This invention relates to improvements in methods of manufacturing near-rigid connections for use in pallet racking, shelving and other beam to column connections wherein the beams may be of hollow, partially hollow or open section formed from sheet metal or hot rolled strip wherein the means of connecting the beams to the columns or posts may be substantially stiffened and wherein part of the beam end moments and or substantially horizontal forces may be transferred across the column face to the adjacent connector and beam and wherein the bearing loads from the beam end connector teeth, hooks, tangs, rivets or other fasteners may be distributed over the teeth, hooks, tangs, rivets or other fasteners of the afore said adjacent beam connector and the adjacent beam to column connection to thus distribute the substantially lateral load from any one beam over a greater number of teeth, hooks, tangs, rivets or other fasteners.

Current methods employ a connector which is independently manufactured as a separate entity and a beam which is attached to the connector by welding or similar means. This method is employed by many rack manufacturers such as for example Dexion, APC, Colby and Brownbuilt.

It has been found that connector plates may be formed from the beam material itself thereby eliminating the need to weld connectors to beam ends. A further benefit of this form of manufacture is that pre-galvanised material may be utilised thus eliminating the need for post weld cleaning and painting or powder coating.

It has further been found that lighter section beams may be utilised providing that a substantially rigid connection can be made between the beam and the column thereby reducing the cost of production. Current systems employ for the most part an engineering system known as simple ^' design or semi-rigid design. Utilising the proposed improvements it will be possible to achieve near-rigid design thereby saving on the weight of materials employed in the manufacture of pallet racking, shelving and other structures.

In the following description items described in the singular may also be interpreted as having a plural meaning. The word tang or tangs may refer to both preformed rivet type engagement means or to teeth, tines or hooks formed from the connector plate material and or packer plate material. It should be understood that loads on, and lengths of beams vary considerably which in turn determines the best method of manufacture for a particular application.

The proposed improvements involve new and inventive steps in the manufacture of racking, shelving and other beams and connections which may be of hollow box section (single or double flange thickness) or inverted U shape, C section or hollow flange I shape or any other shape which lends itself to this method of manufacture.

The beams may be deformed at the appropriate places in the longitudinal direction and locations to create a substantially flat surface or flat portions to serve as a connector plate to connect the beam ends to the columns. The edges of said flattened portions may be radiused or a packer plate of suitable thickness may be inserted between the two webs just prior to complete flattening. The packer plate, if used, may be affixed to the beam and may in addition serve to increase the distance between points of application of the substantially lateral loads from the tangs to the webs of the beam connector portion and may increase bearing capacity. A load transfer plate to transfer part of the moment forces or substantially horizontal forces from one beam connector to an adjacent beam connector may be employed to distribute said loads to an adjacent beam connector. The transfer plate may have lips formed on one or more edges.

A multiplicity of apertures of suitable shape may be created in the connector portion of the beam through which preformed tangs may be pressed. The apertures in the column and or transfer plate which substantially match in pitch and spacing those in the connector may be elongated in the vertical direction to enable passage of the tang and or retaining nib if used, through those column or transfer plate apertures through which the tang end or ends must pass or the tang itself may be so formed as to have a cut-out, grove or notch at the appropriate point or points longitudinally along the length of the tang to engage the column to thus create a means of tang and beam retention and or transfer plate retention.

The transfer plate may include provision for a safety clip or clips to prevent accidental dislodgement of the transfer plate and beam or beams from the column or post.

Alternately, separate connector plates with tangs formed from the connector plate material wherein some of the tangs protrude inwardly and downwardly to engage mating apertures in the column and wherein some of the tangs protrude outwardly to engage mating apertures in the load transfer plate and or wherein preformed tangs may be affixed at the appropriate locations to the connector plates or wherein some tangs may be formed from the connector plate material and others may be preformed and affixed to the connector plate which may be of angle or other suitable shape.

A further alternative may be employed wherein each beam end may have tangs formed from the beam end material itself plus internal packer plate, if used which-has at least one row of tangs. A load transfer plate may be installed, in one option and for example between the connector portion of the beam or beams and the column to transfer part of the rotational and substantially lateral loads from one beam end connector to the adjacent beam end connector thus distributing said loads over a greater number of tangs. The tangs would necessarily need to be slightly longer to accommodate the additional thickness of the transfer plate. The transfer plate may have top and bottom flanges or it may be of channel shape to substantially engage the flanges of the column to further distribute tensile or compressive forces across the face of the column thus reducing the loads on the tangs of any one beam end connector and may further transfer part of the lateral loads to the adjacent beam end connector thus reducing the substantially lateral loads applied to the column.

A further alternate means of connection may be employed wherein the tangs are affixed to the beam connector plates such that they protrude from both sides of the connector plate such that one end of a tang which protrudes from the inner face of the beam connector engages the column and that portion , of the tang which protrudes from the outer face of the beam connector engages the load transfer plate located across the outer face of the connector plates. The tang may be tapered inwardly from top to bottom for at least that portion of the tang which passes through the column and may be tapered inwardly from bottom to top for at least that portion of the tang which passes through the transfer plate or that portion of the tang which passes through the transfer plate may be partially round. Tangs may be tapered in the longitudinal direction to affect a press fit in the connector plate to which it is being affixed. The tang may further have a hardened tip to facilitate punching of apertures in the beam end connector and fixing of the tang in one operation.

The above described invention will now be more fully described with reference to the drawings attached and the following description of an example of the invention. Figures 1, & 2 are isometric and plan views respectively of one example of the invention in which the connector plates (22) of adjacent beams created for example, by deforming the end of a rectangular hollow section beam or box beam (21 ) to form a substantially flat plate (22) the thickness of which may be the combined thickness of the flattened beam end and packer plate if used. Said flat plate portion (22) of the beam would be of sufficient width to accommodate at least one row of the necessary hooks, teeth, tongues, fasteners tangs or rivets (24) which may be of oblong shape at a suitable pitch to match or coincide with the pitch of the mating apertures in the column or post to which the beam or beams are to be attached. The ends of the connector plate (22) with or without internal packer plate may be bent over as shown (22b).

Figure 3 is another example of the invention showing an end view of a single beam end connector (22) with tangs (24) which may be of oblong shape in the vertical direction, affixed to the beam connector (22) in such a manner as to protrude from both sides of the beam connector.

The tang or tangs may then pass through the mating apertures in the column to engage the internal face of the column or post (20) Under the force of gravity and be retained in said location by engagement of the column face within a preformed grove (26) in the tang (24) near the end of the tang. The load transfer plate (28) attached to the outwardly protruding part of the tang or tangs in adjacent connectors (22) may transfer part of the substantially lateral load to the adjacent tang (24) or tangs in the adjacent beam end connector (22).

At the beginning and end of a run of racking a beam end connector (22) or suitable substitute plate without attached beam may be employed to transfer load from the transfer plate (28) through the tangs to said beam end connector (22) or suitable substitute plate and to the column or post (20).

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are side, end, and plan views respectively of a preformed tang (24) wherein the sides are tapered inwardly from the top to the bottom over that length of the tang (24c) which passes through the column (20) and may be so for that portion (24b) of the tang which may be affixed to the beam connector (22b). Thereafter the tang taper may be reversed in direction to taper from the top outwardly to the bottom (24a) for that portion of the length of the tang which passes through a transfer plate or that portion (24a) of the tang may be partially round to accommodate minor misalignment between adjacent connector tangs and the apertures of substantially mating configuration in the transfer plate.

Figure 7 is an end view of a beam connector showing a tang (24) with one end notched (26) to engage the column through the aperture in the column and the opposite end of the tang which may have a nib (24d) or a preformed grove or notch (26) at the outer end of the tang (24) to retain the transfer plate.

Figure 8 is a further example of the utilisation of a load transfer plate (28) which may be employed with some beam end connectors in which the hooks or teeth have been so formed or rivets or tangs affixed thereto, so as to extend through apertures in the transfer plate (28) which may have a channel shape such that the flanges (28b) substantially engage the flanges of the column (20) thus distributing substantially lateral loads from, for example, the left hand connector to the right hand connector or vice versa, and further may transfer part of the load to the right hand flange of the column (20). An outer transfer plate (28) as shown in Figs. 9 and 10 may additionally be employed.

Figure 9 is an end view of another example of the invention wherein the preformed tangs (24) protrude from both sides of the beam end connector plate (22) such that the slot (26) and inwardly and downwardly tapered sides of the tang may engage the apertures in the column (20) and the outer protrusion of the tang or tangs (24a) with retainer nib (24d) or further slot (26) over which the transfer plate (28) may be fitted.. The tangs (24) may be tapered inwardly from bottom to top for that portion of the tang length which passes through the transfer plate such that the narrowest portion of the taper is at the upper region of the tang.

Alternately, tangs may be formed from the beam end material (22) and internal packer plate (25) combined for connection to the column and additional teeth or hooks may be formed or tangs or rivets may be affixed to the beam end connector (22) to transfer forces from the beam end connector to the fitted transfer plate (28).

At least one safety retention clip (29) may be attached such that a spring loaded locator pin or tang enters a preformed aperture in the column to prevent accidental dislodgement of the beam end connectors.

Figure 10 is a front view of separately manufactured beam end connectors affixed to the ends of beams (21) wherein an outwardly protruding tang (24a) has been affixed to each connector near its upper end to which a shorter transfer plate (28a) which engages at least one tang in each of the adjacent connectors may be fitted to transfer part of the substantially horizontal forces to the tang in the adjacent beam end connector and further in which the lower portion (22c) of the inside longitudinal edge of the beam end connector has been extended horizontally substantially to the midpoint of the column face to engage a similar extension of the opposite hand beam connector internal longitudinal edge such that in use the two edges of the pair of connectors will abut each other. The afore mentioned edges may have formed lips. Alternately, a further transfer plate (28a) with tangs (24a) may be employed at the lower end of the connectors.

Various forms of the invention and combinations thereof will be apparent to the skilled addressee. It will be understood that modifications to the system that would be apparent to the skilled addressee are within the scope of the present invention.

25* November 2010