<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Pallet flow rack are widely used in intralogistics to maximize warehouse capacity and to reduce the travel by fork-lifts. However, the use of pallet flow racks is associated with increased danger due to the use of gravity conveyors in their design. For this purpose, the gravity conveyors of pallet flow rack have a two safety elements – brake rollers and a stopping mechanism with pallet separator, which are working as a system. Brake rollers limit the speed of pallets, while the stopping mechanism allows exuding a pressure on the unloading pallet from the following behind it. A pallet should have such a speed, controlled by the brake rollers, so that it could be stopped by a stopping mechanism without damaging it. Based on the Cox impact theory, an original method for determining the allowable speed of a pallet in a pallet flow rack is proposed. The method ensures safe operation of the stopping mechanism with pallet separator and takes into account the mechanical properties and design parameters of the pallet separator stopper. A calculation example is provided for the most commonly used types of pallets – Euro pallet (1200 mm × 800 mm) and Industrial pallet (1200 mm × 1000 mm). The obtained results agree well with the pallet speed range of 0.2 to 0.3 m/s recommended by the manufacturers of pallet flow racks.</p></abstract>

Pallet flow rack are widely used in intralogistics to maximize warehouse capacity and to reduce the travel by fork-lifts. However, the use of pallet flow racks is associated with increased danger due to the use of gravity conveyors in their design. For this purpose, the gravity conveyors of pallet flow rack have a two safety elements – brake rollers and a stopping mechanism with pallet separator, which are working as a system. Brake rollers limit the speed of pallets, while the stopping mechanism allows exuding a pressure on the unloading pallet from the following behind it. A pallet should have such a speed, controlled by the brake rollers, so that it could be stopped by a stopping mechanism without damaging it. Based on the Cox impact theory, an original method for determining the allowable speed of a pallet in a pallet flow rack is proposed. The method ensures safe operation of the stopping mechanism with pallet separator and takes into account the mechanical properties and design parameters of the pallet separator stopper. A calculation example is provided for the most commonly used types of pallets – Euro pallet (1200 mm × 800 mm) and Industrial pallet (1200 mm × 1000 mm). The obtained results agree well with the pallet speed range of 0.2 to 0.3 m/s recommended by the manufacturers of pallet flow racks.

A Method to Determine Allowable Speed for a Unit Load in a Pallet Flow Rack

Faculty of Robotics and Complex Automation, Department of Lifting and Transport Systems

Acta Mechanica et Automatica

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

{"article-title":"A Method to Determine Allowable Speed for a Unit Load in a Pallet Flow Rack"}

Pallet flow rack are widely used in intralogistics to maximize warehouse capacity and to reduce the travel by fork-lifts. However, the use of pallet flow racks...

A Method to Determine Allowable Speed for a Unit Load in a Pallet Flow Rack

Published Online: Jul 25, 2019

Page range: 80 - 85

Received: Jan 04, 2019

Accepted: Apr 30, 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ama-2019-0011

Keywords
Gravity roller conveyor, pallet flow rack, dynamic pallet rack, pallet speed

© 2019 Eugene Safronov et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

A Method to Determine Allowable Speed for a Unit Load in a Pallet Flow Rack

Published Online: Jul 25, 2019

Page range: 80 - 85

Received: Jan 04, 2019

Accepted: Apr 30, 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ama-2019-0011

KeywordsGravity roller conveyor, pallet flow rack, dynamic pallet rack, pallet speed

© 2019 Eugene Safronov et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
Gravity roller conveyor, pallet flow rack, dynamic pallet rack, pallet speed