|
Every factory manager has faced it: A pack of glass sits untouched for weeks, and suddenly, a sheet cracks. No forklift hit it. No one touched it. The culprit is often beneath the glass: a flexing Steel Chassis. While most buyers look at the vertical uprights, the engineering reality is that 100% of the Static Load is carried by the base. If your Reinforced Base A-Frame lacks torsional rigidity, it will twist on uneven floors, creating fatal stress points on the glass edge. |
In the world of Structural Rigidity, geometry is king. Many budget rack manufacturers use "C-Channel" or open steel profiles for the base to save weight. The problem? Open profiles have poor resistance to twisting (torque).
When a rack loaded with 3 tons of glass is placed on a concrete floor that isn't perfectly level (which is true for 99% of factories), an open-channel base will warp to match the floor. This warping transfers directly to the glass. We utilize a fully closed Box Section Steel design for our base runners. This creates a rigid "raft" that remains perfectly flat regardless of floor imperfections, ensuring your glass is supported evenly along its entire bottom edge.
Gravity is reliable, until it isn't. Relying solely on the lean angle to keep glass on a rack is a safety violation in many jurisdictions. What happens if a forklift bumps the rack from behind? Or if the rack is moved down a ramp?
The Steel Limit Bar acts as a mechanical firewall against tipping accidents.
As shown in the detail image, our base design integrates a multi-position socket system for Steel Limit Bars. These aren't flimsy chains; they are solid steel rods that act as a physical firewall. Even if the strapping fails or the rack tilts, the limit bar mechanically prevents the glass pack from sliding off the base. For Safety Audit compliance, this feature is often mandatory.
The most vulnerable part of any glass sheet is the bottom edge. Metal-on-glass contact here is a guarantee of shell chips.
Our engineering team doesn't just rest the glass on steel. The base channel is designed with a recessed inlay to hold specific sacrificial materials—typically high-density timber or industrial rubber blocks. This inlay is trapped within the steel walls (as seen in the hero image), so it cannot slide out. It provides a cushion that absorbs the shock of loading while ensuring the glass never touches the structural metal.
1. Why is a "Box Section" base better than an I-Beam or C-Channel?
Box sections (hollow rectangular tubes) have superior torsional strength. This means they resist twisting forces much better than open shapes like C-channels. For glass storage, resisting twist is critical to keeping the glass sheets flat and stress-free.
2. Can I adjust the position of the limit bars?
Yes. The base chassis features multiple hole positions drilled at regular intervals. This allows you to place the limit bar snugly against the glass pack, whether you are storing a full pack (200mm thick) or just a few sheets, minimizing movement.
3. Does the base design affect the rack's weight capacity?
Absolutely. The base is the limiting factor. Our reinforced base design allows for Safe Working Loads (SWL) of up to 4,000kg for static storage racks, whereas lighter, open-base designs often top out at 1,500kg before risking deformation.
4. How do you prevent water pooling in the base channel?
Rust at the base is a common issue. Our base profiles are designed with drainage points or are capped at the ends to prevent water/coolant accumulation, protecting both the rack and the timber inlay from rotting.
5. Is the timber inlay replaceable?
Yes. We design the timber or rubber seating blocks to be a friction fit or bolted, allowing your maintenance team to easily swap them out after years of wear without needing to replace the steel structure itself.
