Arch-Shaped Shower Extension Arm for Wider Head Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing water supplying extension arms are limited by their straight design, which restricts showerhead movement and adjustability and requires additional angle adjustment means, while also using more material due to a circular cross section.
Innovation Solution
An arch-shaped, elliptically cross-sectioned water supplying extension arm with a hollow elongated element that allows greater movement and adjustability of the showerhead without additional adjustment means, using less material for the same supporting area, featuring a tubular interior pipe and turnable connections to the water source and showerhead.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a straight extension arm with circular cross section is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the showerhead movement range is restricted and additional angle adjustment means are required
Solution Approach 1:
The extension arm is designed with an arch-shaped curved geometry instead of a straight configuration. This curvature allows the showerhead to move through a larger angular range while maintaining structural integrity, eliminating the need for additional adjustment mechanisms. The arch shape provides natural angular adjustment capability as the arm flexes and positions itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The extension arm incorporates dynamic flexibility through its arch shape, allowing it to adapt its position and angle in response to operational requirements. This dynamic capability enables the arm to provide varying angles of support without requiring fixed adjustment mechanisms, improving ease of operation while maintaining structural simplicity.
2Loss of substance
If a circular cross section is used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but more material is consumed for the same supporting area
Solution Approach 1:
The extension arm employs an asymmetric elliptical cross-section instead of a symmetric circular shape. This asymmetric geometry optimizes material distribution, concentrating material where structural support is most needed while reducing material usage overall. The elliptical shape provides enhanced moment of inertia in the critical bending direction, maintaining strength with less material.
Solution Approach 2:
The cross-sectional parameters are changed from a circular geometry to an elliptical geometry with specific axis ratios. This parameter change optimizes the strength-to-weight ratio and material efficiency. The elliptical shape allows for reduced material consumption while maintaining adequate supporting area and structural strength for the intended application.
Data Source
AI summary
A water supplying extension arm for supplying water from a water source to a showerhead has an elongated hollow extension arm element extending along its longitudinal axis and having a first end connectable to the water source turnably about a horizontal axis and a second end spaced in a direction of the longitudinal axis from the first end and connectable to the showerhead. The hollow elongated extension arm element is arch-shaped and has a cross section with a shape of an ellipse having a shorter upright axis and a longer transverse axis.