Schletter PvMax3 User manual

PvMax3
Mounting Instructions
Schletter GmbH
Gewerbegebiet an der B15
Alustrasse 1
83527 Kirchdorf / Haag in OB
GERMANY
Phone: [phone] - 0
E-mail: [e-mail]
Your contact:
Technical advice for ground-mounted
solar plants
Phone: [phone] - 203
E-mail: tb-frei[e-mail]

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Table of Contents
1. General Information ................................................................................................................................................................. 4
1.1. Short Description ....................................................................................................................................................................................4
1.2. Intended Use.............................................................................................................................................................................................4
1.3. Copyright and Intellectual Property Rights...................................................................................................................................4
1.4. Safety Information..................................................................................................................................................................................5
1.5. Obligation of the Plant Owner / Operating Company...............................................................................................................7
1.6. Commitment of the Personnel...........................................................................................................................................................7
1.7. Training of the Personnel .....................................................................................................................................................................7
1.8. Additional Documents Relevant for the Mounting ....................................................................................................................8
2. Transportation, Loading and Unloading .............................................................................................................................. 8
2.1. Delivery of the components................................................................................................................................................................8
2.2. Preparing the delivery...........................................................................................................................................................................8
2.3. Provide forklift trucks and hoisting equipment...........................................................................................................................9
2.4. Check the scope of delivery ................................................................................................................................................................9
2.5. Storage of the components.................................................................................................................................................................9
3. Technical data...........................................................................................................................................................................10
3.1. System description and properties ............................................................................................................................................... 10
3.2. Rack tolerances ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 10
3.3. Systems overview................................................................................................................................................................................. 11
3.4. Components .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
3.4.1. Strut assembly ......................................................................................................................................................................... 12
3.4.2. Components of the strut assembly.................................................................................................................................. 12
3.4.3. Girder assemblies ................................................................................................................................................................... 12
3.4.3. Girder assemblies ................................................................................................................................................................... 13
3.4.3. Girder assemblies ................................................................................................................................................................... 14
3.4.4. Module-bearing rails............................................................................................................................................................. 14
3.4.5. Purlin connector .................................................................................................................................................................... 15
3.4.6. Auxiliary equipment / accessories.................................................................................................................................... 15
3.4.7. Module clamping ................................................................................................................................................................... 16
3.4.8. Screws for Standard module clamps............................................................................................................................... 17
4. Mounting information............................................................................................................................................................18
4.1. Terrain....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 18
4.2. Foundation ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 19
4.2.1. Pre-cast strip foundations .................................................................................................................................................... 19
4.2.2. Dimensioning and reinforcement..................................................................................................................................... 19
4.2.3. Preparation of the soil and positioning of the foundations..................................................................................... 19
4.3. Tolerances regarding inclination and distortion (twist)......................................................................................................... 21
4.4. Tools .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 22
4.4.1. Surveying, staking and aligning the foundations....................................................................................................... 22
4.4.2. Rack mounting ........................................................................................................................................................................ 22
4.4.4. Module mounting .................................................................................................................................................................. 23
4.5. Torque specications .......................................................................................................................................................................... 23
4.5.1. Bolted connections in the substructure......................................................................................................................... 23
4.5.2. Fastening of the module clamps ...................................................................................................................................... 24
5. Assembly steps ........................................................................................................................................................................25
5.1. Providing the concrete foundations and mounting the strut assembly......................................................................... 25
5.2. Mounting the girder assembly....................................................................................................................................................... 27
5.3. Mounting the module-bearing rails............................................................................................................................................. 28
5.4. Mounting the purlin connectors (optional) .............................................................................................................................. 29
6. Module mounting and module clamping ..........................................................................................................................30
6.1. Module mounting in case of horizontal (landscape) or vertical (portrait) module bearing..................................... 31
6.2. Module mounting and clamping in case of combined module bearing ........................................................................ 32
7. Disassembly and disposal......................................................................................................................................................33
8. Maintenance and care ............................................................................................................................................................34
9. Warranty and liability .............................................................................................................................................................34

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1. General Information
1.1. Short Description
PvMax3 is a modular unit assembly system for the installation of ground-mount substructures in high-quality and ecient
aluminum design. As the individual components have been optimized and structurally synchronized, a minimum system
price is achieved. PvMax3 allows to use framed as well as unframed modules that can be mounted either in portrait or in
landscape, or with the Schletter combined clamping system. It is also possible to mount additional accessories for the cable
management or components for the internal potential equalization.
1.2. Intended Use
PvMax3 is a substructure for the mounting of photovoltaic modules. Any kind of dierent use that is not mentioned in
these Mounting Instructions or an incorrect mounting (e.g. the utilization of components made by other producers or non-
observance of tolerances specied here and/or exceeding the indicated loads) are considered as non-intended use and, thus,
exclude any liability of the manufacturer.
The manufacturer accepts no liability for damage caused by failure to observe these Mounting Instructions.
1.3. Copyright and Intellectual Property Rights
The entire content of these Mounting Instructions is the intellectual property of Schletter GmbH and is subject to the
German copyright law.
Any reproduction, editing, propagation, transfer to third parties - also in excerpts - and any kind of utilization beyond the
limits of the copyright law must be approved in writing by Schletter GmbH.
Schletter GmbH reserves the right to take legal action in case of infringements.
These Mounting Instructions are subject to change without notice.
All names of products stated in these Mounting Instructions are trademarks of Schletter GmbH and are herewith recognized
and acknowledged.
Schletter GmbH is not liable for any damage of a product or consequential damage caused by the product that are due to
improper handling.
First and foremost, Schletter GmbH is not responsible or liable for failures and faults that are caused by modications made
by the customer or other persons.
There is no claim for availability of previous designs and for the ability to retrot delivered components to the respective
latest state of the series.
Schletter GmbH has made considerable eorts to make sure that these Mounting Instructions are free of
errors and omissions.
Schletter GmbH takes no responsibility respectively liability for faults that may be part of these Mounting
Instructions for example for direct or consequential damage that arise from placing these Mounting
Instructions at your disposal.

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1.4. Safety Information
Please read these Mounting Instructions carefully before starting the assembly and keep it in a safe place for further
reference. Please observe and abide by the regional and national applicable standards, building regulations and accident
prevention regulations.
This instruction manual contains guidelines and notices you have to observe in order to ensure your personal safety and
to prevent physical injuries or damage to property. Such safety and warning notes are marked with a warning triangle.
Depending on the kind and degree of danger, warning notices are displayed as follows:
DANGER
indicates that death or serious personal injury will result, if proper safety precautions are not taken.
WARNING
indicates that death or serious personal injury can result, if proper safety precautions are not taken.
CAUTION
indicates that minor personal injury may result, if proper safety precautions are not taken.
DANGER
due to operations with electricity. Electric power can lead to serious accidents and can cause serious
injuries. Appropriate safety precautions are to be taken by all means.
Securing the working area
Before the start of construction, the building site must be inspected by a supervising person by sight check
or using plans showing all supply lines (water, electricity, gas) in the relevant area. For this purpose, the
position of all supply lines (water, gas, electricity, etc.) must be marked using marking paint and unstable
ground and areas that are landslide-prone must be sealed o with stable barriers or warning signs.
Read and make sure you understand the safety and warning notes in these Mounting Instructions and
always apply them according to the relevant conditions and type of operation!

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We absolutely recommend to observe the following protective measures when mounting PvMax3:
Always wear ear protection
when carrying out noisy work
Remember to wear high-
visibility vests and safety shoes
all the time
Always wear a hard hat when
there might be falling objects or if
you could hurt your head in some
other way
Wear protective gloves when
working with sharp-edged com-
ponents
Wear respiratory protection
when carrying out dusty work
Wear safety glasses when
carrying out grinding and cutting
operations in order to avoid any
danger to your eyes caused by
ying liquids or parts (sparks,
splinters)
Apart from that, please consider the applicable rules and regulations on accident prevention and environmental protection
that apply at the respective installation site as well as the work instructions and directives by the plant owner/operating
company or at the place of operation.
NOTICE
warns about situations that can lead to material damage and disturbances during the operating procedure,
if the instructions are not observed.
Important information and notices
regarding the product and its handling and/or mounting of the product are characterized by the
following symbol.
REFERENCES
All documents relevant for the mounting that are not included in these Mounting Instructions,
are marked with this symbol.

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1.6. Commitment of the Personnel
Only people who give reason to expect that they will reliably do their job are allowed. Persons whose ability to react is
aected, for example by drugs, alcohol or medication, are NOT allowed.
• Every person that is involved in the mounting of PvMax3 must have read and understood these Mounting Instructions,
especially chapter "1.4.
Safety Information", as well as all relevant chapters regarding the corresponding operations.
• These Mounting Instructions should always be kept available and easily accessible for all persons involved.
• Only trained and instructed qualied and certied personnel are allowed to execute the operations mentioned in this
instruction manual.
• Personnel that still is to be trained may only mount the PvMax3 system under the supervision of an experienced person.
1.7. Training of the Personnel
These Mounting Instructions are addressed to certied personnel qualied in the areas of transportation and loading,
mounting, disassembly and disposal, having the following qualications:
• The certied professionals must be capable of fullling the tasks they have been assigned with and must be able
to realize and avoid dangers on the basis of their professional formation, experience, expertise and their specic
knowledge of the relevant regulations.
• The certied sta members must have the required knowledge of the guidelines regarding safety, accident prevention and
environmental protection, as well as of loading and unloading regulations that apply at the respective construction site.
• The certied professionals have the driving licenses required at the specic construction site to be able to drive site
vehicles and operate construction machines.
We recommend the operator to insist on a conrmation in writing in each case.
1.5. Obligation of the Plant Owner / Operating Company
The plant owner ensures that all parts of these Mounting Instructions are readily available and handy at the plant.
The plant owner/operating company undertakes to only let people work at and in the striking distance of the plant who
• have read and understood the parts of the mounting instruction that are relevant for the respective operations,
• are familiar with the fundamental regulations on work safety, accident prevention and protection of the environment
• and have been instructed in the safe handling of the plant (training course).
Before starting any mounting works, the plant owner/operating company designates
• a supervising person and ensures that
• the construction site is inspected using plans showing all supply lines (water, electricity, gas) and thus
• the position of all underground supply lines and unstable ground without sucient load-bearing capacities are
marked properly or sealed o with barriers.

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1.8. Additional Documents Relevant for the Mounting
In addition to these Mounting Instructions, the following documents are required for the mounting of PvMax3:
2. Transportation, Loading and Unloading
2.1. Delivery of the components
The delivery of the components for PvMax3 is carried out with an appropriate vehicle, for example
• truck/lorry or
• overseas container.
2.2. Preparing the delivery
• Provide a stable and drivable surface for the delivery.
• Please make sure that all access roads, manoeuvring and unloading areas are suitable for trucks (up to 40 tons) and can
be used by forklift trucks and hoisting equipments.
• Ensure that loading/unloading and transport activities are carried out by trained and certied personnel only.
WARNING
• Always wear protective equipment (safety shoes, hard hat, safety glasses, protective gloves and high-
visibility vest) when unloading the components of the PvMax3 system.
• Besides also wear the personal protective equipment that is specied in your intra-company
regulations for the respective activity.
• It is compulsory to monitor and supervise the complete unloading process.
• Do not step under suspended loads!
• Please make sure that there are no unauthorized persons in the danger area.
• Reinforcement plan (optional)
• Blueprint drawing / general layout drawing
• Bill of materials / parts list
• Delivery note
• DIS unloading guidelines for transport in maritime containers
• General Terms and Conditions of Sale and Supply of Schletter GmbH
• Data sheet and instructions of the module manufacturer
Please observe all country-specic regulations and standards of the country of destination and its work
instructions!

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2.3. Provide forklift trucks and hoisting equipment
• Organize suitable forklift trucks and hoisting equipment to be available at the moment of delivery.
• Choose the suitable forklift trucks and hoisting equipment in cooperation with the site manager in charge.
• Make sure that the components, pallets and long items can properly be unloaded.
• Provide forklifts and hoisting equipment with dierent fork intervals or with adjustable forks.
2.5. Storage of the components
We recommend to observe the following points when receiving the goods:
• Visual inspection of the delivered goods
• Check whether the supplied goods correspond to the delivery order
• Delivered quantity / comparison with packing lists and delivery note
• General condition of the goods
• Damages of the delivery
• Delivery documents
The following shipping documents need to be veried on delivery:
• Delivery note
• Packing lists
Claims as to defects by the customer shall require that he has complied with his duties of examination and
notication of complaint contained in Sections377, 381 of the German Commercial Code [HGB]. Defects
discovered during incoming goods inspection or later shall be notied to Schletter GmbH in writing without
undue delay. A notication shall not be unduly delayed if it has been made within two weeks; the timely
dispatch of this notication shall be deemed sucient to meet the deadline. Regardless of the obligation
to inspect and notify, the customer shall notify Schletter of obvious defects (including delivery of the
wrong product or in not enough quantity) within two weeks of delivery in writing; the timely dispatch of
this notication shall also be deemed sucient in this case to meet the deadline. A general right to return
purchased goods is not granted.
Extract from the General Terms and Conditions of Sale and Supply of Schletter GmbH - download available at www.schletter.de/AGB_en
2.4. Check the scope of delivery
The components will also be delivered in cardboard boxes on pallets. And there also are fragile and sensitive items among
those components.
• Unload the items on rm and stable ground only.
• Protect all components against rain, snow, moisture and other weather conditions.
• Store the items in dry and well-ventilated storage buildings or tents.
• Never store components outdoors or covered by a plastic sheet only.
If you adhere to the hints above, you can prevent the goods from being damaged already before mounting.

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System description PvMax3 - unit assembly system for ground-mounted solar plants
Material • Module bearing rails: Aluminium, special rails of the S series
• Girders: Aluminium, special rails of the BF series
• Supports: Aluminium, RHP proles
• Bolts, nuts: A2-70, A4-80
Structural dimensioning • According to the current national standards (in Germany: DIN 1055, EC 1).
• System structural analysis with data on foundation dimensioning and screw anchor
recommendation based on the wind and snow loads that have to be considered
Characteristics of the structure • Quick and easy assembly
• Pre-assembled support structure
• Wide spans, which reduce the number of required supports and foundations
Foundation • Concrete (The structural analysis of the system features specications on reinforce-
ment and dimensioning)
Module clamping • Framed and unframed modules
• Combined module clamping possible
• with standard clamps or Rapid2+ clamps
• Grounding clamps
3. Technical data
3.1. System description and properties
3.2. Rack tolerances
PvMax3 is always congured specically for the wind and snow loads at the respective installation site. In the interest of
economic eciency, usually the maximum load-bearing capacity of the individual component is exploited. To achieve this,
however, the racks must be mounted with the utmost precision. If there are signicant deviations from the mounting plans,
this can lead to structural overstress which in turn can lead to damage cases. Schletter GmbH will not assume any liability for
such damages nor for any consequences thereof. Adherence to the specied tolerances is therefore essential to the structural
safety of the rack.
Field span / support width Lateral cantilever
Upper
girder
connection
Lower
girder connection
Support width ± 150 mm
Lateral cantilever of purlins ± 100 mm
Lower girder connection ± 100 mm
Upper girder connection ± 100 mm
Clearance between module and clamp 0.5 to 2 mm
Fig. 3.2.-1 (eld span / support width)
Fig. 3.2.-2 (girder connections)