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 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.