to said tubular post (12) at said

lower end thereof, a support plate secured to said tubular post (12) at said upper end

thereof, a connecting member (28) secured to said upper end of said tubular post (12),

a horizontal brace (34) extending perpendicularly outwardly from a wall (16) of said

tubular post (12), a horizontal brace clamping member (40) located at a distal end of

said horizontal brace, a diagonal brace (46) extending upwardly and outwardly from

said wall (16) of said tubular post (12), and a diagonal brace clamping member (52)

located at a distal end of said diagonal brace; -11- placing a lifting mechanism (68) adjacent said post, said lifting mechanism

having means to engage and hold said undamaged upper portion (98) of said post;

lifting said post a sufficient distance to transfer all weight bearing on said

damaged portion to said lifting mechanism (68);

cutting and removing said damaged lower portion (96) and associated

horizontal brace and diagonal brace, placing the repair assembly of Claim 1 such that

said tubular post (12) replaces said damaged lower portion of said front post, lowering

said undamaged upper portion of said front post on said support plate (26), and

attaching said connecting member secured to said upper end of said tubular post to

said undamaged upper portion of said front post; and

securing said clamping means (40, 52) located at the said distal ends of said

horizontal brace and said diagonal brace to a rear post of said pallet rack.