COMPOSITE PALLET FOR THE TRANSPORT AND LONG-TERM STORAGE OF BARRELS

Abstract

A pallet for long-term storage of barrels, comprising a base comprising one or more support element holders and a upper surface comprising one or more depositing areas configured for holding one or more barrels; one or more support inserts which are inserted into support element holders; one or more bars which are inserted into support element holders; one or more openings configured to hold one or more supporting rods which, once inserted in said one or more openings, are mechanically coupled with said one or more bars and transmit vertical load from said one or more depositing areas, through said one or more bars into said one or more supporting rods.

Claims

1. A pallet for long-term storage of barrels, comprising: a. a base comprising one or more support element holders and a upper surface comprising one or more depositing areas configured for holding one or more barrels; b. one or more support inserts which are inserted into support element holders; c. one or more bars which are inserted into support element holders; d. one or more openings configured to hold one or more supporting rods which, once inserted in said one or more openings, are mechanically coupled with said one or more bars and transmit vertical load from said one or more depositing areas, through said one or more bars into said one or more supporting rods.

2. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein said one or more support inserts and said one or more bars are arranged in support areas, which are at least partially located underneath said one or more depositing areas.

3. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein said support inserts absorb a load deposited in said one or more depositing areas.

4. The pallet according to claim 3, wherein said load is from said one or more barrels.

5. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein said pallet is a composite pallet comprising a base element and a deck element.

6. The pallet of claim 5, wherein said base element comprises: a. a base element top side, b. a base element under side and c. base element support projections formed projecting from the base element top side.

7. The pallet of claim 5, wherein said deck element comprises: a. a deck element top side, on which a deck for storing the barrels is formed, b. a deck element under side and c. deck element support projections formed projecting from the deck element under side, which lie on the base element support projections or are connected thereto, whereby the deck element is supported against the base element, and the deck element under side is at a distance from the base element top side.

8. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein said pallet is made of plastic.

9. The pallet according to claim 8, wherein said one or more support inserts and said one or more bars are made of a material with a creep modulus which is higher over a period than a creep modulus of said plastic.

10. The pallet according to claim 8, wherein said one or more support inserts and said one or more bars are made of a material with a decrease of creep modulus which is less over a period than a decrease of creep modulus of said plastic.

11. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein said one or more support inserts and said one or more bars are connected to the support element holders by friction locking or positive locking.

12. The pallet according to claim 5, wherein said support element holders are formed on the deck element under side and on the base element top side.

13. The pallet according to claim 9, wherein said creep modulus is calculated for a predetermined period of time.

14. The pallet according to claim 13, wherein said predetermined period of time is 20 years.

15. The pallet according to claim 10, wherein said decrease of creep modulus is calculated for a predetermined period of time.

16. The pallet according to claim 15, wherein said predetermined period of time is 20 years.

17. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein said one or more support inserts and said one or more bars have supports insert and bar top sides on which said barrel can be stored in a depositing area of said one or more depositing areas, and said support inserts and bars have support insert and bar under sides, with which said pallet can be stored on a base or on rims of barrels.

18. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein said one or more depositing areas are circular or is formed as an indentation with a rim edge for holding a barrel by positive locking.

19. The pallet according to claim 7, wherein each of said one or more support inserts and each of said one or more bars have a support insert and a bar top side, the deck element top side in the area of each of said one or more support areas define a recess, and support insert and bar top side lies in a plane with the deck element top side or said one or more depositing areas, or, if the at least one of said one or more depositing areas is formed as an indentation, in a plane between the deck element top side and said at least one depositing area formed as an indentation.

20. The pallet according to claim 18, wherein a first partial quantity of said one or more support inserts are arranged underneath said rim edge of said one or more depositing areas, with at least three support inserts per depositing area, wherein, said one or more depositing areas are formed as an indentation, and the contour of said rim edge of the indentation is emulated on the support insert top sides of several support inserts of the first partial quantity.

21. The pallet according to claim 7, wherein said support element holders for said one or more support inserts and for said one or more bars are incorporated into the deck element support projections and the base element support projections.

22. The pallet according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of bearing elements each with a bearing element top side and a bearing element under side, and snap locks for a friction-locking or positive-locking connection of the bearing elements on the bearing element under side to the deck element on its deck element top side, wherein the bearing element top side of each bearing element is provided with a first concavely cambered surface with a first concave curve for storing a horizontal barrel.

23. The pallet according to claim 22 with at least two depositing areas, wherein a first concavely cambered surface of each bearing element has a second concave curve perpendicular to the first concave curve to store a barrel with a bulge.

24. The pallet according to claim 22, wherein the bearing element top side of each bearing element is provided with a second concavely cambered surface which has a combined curved edge with the first concavely cambered surface.

25. The pallet according to claim 22, where informed on the bearing element under side of each bearing element are bearing support element holders for holding further support inserts.

26. The pallet according to claim 25, wherein the bearing support element holders are arranged above support element holders of the deck element top side, and the further support inserts have support insert under sides which rest against support insert top sides of the support inserts inserted into the deck element.

27. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein the one or more support inserts and said one or more bars are made of concrete, wood, stainless steel or stone.

28. The pallet according to claim 1, wherein said one or more supporting rods connect to a further pallet and for support against same, wherein the ends of the inserted supporting rods or height-adjustment elements connected to the ends of the supporting rods are in direct contact with said one or more bars, whereby the loading of the pallet with a weight of the further pallet is reduced.

29. The pallet according to claim 28, wherein said one or more supporting rods are made at least partially from metal and at least at one end said one or more supporting rods have an internal screw thread matching an external screw thread.

30. The pallet according to claim 6, wherein the deck element or the base element are manufactured individually and can be nested with other deck elements or base elements.

31. The pallet according to claim 6, wherein the deck element and the base element are constructed identical and arranged minor-symmetrical relative to a mirror plane which lies parallel to the deck element top side and to the base element under side and is at a same distance to both.

32. The pallet according to claim 6, wherein the deck element is manufactured in one piece with the base element.

33. A kit for a pallet according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

[0082] The invention is explained in even more detail below by way of example with reference to the attached drawings, which also disclose features essential to the invention. There are shown in:

[0083] FIG. 1 an exploded drawing of a first design of a composite pallet,

[0084] FIG. 2A the base element of a composite pallet with inserted support inserts,

[0085] FIG. 2B a perspective view of an assembled composite pallet,

[0086] FIG. 2C a side view of a composite pallet,

[0087] FIGS. 3A-3B two further designs of a composite pallet,

[0088] FIG. 4 a support insert,

[0089] FIG. 5 a combination support insert,

[0090] FIG. 6A perspective view of a bearing element,

[0091] FIG. 6B front view of a bearing element,

[0092] FIG. 6C side view of a bearing element,

[0093] FIG. 7 a composite pallet with bearing elements inserted therein,

[0094] FIG. 8 a composite pallet with inserted supporting rods,

[0095] FIG. 9 a height-adjustment for a supporting rod,

[0096] FIG. 10 the load transmission in the area of the supporting rods,

[0097] FIG. 11 the load transmission over several pallets,

[0098] FIG. 12 nested stacked deck elements

[0099] FIG. 13 two composite pallets, connected via supporting rods, with barrels stored thereon, and

[0100] FIG. 14 an exploded drawing of the system from FIG. 13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0101] FIG. 1 shows an exploded representation of a first design of a composite pallet for the transport and long-term storage of barrels. The composite pallet comprises a base element 1 made of plastic with a base element top side 2, a base element under side, not shown, and base element support projections 3 which are formed projecting from the base element top side 2. The base element 1 is formed board-like and has a stabilizing, material-saving lattice structure on its base element top side 2. The base element under side lies parallel to the base element top side, it can be created smooth, but the lattice structure formed on the top side can also continue into the base element under side, with the result that the base element 1 has a continuous lattice structure.

[0102] The composite pallet also comprises a deck element 4 made of plastic with a deck element top side 5 on which a deck for storing the barrels is formed. The deck element 4 further comprises a deck element under side, not shown, and deck element support projections 6 formed projecting from the deck element under side. The composite pallet also comprises at least one depositing area 7 for holding a vertical barrel. This is located on the deck on the deck element top side 5. In the simplest case, the depositing area 7 consists of a simple mark on an otherwise smooth surface. Depending on the size of the composite pallet, one depositing area 7 or several depositing areas 7 can be defined on the deck. In the present case there are six depositing areas 7. This is a particularly advantageous quantity for handling the composite pallet with a forklift in terms of space requirement, weight and handling. In addition, in the case of the composite pallet shown the depositing areas 7 are formed not as flat marks or areas, but as indentations with a rim edge 8 for preferably positive-locking holding of a vertical barrel or the base of a barrel. On the one hand, the people loading the pallets are thereby shown the positions at which the barrels are to be deposited. On the other hand, the depositing areas 7 formed as indentations also secure the deposited barrels to a certain extentdepending on the force exertedagainst lateral displacement out of these ideal positions. As a rule, an incorrect positioning results in a tilting of the barrel, which is recognizable by eye and can be corrected immediately by staff.

[0103] Such indentations or depositing areas 7 can also be formed on the base element under side, with the result that the barrels in the case of pallets stacked one on top of another are secured against lateral displacement both on their bottom rim and on their top rim. In particular it is possible to construct deck element and base element identical. This reduces production costs as only one tool is required for the base element 1 and the deck element 4. In the case of an identical construction, deck element 4 and base element 1 are arranged in the composite pallet mirror-symmetrical relative to a minor plane which lies parallel to the deck element top side 5 and to the base element under side and is at the same distance to both, thus intersects the composite pallet centrally with respect to its height.

[0104] It is guaranteed by the base element support projections 3, which rise from the base element top side 2 or project therefrom, and by the correspondingly formed deck element support projections 6 that the deck element 4 is supported against the base element 1 and the deck element under side is at a distance from the base element top side 2.

[0105] The deck element 4 and the base element 1 are both made of plastic. This is formed from large molecular chains, which are also entangled in some forms of plastics. Under external loading, these slip or disentangle, which leads to strain. Application of force to plastic over a longer period results in a progressive deformation, creep, which is also called retardation. This is a plastic, irreversible deformation. Pallets made of plastic therefore cannot cope with the long-term storage of barrels over a period of at least twelve years without further measures, as the loads which are exerted via the barrel base or even just the rims of the barrels on the plastic or the depositing areas are so high that a plastic deformation occurs in every case. This applies to a particular degree when several pallets are stacked one on top of another. Stability cannot be guaranteed over such a long period as the plastic creeps or retards too much.

[0106] The so-called creep modulus E.sub.c(t)=/.sub.tot (t) is a measure of the creep in the case of plastic, wherein a denotes the mechanical stress and E the time-dependent strain. The creep modulus for plastic tends to be low, i.e., here the strain is relatively great. However, there are enough materials, such as for example steel, wood, stone or concrete, in which the tendency to creep, i.e., the time-dependent strain or compressioncorresponding to a strain with the opposite signis lower than in the case of plastic. Therefore, in order to make the composite pallet shown in FIG. 1 suitable for long-term storage, the composite pallet comprises several support inserts 9 made of a material with a creep modulus which is higher over a predefined period than the creep modulus of plastic, and the decrease in which is less than that of plastic over the predefined period. Advantageously, the creep modulus is almost constant over the predefined period. The predefined period corresponds to the minimum period for which the barrels must be stored, for example eight, twelve or 18 years.

[0107] The support inserts 9 are inserted into support element holders 10 which are formed on the deck element under side and on the base element top side 2. When they are inserted, the support inserts 9 are connected to the support element holders 10 by friction locking and/or positive locking. A positive-locking connection can be effected for example when the composite pallet is manufactured in one piece and the support inserts 9 are at least partially surrounded by the support element holders 10 and/or the material of the base element 1 and the deck element 4. However, there is also the possibility, as is realized in particular in the case of the two-part pallet, of arranging the support inserts in friction-locking manner in the support element holders 10, for example by wedging them into the support element holders 10, wherein areas of the base element top side 2 or of the deck element under side counted among the support element holders can also be used to produce the friction locking. The edges of the support element holders 10 can be formed slightly smaller relative to the dimensions of the support inserts 9.

[0108] In order to be able to absorb the loading exerted by the barrels and the pallets lying above them, the support inserts 9 are arranged with their support element holders 10 in support areas which lie at least partially underneath the at least one depositing area 7. These areas are shown in the deck element top side 5 in FIG. 1 as dashed circled openings 11, there are four such support areas for each depositing area 7.

[0109] Substances with a corresponding high creep modulus, which display no or only slight strain or compression over the predefined period, for example wood, stone, steel, in particular stainless steel, or concrete, come into consideration as material for the support inserts. In addition to wood, concrete in particular has the advantage that a plurality of possible types are available here, of which some in particular have a low specific weight with nevertheless high stability, which facilitates handling. As the specific weight of the support inserts 9 is higher than that of plastic, the support inserts should be constructed no larger than necessary in order to guarantee the required stability on the one hand and not to allow the pallet to become too heavy on the other hand. At least one first partial quantity of the support areas is arranged underneath the rim of the at least one depositing area 7. The first partial quantity can also comprise all support inserts 9, as is the case with the composite pallet shown in FIG. 1. However, it is also possible to position further support inserts 9 for example centrally underneath the depositing areas 7 for additional support.

[0110] In the case of the composite pallet shown in FIG. 1, some support inserts 9 of a second partial quantity of the support inserts 9 are formed as preferably one-piece combination support inserts 12, in each combination support insert 12 the two support inserts 9 are connected by a bar 13 running parallel to the deck element top side 5. The function of the bar 13 is explained further below.

[0111] A typical design of a support insert 9 and a design of a combination support insert 12 are represented in FIGS. 4 and 5 respectively. Each support insert has a support insert top side 14. In the region of each support area in the deck element top side 5, there is a recess which corresponds to the dashed circled openings 11 in FIG. 1. The support insert top side 14 of each support insert 9 lies in a plane with the depositing area 7 on the deck element top side 5. In principle a positioning underneath the plane of the depositing area 7 is also possible if the plastic pallet has no recesses or openings 11. However, the positioning as shown in FIG. 1 has the advantage that the rims of the barrels can be stored directly on the support insert top sides 14, thus between barrel and support insert 9 there is no plastic layer the creep of which could impair the stability of the composite pallet loaded with barrels. In this case, the creep of the plastic can be eliminated as far as possible in this area. The under side of the support inserts 9 are also advantageously dimensioned or inserted into the base element 1 such that their under side lies in a plane with the base element under side, the load is thus borne substantially by the support inserts 9, which are then in contact with the ground for example.

[0112] If the depositing area 7 is designed as an indentation with a rim edge 8 and not just with a mark as a rim on the deck element top side 5, the support insert top sides 14 can be formed flat and lie in a plane between the plane of the depositing area 7 and the plane predefined by the height of the rim edge 8, including these planes. However, optionally the rim edge 8 of the indentation can be emulated as a contour 15 on the support insert top sides 14 of several support inserts 9 of the first partial quantity. This is the case for example in the combination support insert 12 shown in FIG. 5. Such an embodiment has the advantage that the barrel is better protected against lateral displacement. A particular advantage arises, however, if the composite pallet is constructed symmetrical, i.e., with a deck element 4 identical to the base element 1 and a minor symmetry relative to a plane central between deck element under side and base element top side 2, which implies that the support elements 9 as well as the combination support inserts 12 are also constructed symmetrical: the support inserts 9 of the first partial quantity can then serve both for clasping the barrel rims on the top side and for support against the groundwith the surface shown raised in FIG. 5 outside the region which lies in the depositing area 7, thus the raised part of the support insert surface 14. Suppplementarily or alternatively, the support insert surfaces 14 of the individual support inserts 9 which are not combined to form combination support inserts 12 can also optionally be formed with corresponding contours 15.

[0113] As shown in FIG. 1, the support element holders 10 for the support inserts 9 are incorporated into the deck element support projections 6 and the base element support projections 3. This is not strictly necessary, the support element holders 10 can also be realized independently of the support projections, but the construction shown is simple and material-saving.

[0114] Whereas FIG. 1 shows an exploded drawing of a composite pallet, in FIG. 2a a base element 1 of such a pallet is represented, in which the support inserts 9 including the combination support inserts 12 are inserted into the support element holders 10. Deviating from FIG. 1, contours 15 are formed as a continuation of the rim edge 8 of the depositing area 7 formed indented in the case of those support inserts 9 which are part of the combination support inserts 12. However, this is not imperative, such contours 15 can also be formed on individual support inserts 9, for example in the corners of the base element 1.

[0115] Finally, FIG. 2b shows a perspective view of the assembled composite pallet, and FIG. 2c the composite pallet from the side. The deck element support projections 6 lie on the base element support projections 3 and/or are connected thereto. This can be seen in FIG. 2c. The deck element 4 can also be manufactured in one piece with the base element 1, the connection between deck element support projections 6 and base element support projections 3 is then substance-locking as the same material is involved. However, the connection can also be produced in a different way, for example, likewise in substance-locking manner by adhesion, in positive-locking manner by screwing or in friction-locking manner by plugging one into the other corresponding to a plug and socket connection, wherein combinations are also possible. In the case of a design not in one piece, a connection between deck element 4 and base element 1 can also or additionally be produced by a friction-locking connection of the support inserts to deck element 4 and base element 1, wherein the latter simply just lie one on top of another.

[0116] Two further embodiments of a composite pallet are shown in FIG. 3a and FIG. 3b. In the variant shown in FIG. 3a, the depositing areas 7 are provided with central openings 16. This reduces the quantity of material used and moreover also allows access from above or below to the end faces of the barrels, which also makes it possible among other things to store barrels which have for example fittings or projections on their end face. FIG. 3b shows a further example, in which the depositing areas 7 are fully closed apart from the support insert holders 10 or openings 11. This makes possible a simpler depositing of a barrel without the latter catching for example upon displacement. Located between the support insert top sides 14 and a barrel deposited in the depositing area 7 is then also a thin plastic layer, for example, with a thickness between 0.5 mm and 5 mm, which however does not impair the stability of the storage despite creep. The composite pallet or its deck and base elements can be produced, for example, in an injection-molding process or, in particular in the variant shown in FIG. 3b, in a compression-molding process.

[0117] In order to facilitate the storage of horizontal barrels, a composite pallet can also comprise several bearing elements 17. These bearing elements 17 are represented in different views in FIGS. 6a)-c) and inserted into depositing areas 7 of the composite pallet in FIG. 7. The bearing elements 17 each have a bearing element top side 18 and a bearing element under side 19. In addition, means for the friction- and/or positive-locking connection of each bearing element 17 to the deck element 4 on its deck element top side 5 are provided on the bearing element under side 19 in the depositing areas 7 at positions provided for this, in the example shown in FIG. 6 these means are formed as snap locks 20 Simple plug-in connections in the form of a plug and socket connection are also suitable means for connection. Ultimately it is also sufficient to simply place the bearing elements 17 into the depositing areas 7 if the latter are formed as indentations, as they are prevented from slipping by the weight of the barrels lying thereon. The bearing element top side 18 of each bearing element 17 is provided with a first concavely cambered surface 21 with a first concave curve for storing a horizontal barrel. The first concave curve runs in the plane of the page in the view according to FIG. 6b). For further securing against the rolling away of a barrel, blocking elements 22 are arranged on the rims of the concavely curved surface 21 in the direction of the first concave curve.

[0118] In the simplest case, the first concavely cambered surface 21 corresponds to the section of the inner surface of a cylinder segment the axis of rotation of whichwhen the bearing element 17 is insertedlies parallel to the deck element surface 5. For drums or barrels without a bulge this is sufficient. However, as a rule wooden barrels are shaped with a bulge, with the result that the first concavely cambered surface 21 should be arranged inclined or tilted at least relative to the deck element top side 5, the axis of rotation of the notional cylinder then encloses a non-zero angle with the plane which is defined by the deck element top side 5. In addition, the first concavely cambered surface 21 of each bearing element 17 can also have a second concave curve, which runs perpendicular to the first concave curve. In this way the curve of a barrel with a bulge is emulated, which leads to a more stable storage of such barrels. In the view shown in FIG. 6b) of a bearing element 17, the second concave curve runs in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the page. In an exemplary configuration, two bearing elements 17 can then be inserted, for example, mirror-symmetrical into two adjacent depositing areas 7, wherein the two second concave curves of the two bearing elements 17 then form a combined concave curve which corresponds to or at least approximates the camber of the barrel to be stored thereon.

[0119] However, the available space, in particular in the case of smaller barrels, still cannot be optimally utilized in this way. In a further design, the bearing element top side 18 of each bearing element 17 is therefore provided with a second concavely cambered surface 23 which has a combined curved edge 24 with the first concavely cambered surface 21, wherein the normal vectors on both sides of the curved edges 24 perpendicular thereto enclose a non-zero angle. This can be seen particularly well in FIG. 6a). The second concavely curved surface 23 can be designed like the first concavely curved surface 21 and can likewise have two curves running perpendicular to each other. In particular, the second concavely cambered surface can also be arranged analogously to the first concavely cambered surface 21, with the result that in the case of a serial arrangement of two bearing elements in two depositing areas 7 one behind the other, but not minor-symmetrical, the first concave curve of one bearing element 17 forms a combined concave camber with the second concave curve of the other bearing element 17 arranged behind it. This allows great flexibility in the use of the bearing elements 17 with simultaneously very stable storage of barrels.

[0120] Bearing support element holders for holding further support inserts, the shape of which is adapted to the bearing elements 17, are formed on the under side of each bearing element 17not shown here. These bearing support element holders are preferably located underneath the corner areas of the bearing elements 17, i.e. underneath the areas where the blocking elements 22 are arranged. In this configuration, when bearing elements 17 are used, the bearing support element holders are arranged above support element holders 10 of the deck element top side 5. The further support inserts then have support insert under sides which rest against support insert top sides 14 of the support inserts 9 inserted into the deck element 4. In this way, the load caused by the weight of the barrels is transmitted downwards directly via the support inserts.

[0121] The further support inserts are likewise manufactured from a material which has a higher creep modulus than plastic over the predefined period which decreases less than that of plastic over this period. As with the support inserts 9, the creep modulus should preferably remain substantially constant over the predefined period after an initial adjustment to the loading.

[0122] Moreover, it is also possible to provide openings at the points of the bearing elements 17 on which the blocking elements 22 sit, and to shape the further support inserts correspondingly such that the blocking elements 22 are formed on their top sides. Like the support inserts 9, the further support inserts can likewise be manufactured, for example, from concrete, wood, stainless steel or stone.

[0123] A further design of a composite pallet is shown in FIG. 8. There, firstly, there are shown in the depositing areas 7 snap lock openings 25, into which the snap locks 20 of the bearing elements 17 can be inserted. In addition, the arrangement comprises severalhere sixsupporting rods 26 for connection to a further composite pallet and for support against same. For this, the deck element 4 and the base element 1 have several through-openings 27 for clasping the circumference of the supporting rods 26 inserted into the through-openings 27 by positive locking. The supporting rods 26 are likewise made of a material with a higher creep modulus than that of plastic, preferably metal, in particular stainless steel, or else wood due to the better bending properties or lower brittleness compared with concrete or stone. The material must not be too brittle as otherwise it could break under loading.

[0124] The supporting rods 26 can be formed solid or hollow, they can for example be formed cylindrical with a circular cross section, or also with a square, rectangular or polygonal cross section, wherein the through-openings 27 are adapted to the shape of the cross section. Each supporting rod 26 has two ends. One end of an inserted rod 26 can be in direct contact with one support insert 9. As a result, the loading of the deck element 4 and of the base element 1 of the composite pallet with the weight of the further composite pallet is reduced, as the force is transmitted directly by the supporting rods 26 into the support inserts 9. For this, the support inserts 9 must either have a support insert top side 14 the surface of which is large enough to support a barrel for one thing and the end of the supporting rod 26 for another. Alternatively, support inserts 9 can also be provided only for the supporting rods 26.

[0125] However, the combination support inserts 12 are particularly suitable for supporting the supporting rods 26: the bars 13 each connecting two support inserts 9 can be used in order to support a supporting rod 26. As the bar 13 is made of the same material as the support inserts 9, or the combination support inserts 12 are in each case manufactured in one piece, in this sense there is likewise a direct contactwithout plastic in betweenbetween supporting rod 26 and the support inserts 9 when the supporting rod lies on the bar 13. In the design shown in FIG. 8, one end of the supporting rods 26 is in direct contact via the bars 13 with support inserts 9, i.e., there is no plastic layer between the two supporting elements.

[0126] In the case of connection to a further composite pallet above the composite pallet shown in FIG. 8, the top ends of the supporting rods 26 correspondingly rest against the under sides of the support inserts used there, with the result that the load is substantially absorbed by the plastic and in particular by the barrels when the supporting rods 26 are long enough.

[0127] Whereas in the variant shown in FIG. 8, the supporting rods 26 are pushed through the through-openings 27 and lie with their ends directly against or on support inserts 9, it is provided in a further design to connect the ends of the supporting rods to height-adjustment elements 28, as shown in FIG. 9 in an exploded drawing of a section of a composite pallet. In this case the height-adjustment elements 28 are in direct contact with the support inserts 9 and rest against same. For a height adjustment it is sufficient if a height-adjustment element 28 is attached to one end of a rod 26, but it is also possible to arrange height-adjustment elements 28 at both ends of the supporting rods 26. For example, the height-adjustment element has on its under side a cylindrical element 29, the cross section of which is adapted to the diameter of the through-opening 27 or of the supporting rod 26. For further stabilization, but not for load transmission, a cover 30 is optionally provided, this increases the stability against lateral movements and can be connected to, for example via a snap lock, clipped to or simply just placed on the deck element top side. However, it can also be designed such that it assumes an additional supporting function in that it supports itself partially on the support insert top sides 14. This is shown in detail in FIG. 10. The cover 30 is preferably manufactured from metal.

[0128] The height-adjustment element 28, which, like the supporting rods 26, is made at least partially from metal, preferably from stainless steel, has an external screw thread 31 on its top side above the cover 30 which faces the supporting rod 26. Correspondingly, at least at one end the supporting rods 26 have an internal screw thread matching the external screw thread 31, thus can be screwed onto the external screw thread 31 and thus be adjusted to different heights. Friction, which is further increased under the loading by a composite pallet arranged above, is sufficient for fixing in the chosen position.

[0129] As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the bars 13 of combination support inserts 12 lie underneath the through-openings 27, the supporting rods 26 or the height-adjustment elements 28 then rest with a cylindrical element 29 against such a bar 13. In this way, the combination support inserts 12 can be used both for supporting the barrels and for support against a composite pallet of the same type arranged above. Naturally, to support the supporting rods 26 or the height-adjustment elements 28 it is also possible to provide these with their own support inserts 9, which however may mean an additional outlay on material. The transmission of the load caused by the composite pallet stored above is shown in FIG. 10 for the area in which the supporting rods 26 or height-adjustment elements 28 are positioned on the composite pallet. The load is transmitted by the supporting rod 26 via the bar 13 of the combination support insert and from there further downwards.

[0130] For a system of two pallets an overview of the load transmission is represented by way of example in FIG. 11. In each case six barrels 32 are stored on two composite pallets with base elements 1 and deck elements 4. The support inserts 9 inserted in the upper composite pallet and the combination support inserts 12 are loaded by the barrels above. The supporting rods 26 of the lower pallet rest with their top end or a height-adjustment element 28 against bars 13 of combination support inserts 12 of the upper composite pallet, likewise with their bottom end or a height-adjustment element 28 against bars 13 of combination support inserts 12 in the lower composite pallet. The loading exerted by the barrels 32, represented by the force F, is then largely transmitted through the combination support inserts 12 of the upper pallet via the supporting rods 26 downwards onto the combination support inserts 12 of the lower pallet, the loading of the barrels 32 arranged in the lower pallet can be reduced in this way. Only at points at which no supporting rods 26 are arranged, such as for example in the corners, are the barrels 32 standing underneath still loaded by the barrels 32 standing above, at these points the support inserts 9 of the upper composite pallet rest on the top rims of the barrels 32 standing underneath, which can be achieved easily in particular in the case of symmetrically designed composite pallets. The height adjustment, which can also be realized in another way, for example hydraulically, can also be used to balance out the loading of the barrels standing underneath in the case of different barrel heights.

[0131] Deck element 4 and base element 1 can be manufactured in one piece as a combined element in the composite pallet, however they are preferably manufactured individually. They are particularly advantageously constructed identical, arranged minor-symmetrical and designed such that they can easily be nested for space-saving storage, as indicated by way of example in FIG. 12. Here, the supporting rods 26 are also used for nested storage. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, the through-openings 27 lie directly above support insert holders 10, with the result that the ends of the supporting rods 26 rest against support insert top sides 14. Deck element 4, base element 1, the support inserts 9 including the combination support inserts 12 and optionally the supporting rods 26 with height-adjustment elements 28 can also be manufactured and delivered as a kit for ease of transport and to lower the production cost.

[0132] Finally, FIG. 13 shows a system of two loaded composite pallets, in which the lower pallet is loaded with vertical barrels 32 and the upper pallet is loaded with horizontal barrels 32. FIG. 14 shows an exploded drawing of the structure from FIG. 13.

[0133] The composite pallet described above can be used for the transport and long-term storage of barrels and drums, and is durable, at least over the period intended for the storage, because of the support inserts used. In addition, it offers greater flexibility than conventional wooden pallets because for one thing two pallets stacked one on top of another are better supported against each other, and barrels can be stored both vertically and horizontally.

[0134] All publications, patents and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated in their entirety by reference into the specification, to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated herein by reference. In addition, citation or identification of any reference in this application shall not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as prior art to the present invention. To the extent that section headings are used, they should not be construed as necessarily limiting. In addition, any priority document(s) of this application is/are hereby incorporated herein by reference in its/their entirety.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0135] 1 base element [0136] 2 base element top side [0137] 3 base element support projection [0138] 4 deck element [0139] 5 deck element top side [0140] 6 deck element support projection [0141] 7 depositing area [0142] 8 rim edge [0143] 9 support insert [0144] 10 support insert holder [0145] 11 opening [0146] 12 combination support insert [0147] 13 bar [0148] 14 support insert top side [0149] 15 contour [0150] 16 opening [0151] 17 bearing element [0152] 18 bearing element top side [0153] 19 bearing element under side [0154] 20 snap lock [0155] 21 first concavely cambered surface [0156] 22 blocking element [0157] 23 second concavely cambered surface [0158] 24 curved edge [0159] 25 snap lock opening [0160] 26 supporting rod [0161] 27 through-opening [0162] 28 height-adjustment element [0163] 29 cylindrical element [0164] 30 cover [0165] 31 external screw thread [0166] 32 barrel