The individual flat platform element of a horizontal or inclined moving walk that carries passengers, designed with a cleated surface engaging the comb plate at landing transitions and forming a continuous flush moving floor.
Full Definition
Moving walk pallets (tread plates) are the passenger-carrying units of a moving walk (travelator or autowalk). Unlike escalator steps which have a distinct riser for vertical rise, pallets are designed for inclinations from 0° (horizontal, airports and shopping centres) up to 12° (steep inclined moving walks for retail or transit stations). Key features: (1) Surface — die-cast or extruded aluminium with longitudinal cleats that engage the comb plate at entry and exit, identical in principle to escalator step cleats; (2) Dimensions — standard widths 0.82 m or 1.00 m; pallet length in travel direction typically 400–500 mm; (3) Flatness — the upper surface remains horizontal (0°) or follows the incline precisely; no differential rise between adjacent pallets in normal operation; (4) Articulation — pallets are hinged to the drive chain and guided by tracks to follow transition curves between level and inclined sections; (5) EN 115-1 limits the maximum rise between adjacent pallet edges at comb engagement to ≤4 mm. Moving walks serve airports, shopping malls, metro stations, and long-distance pedestrian connections at speeds up to 0.75 m/s (or 0.90 m/s in high-speed variants).
