3D Structural Frames for Enclosure Lifting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing enclosure lifting methods require significant labor, equipment, and time, and often result in damage to the enclosure due to deformation or buckling, increasing costs and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
The use of three-dimensional structural frames with integrated lift plates and a method for attaching these frames to opposing walls, allowing for upward force application via a harness to lift the enclosure without partial disassembly, utilizing a series of mounting holes and connecting portions for secure attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional enclosure lifting methods are used, then the enclosure can be lifted, but significant labor, equipment, and time are required and damage occurs due to deformation or buckling
Solution Approach 1:
The enclosure lifting system is segmented into multiple independent frame members (first frame member, second frame member, etc.) that can be separately attached to different wall portions. Each frame member has its own mounting flanges and stiffeners, allowing distributed lifting forces across multiple attachment points rather than concentrating stress on single points, thereby preventing deformation and buckling while improving lifting efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from traditional ground-based or external lifting methods to an internal three-dimensional framework system that distributes lifting forces through multiple spatial dimensions. The frame members extend vertically and horizontally within the enclosure, creating a rigid spatial structure that resists deformation from lifting forces applied at multiple elevation levels and directional points
2Productivity
If traditional enclosure lifting methods are used, then the enclosure can be lifted, but costs and time requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The frame members, mounting flanges, and transverse stiffeners are pre-assembled into integrated three-dimensional structural units before the lifting operation. The mounting flanges with pre-positioned attachment points and the pre-installed transverse stiffeners create ready-to-lift configurations that eliminate on-site assembly time and preparation, allowing rapid deployment and immediate lifting capability
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple functional components (frame members, mounting flanges, transverse stiffeners, and wall portion attachments) are merged into integrated three-dimensional structural units. This consolidation combines structural support, attachment, and stiffening functions into unified assemblies that reduce the number of separate operations required, thereby accelerating the lifting process and reducing time losses
3Strength
If a rigid support structure is added to prevent deformation, then structural integrity improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Transverse stiffeners are strategically positioned at specific locations within the frame members where bending moments and shear forces are greatest, rather than uniformly distributing structural reinforcement throughout. The mounting flanges are configured with specific geometric properties at attachment points to locally resist deformation. This targeted approach achieves maximum structural integrity with minimal additional complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The frame members are constructed as composite structures combining vertical web elements with transverse stiffener elements, creating a composite beam system that leverages the geometric properties of both components. The mounting flanges form composite joint structures that integrate the frame member with wall portions, distributing stresses across multiple material interfaces and enhancing overall structural integrity without requiring entirely new complex structures
Data Source
AI summary
Three dimensional structural frames and enclosures and related methods are disclosed herein. In an example embodiment, an enclosure includes a plurality of three dimensional structural frames and opposing wall portions interconnected by the plurality of three dimensional structural frames, where the wall portions include a plurality of uniform wall sections, where the wall sections include a wall panel portion, a top wall portion, and sidewall portions, where the sidewall portions of the plurality of wall sections are joined to form the wall portions, and where the plurality of three dimensional structural frames are attached to the top wall portions of the wall sections.