Standards
Standards

The measuring instruments that meets the highest standards

The Standards

Floor flatness is essential for the performance of all MHE, but vital for VNA industrial trucks. With ever challenging heights and speed being at the forefront of warehouse operations existing standards such as DIN 18202, DIN 15185, EN 15620 as well as the old TR34, only represent the basic floor flatness tolerances. What these do not cover is the short wave floor unevenness, which is crucial for the performance of very narrow aisles trucks and in these cases VDMA should be specified and adhered too.

Image for download VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau, Germany 2010)

VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau, Germany 2010)

The new standardisation is developed on question of and with approval of all VNA Forklift trucks suppliers. It is a replacement to DIN 15 185. The new standardisation gives conclusion-ends control for the short wave lengths and the middle long waves. The restriction of the short wave lengths is most important in order to assure a good handling of the forklift trucks. The result of the measurements is combined in a number (Fx) that must correspond into a minimum. This minimum is adapted to vertical lift and truck width.

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Image for download EN 15620 (European Norm September 2021)

EN 15620 (European Norm September 2021)

This VDMA flatness requirement was included in the FEM 10.2.14 / 4.103 - 1 and from September 2021 in the European standard EN 15 620. It is therefore an official European flatness standard which must be met. This standard was developed at the request and with the approval of VNA forklift truck manufacturers, flooring contractors, engineering firms and universities, and is based on years of scientific research. VDMA is the only standard worldwide that controls all undulations that influence the driving behaviour of the forklift truck. The undulation of a floor is a combination of both (medium) long and short waiviness.

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Image for download DIN 15185 (standard)

DIN 15185 (standard)

In August 1991 the DIN 15 185 standard was published, which is specifically concerned with the analysis of floors in high-bay warehouses. In addition to various tolerances for the racks and the guides of the forklift, tolerances are also included for the flatness of the floor in the aisles and in the open floor area. Because DIN 15 185 is based on the earlier DIN 18202, flatness of the aisle in the longitudinal direction is determined on the basis of undulation. Transversely, the flatness of the aisle is determined on the basis of the height difference between the outer tracks of the forklift truck.

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Image for download DIN 18202 (standard)

DIN 18202 (standard)

The latest version of the DIN 18202 standard was published in April 1997. It concerns the flatness of various types of floors, especially for "free movement" floors (warehouses with wide aisles, transfer areas and bulk storage...). With this standard the gap is surveyed under a straight edge of 1 meter and 4 meter. No transverse survey needs to be carried out.

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Image for download F numbers (USA Face recommendation)

F numbers (USA Face recommendation)

First used on a large-scale commercial project in 1983, the F-number system for measuring floor flatness (FF,) and levelness (FL), then had been perhaps the most significant factor in enabling the construction of flatter and more level (horizontal) concrete floors. However, because the dimensionless F-numbers are derived by processing the data from a large number of measurements, it can be difficult to grasp exactly what it means.

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Image for download TR34 (a commercial brochure to the design and construction of industrial ground floors)

TR34 (a commercial brochure to the design and construction of industrial ground floors)

In February 2003 the British Concrete Society aided by the ACIFC revised its Technical Report 34 (TR34) to include a measurement system (described in Appendix C) that is similar to the F-min number specification. Then again in 2013 the fourth edition of the TR34 included this method of measurement in the body of the document. Survey methods for both Defined Movement (DM) and Free movement (FM) are outlined in this document.

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