Adjustable Floor Drain With Spherical Shank For Grade Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floor drains are not height adjustable after a rough pour of concrete and lack tilting capability, making it difficult to align with the finish grade of a poured concrete floor, especially in cases of inconsistencies or out-of-level flooring.
Innovation Solution
A floor drain assembly with a spherically shaped shank and insert that allows for height and tilt adjustments, including a sleeve system with a removable retaining ring and protective cover, enabling the frame and strainer to be tilted and rotated relative to a central axis, facilitating alignment with the finish grade.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid housing is used for the floor drain, then the structural stability is improved, but the ability to adjust height and alignment after concrete pouring is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The floor drain housing incorporates a spherical interface between the shank and frame that enables dynamic adjustment of the frame's orientation and height. The spherical contact surfaces allow the frame to be tilted and rotated relative to the vertical shank, transforming the rigid structure into an adjustable one while maintaining structural integrity during and after concrete pouring.
Solution Approach 2:
The floor drain is divided into separable components: a collar attached to the drain body, a shank with spherical surface, a frame with spherical engagement surface, and a strainer assembly. This segmentation allows independent adjustment of each component, particularly the frame's position and angle relative to the vertical shank, enabling adaptation to uneven concrete surfaces while maintaining overall structural stability.
2Ease of manufacture
If the floor drain is set rigidly during rough pour, then the installation process is simplified, but the alignment with finish grade becomes difficult due to concrete inconsistencies
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical interface mechanism is pre-installed on the shank and frame during manufacturing, enabling future adjustment without requiring complex field modifications. This preliminary preparation allows installers to simply operate the adjustment mechanism rather than perform complex realignment procedures, maintaining ease of installation while enabling precise final alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The spherical contact surfaces enable continuous variation of the frame's angular orientation and vertical position. By changing the geometric parameters of the frame's position relative to the shank, the system can adapt to varying concrete surface conditions and achieve precise alignment with the finished floor grade while maintaining a straightforward installation process.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the frame is made adjustable with spherical surfaces, then the alignment capability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical contact surfaces between the shank and frame provide multi-directional adjustment capability in a single geometric feature. The spherical interface naturally accommodates tilting and rotating movements without requiring multiple separate adjustment mechanisms, thereby improving alignment capability while minimizing the increase in structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The spherical interface serves multiple functions simultaneously: it allows vertical height adjustment, angular tilting in multiple directions, and rotational positioning. This multi-functionality is achieved through a single geometric feature rather than multiple separate mechanisms, improving alignment capability while keeping the overall structure relatively simple.
Data Source
AI summary
A floor drain assembly including a collar, a shank coupled to the collar, a frame, an insert coupled to the shank and capturing the frame between the insert and the shank, a strainer coupled to the frame, a protective cover coupled to the strainer, and a sleeve surrounding the collar, the shank, the frame, the insert, the strainer, and the protective cover. The shank is moveable relative to the collar and includes a spherically shaped shank surface. The frame includes a lower frame surface shaped to engage the shank surface and an upper frame surface. The insert is moveable relative to the shank and includes a spherically shape insert surface engaged with the upper frame surface such that the frame is captured between the insert and the shank.