Adjustable Door Panel Stile and Rail Connector
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional door panel stile and rail connectors are prone to instability and misfitting due to repeated opening and shutting, weathering, and settling, leading to unsatisfactory performance over time.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable connector system with embedded stile and rail connector portions, featuring a connector adjustment face that allows for temperature and stress accommodation, incorporating a clamp and spacer configuration, and adjustable slides guided by angled edges, enabling dual-point adjustability to secure the door panel joint.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional joinery methods (nails, staples, screws, adhesive) are used to connect stile and rail members, then the door panel frame can be assembled, but the joint becomes unstable over time due to repeated opening and shutting, weathering, and settling
Solution Approach 1:
The connector incorporates adjustable slides that can move along angled edge walls, allowing the joint to dynamically adapt to dimensional changes caused by thermal expansion, stress, and settling. This dynamic adjustment capability maintains joint stability and alignment over the long term, resolving the contradiction between initial assembly and long-term durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector design allows for parameter changes in the joint configuration through adjustable slides and tapered faces. The connector can be adjusted to accommodate changes in dimensions and alignment that occur over time due to environmental factors and structural settling, thereby maintaining joint reliability throughout the service life.
2Strength
If fixed rigid connectors are used to join stile and rail members, then the joint provides initial structural support, but it cannot accommodate thermal expansion, stress, and settling that occurs over time
Solution Approach 1:
The connector transforms from a fixed rigid connection to a dynamic adjustable connection. The slides can move along the angled edge walls, allowing the joint to adapt its configuration while maintaining structural strength. This enables the joint to accommodate thermal expansion and structural settling without compromising strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector is divided into adjustable components (slides, connector portions) that can independently move and adjust. This segmentation allows different parts of the joint to accommodate different types of stress and dimensional changes while maintaining overall joint integrity and strength.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional non-adjustable connectors are used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the connector cannot be adjusted to accommodate temperature changes, stress, and settling
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is segmented into modular components (connector body, slides, connector portions) that can be manufactured separately using standard fabrication processes. This modularity maintains ease of manufacture while enabling adjustment capability through the assembly of these standardized components.
Solution Approach 2:
The addition of adjustable slides to the connector design introduces adaptability without significantly complicating the manufacturing process. The slides are simple mechanical components that can be manufactured using conventional methods, and their integration into the connector assembly provides adjustment capability while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A system, device, assembly and methods for a door assembly, including a door stile and rail connector are shown and described.