Title: Supporting Wedge. Preferably for Supporting Rolls of Lacerable Laminated Plastic Sheet.
Technical Field
The invention relates to a supporting wedge for preventing cylindrical members, especially rolls of lacerable laminat¬ ed plastic sheet, from rolling on a substantially plane surface and comprising a primary supporting face adapted to engage the cylindrical member.
Background Art
Supporting wedges of the above type are especially used for supporting the above rolls during in-plant transport. Rolls of laminated plastic s aet are often produced especi¬ ally as once-only orders for predetermined uses. Such especially produced laminated plastic sheets are very expensive to produce. Accordingly, the previously produced supporting wedges of hard rubber, wood or cardboard are encumbered with a great drawback because said wedges often leave imprints on many of the outer layers of the roll of laminated plastic sheet with the result that said layers must be discarded. The layers are made of various raw materials and cannot be reused with the result that they must be removed by burning off. The production of the above known supporting wedges of hard rubber, wood or cardboard is very time-consuming and expensive because the wedges must be produced in many different sizes adapted to many different outer diameters of the rolls.
Disclosure of the Invention
The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a supporting wedge especially supporting rolls of lacerable laminated plastic sheet, and which does not deform the many outer layers of the laminated sheet of the roll, and which simultaneously is quick and inexpensive to produce.
The supporting wedge according to the invention is charac¬ terised in that the wedge is made of expanded plastic foam, that the primary supporting face of the wedge facing the cylindrical member is formed as a section of a circle periphery when seen in a sectional view, and that the bottom side of the wedge facing the surface is provided with a friction-increasing coating. In this manner a supporting wedge is obtained which compared to the known wedges can be used in a particularly advantageous manner for supporting especially rolls of expensive and lacerable material, such as once-only orders of especially produced laminated plastic sheet without many of the outer layers of the laminated plastic sheet of the roll being deformed. In addition, the wedge is of a low weight and particularly inexpensive and easy to produce.
The wedge is provided with a circular supporting face approximately adapted in advance to the outer diameter of the roll of laminated plastic sheet in question with the result that in use the wedge yields to stresses from the roll and is slightly deformed. As a result, the many outer layers of the roll of laminated plastic sheet are not deformed and damaged. A further advantage is obtained by the wedge yielding to the roll without the outer layers of said roll of laminated plastic sheet being damaged, viz. that it is not necessary either to completely adapt the circular supporting face of the wedge to the outer diameter of the roll in question. When deviations apply, the wedge is deformed until it has adjusted itself to the outer diameter of the roll. As a result, it is not necessary either to produce the supporting wedge in as many different dimensions as the previously known supporting wedges required. The friction-increasing coating on the bottom side of the supporting wedge ensures that said wedge is not displaced on the surface in use. According to the invention the wedge may be made of poly¬ styrene foam by foaming in one piece in a closed mould, whereby the production of the wedge is particularly inex¬ pensive, fast and easy.
Furthermore according to the invention the wedge may be made of polystyrene foam of a density of approximately 30 kg/m^ , which turned out to present a particular advantage for the capacity of the wedge of yielding and being slight¬ ly deformed in use.
In addition according to the invention, the face of the wedge facing away from t .ι primary supporting face may be shaped as a secondary supporting face being formed as a section of a circle periphery when seen in a sectional view. As a result, the wedge can be used for supporting two rolls of laminated plastic sheet placed beside one another .
Moreover according to the invention the radius of the circle periphery of the primary supporting face of the wedge may be smaller than the radius of the circle peri- phery of the secondary supporting face of the wedge. As a result, the same wedge can be used for supporting rolls of two different outer diameters.
Furthermore according to the invention the friction-in¬ creasing coating on the bottom side of the wedge may be a hot-melt glue sprayed thereon, whereby the production of the wedge is particularly inexpensive, and whereby good friction properties against the surface are obtained.
In addition according to the invention the friction-in¬ creasing coating on the bottom side of the wedge may be a corrugated rubber coating glued thereon with the result that good friction properties are obtained in connection with predetermined types of surfaces.
Finally according to the invention the bottom side of the wedge has only been partially provided with the friction- increasing coating, preferably in stripes extending in the longitudinal direction of the wedge, whereby a parti¬ cularly inexpensive production of the wedge is obtained.
Brief Description of Drawings
The invention is described in greater detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a perspective, bottom view of the supporting wedge according to the invention,
Fig. 2 is a perspective, bottom view of a particularly preferred embodiment of the supporting wedge, and
Fig. 3 is an end view of two supporting wedges disposed on a plane surface for supporting a roll of laminated plastic sheet.
Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention
The supporting wedge 1 shown in Fig. 1 is made of plastic foam. The wedge is suited for preventing rolls 6, cf. Fig. 3, of lacerable laminated plastic sheet from rolling on substantially plane surfaces 7. The supporting wedge 1 comprises a primary supporting face 2 adapted to engage the roll of laminated plastic sheet. According to a sec¬ tional view the primary supporting face 2 is formed as a section of a circle periphery. The supporting wedge 1 comprises further a substantially plane bottom side 3 as well as end faces 4 extending perpendicular to the bottom side 3. The bottom side 3 is provided with a friction- increasing coating 5 of hot-melt glue. According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the friction- increasing coating is sprayed on the bottom side in stripes extending in the longitudinal direction of the wedge 1.
The supporting wedge 1 can in a particularly advantageous manner be made in one piece of expandable polystyrene foam by foaming in a mould. As a result, the wedge 1 is particularly inexpensive, fast and easy to produce, which also applies when the wedge is made of other types of expandable plastic foam, such as polyurethane foam of the two-component type, which compared to polystyrene foam of the one-component type requires a substantially more complicated and time-consuming method of production. In addition, the wedge can be produced with a particularly low weight. The wedge 1 is preferably made of polystyrene foam of a density of approximately 30 kg/m . The density can, however, be changed in such a manner that the result¬ ing softness of the wedge can be adapted to the use in question.
Fig. 2 illustrates a particularly advantageous embodiment of the supporting wedge 10, said embodiment being provided with both a primary supporting face 20 and a secondary supporting face 60, both faces being fomred as a section of a circle periphery when seen in a sectional view. The radius of the circle periphery of the primary supporting face 20 of the wedge 10 is, however, smaller than the radius of the circle periphery of the secondary supporting face 60 of said wedge 10. As a result, the same supporting wedge 10 can be used for supporting different rolls of laminated plastic sheet, said rolls being of two different outer diameters. Such an embodiment of the wedge 10 is also provided with a friction-increasing coating 50 in form of hot-melt glue substantially over its entire bottom side 30.
When the friction- increasing coating 5 or 50 is made of hot-melt glue, said hot-melt glue is applied in its hot state onto the bottom side 3, 30 of the supporting wedge 1, 10. The friction- increasing coating may, however, also be a sealing mass, which is known for instance within the building industry, or a corrugated rubber mat glued onto the bottom side 3, 30 of the wedge 1, 10.
When two supporting wedges 1, cf. Fig. 3, are to be used for supporting a roll 6 of laminated plastic sheet, said supporting wedges 1 are first arranged with a substantially uniform longitudinal mutual distance on the desired plane surface 7, such as a pallet, whereafter the roll 6 of laminated plastic sheet is placed atop the two supporting wedges 1. Then the roll 6 of the lacerable laminated plastic sheet can be transported for instance in-plant without the many outer layers of the laminated plastic sheet on the roll being damaged because the supporting wedges 1 yield slightly to the often heavy load of the rolls 6 of laminated plastic sheet. The rolls 6 often weigh about 500 kg. The friction-increasing coating 5 on the bottom side of the wedges 1 ensures that the wedges are not displaced on the surface 7.
It presents a great advantage that the many outer layers of the roll 6 of laminated plastic sheet are not damaged because such rolls of laminated plastic sheet are often produced as unreplaceable once-only orders. Furthermore, the non-discarding of the many outer layers of laminated plastic sheet presents great advantages both environmental¬ ly, financially and with respect to raw materials. These layers were always damaged, discarded and burnt off due to the use of the previously known types of supporting wedges .