Fire resistant thermoplastic pallet

Abstract

The presently disclosed thermoplastic pallet advantageously incorporates fire resistance by virtue of one or more of the following aspects: a sprinkler friendly deck or frame; variable fire retardant or coating distributions; fire collapsible cross beams; foam filled or foam coated parts; and pallet design, including proportioning amounts of plastic and metal utilized in construction. Exemplary combinations of features enables the pallet to meet all the dimensional, mechanical behavior and burn test requirements. The use of metal components including a corrugated aluminum deck having specially position through holes for sprinkler water, and the engineered placement of hollows in the structural plastic parts enables a reduction in the amount of plastic, and the amount of fire retardant in what plastic there is and in the pallet as a whole.

1 . A fire resistant thermoplastic pallet; comprising: 
 a pallet deck supported over a pallet base, wherein at least one of said deck and base comprise a thermoplastic material configured to be fire resistant by virtue of two or more of: fire sprinkler water holes provided therein, variable fire retardant or coating distributions, fire collapsible components, and foam filled or foam coated parts    
   
   
       2 . A fire resistant thermoplastic pallet in accordance with  claim 1 , further comprising a corrugated deck supported over a base, the deck having at least one hole in a valley of a corrugation, wherein the flow area of said at least one hole is located over a part of the base of the pallet.  
   
   
       3 . A fire resistant thermoplastic pallet in accordance with  claim 2 , wherein when said pallet rests on a level surface, said at least one hole is located in a lower region of said corrugation, such that water landing in another portion of said corrugation will tend by gravity to run towards the portion of said corrugation containing said hole.  
   
   
       4 . A fire resistant thermoplastic pallet in accordance with  claim 2 , wherein a plurality of corrugations are interconnected.  
   
   
       5 . A fire resistant thermoplastic pallet in accordance with  claim 4 , wherein said plurality of corrugations are interconnected via staggered channels.  
   
   
       6 . A fire resistant thermoplastic pallet in accordance with  claim 2 , wherein when said pallet rests on a level surface, an outer length of said deck supporting frame is either higher than a hole in said deck supporting frame or higher than said deck, such that water will tend to flow toward said hole or toward said deck from said outer length of said deck supporting frame rather than flowing over the outer length of said deck supporting frame.  
   
   
       7 . A fire resistant thermoplastic pallet in accordance with  claim 6 , wherein said deck supporting frame includes a plurality of holes, which holes are provided in portions of said deck supporting frame that are lower than an outer length of said deck supporting frame and lower than portions of said deck, such that water will tend to collect or flow between said plurality of holes in said deck supporting frame.  
   
   
       8 . A fire resistant thermoplastic pallet in accordance with  claim 1 , comprising a plurality of thermoplastic portions, wherein at least two of said portions have differential fire resistance, by virtue of compositions or coatings, according to the position or geometry of said portions.  
   
   
       9 . A fire resistant thermoplastic pallet in accordance with  claim 8 , wherein wherein at least one said portion is thinner or has a higher surface area to volume ratio relative to another of said portions.  
   
   
       10 . A fire resistant thermoplastic pallet in accordance with  claim 8 , wherein a deck of the pallet has higher fire retardant content than columns upon which the deck is mounted.  
   
   
       11 . A fire resistant thermoplastic pallet in accordance with  claim 8 , wherein part or all of the periphery of a deck has less retardant or no retardant, compared to the interior of the deck which has fire retardant.  
   
   
       12 . A fire resistant thermoplastic pallet in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the pallet is storable in a rack having opposing side rails, by resting opposing lengthwise edges of the pallet on the rails, the pallet comprising a plastic portion configured to span the distance between the rails of the rack, wherein at least one cross beam is secured on or within said plastic portion, the cross beam and plastic portion configured such that said cross beam and plastic portion will structurally fail upon exposure to heat from a fire.  
   
   
       13 . A fire resistant thermoplastic pallet in accordance with  claim 12 , wherein said at least one cross beam has a length and location within the pallet, so that one end of the beam is configured such that it is inward from the lengthwise edge of the pallet and inward from the vertical extension of the inner edge of the rail of the storage rack, and wherein, when the plastic portion softens, the end of the beam will fall downwardly from the rack.  
   
   
       14 . A fire resistant thermoplastic pallet in accordance with  claim 12 , wherein said at least one cross beam has a length and location within the pallet, so that both ends of the beam are configured such that they inward from the lengthwise edges of the pallet and inward from the vertical extension of the inner edges of the rail of the storage rack, and wherein, when the plastic portion softens, an end of the beam will fall downwardly from the rack.  
   
   
       15 . A fire resistant thermoplastic pallet in accordance with  claim 12 , wherein said at least one cross beam includes at least one reinforcing material engineered to degrade when exposed to heat from a fire, such that the reinforcing beam will fail upon exposure to heat from a fire.  
   
   
       16 . A fire resistant thermoplastic pallet in accordance with  claim 1 , comprising a thermoplastic structural pallet member including a foam thereon.  
   
   
       17 . A fire resistant thermoplastic pallet in accordance with  claim 16 , wherein the thermoplastic structural pallet member comprises polypropylene or high density polyethylene.  
   
   
       18 . A fire resistant thermoplastic pallet in accordance with  claim 16 , wherein the structural pallet member is hollow and at least partially filled with foam.  
   
   
       19 . A fire resistant thermoplastic pallet in accordance with  claim 18 , wherein the structural pallet member is a pallet column.  
   
   
       20 . A fire resistant thermoplastic pallet in accordance with  claim 18 , wherein the structural pallet member is a deck.  
   
   
       21 . A fire resistant thermoplastic pallet in accordance with  claim 16 , wherein the amount of foam is varied between different parts of the structural pallet member.  
   
   
       22 . A strong burn-resisting pallet, predominately composed of thermoplastic, for transporting goods, comprising: 
 a base, made of thermoplastic, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, comprising rails between columns, the rails having reinforcing beams within;    a multiplicity of columns running upwardly from the base; each of said multiplicity    having a thermoplastic shell exterior, and filled with foam;    a top, attached to the tops of the columns, comprising a circumscribing thermoplastic frame, mounted on the columns; and    a metal deck, attached to and running across the interior opening of the frame; the deck having a plurality of through holes for water drainage, so the water drops onto plastic parts of the bottom of the pallet and onto any pallets mounted below.    
   
   
       23 . A pallet in accordance with  claim 22 , wherein the plastic of the rails, columns and frame contain fire retardant.  
   
   
       24 . A pallet in accordance with  claim 22 , wherein the pallet weighs no more than 55 pounds, wherein the thermoplastic material (including any additive such as fire retardant) is 70% of the weight or less.  
   
   
       25 . A pallet in accordance with  claim 22 , having a corrugated and perforated aluminum sheet metal deck which weighs between about about 5 and 7 pounds, and steel beams weighing between about 12 and 13 pounds.