Beam Seating Channel Connector to Reduce Space and Installation Time
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beam-based seating systems in stadiums and auditoriums face challenges such as increased space usage, complex installation processes, and high manufacturing costs due to the need for custom molds and materials like glass-reinforced nylon, which degrades over time when exposed to sunlight.
Innovation Solution
A beam mounting system with a channel configuration for connectors that allows for easy installation and reduced space usage, featuring a metal frame with a pivot mechanism and stamped plates, and a method of securing the beam to a support using anchors and spacers to minimize protrusion and prevent corrosion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If plates are used to space the beam away from the riser, then the beam can be securely mounted, but additional space is taken up and the beam projects out far from the concrete riser
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is inserted into a channel that is recessed into the beam, nesting the mounting mechanism within the beam structure itself rather than requiring external plates. This allows the beam to be securely mounted to the riser while minimizing the projection distance from the riser face.
Solution Approach 2:
The channel is positioned on the front face of the beam rather than requiring the beam to project outward. The connector inserts through the channel from the front, allowing secure mounting in a different spatial dimension that reduces the beam's projection from the riser.
2Manufacturing precision
If plates are independently set level with one another, then proper beam alignment is achieved, but the installation process becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The channel serves multiple functions: it provides the mounting interface for the connector, ensures proper alignment through its fixed geometry relative to the beam, and eliminates the need for separate leveling plates. This universal feature simplifies installation by combining alignment and mounting functions into a single integrated structure.
3Strength
If glass reinforced nylon material is used for the connector, then the connector can securely clamp the beam, but the material degrades over time when exposed to sunlight and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The connector material is changed from glass reinforced nylon to a different material composition that maintains the necessary clamping strength while providing resistance to UV degradation and environmental weathering, thereby improving long-term reliability without sacrificing structural performance.
Data Source
AI summary
A beam seating assembly has a frame supporting a seating surface. A beam secures to a first support and extends in a longitudinal direction. A channel is located the beam free of the first support. The frame has a lower portion with a connector that is insertable into the channel transverse to the longitudinal direction and the connector, once inserted into the channel, is retained from removal out of the channel in a direction. The connector is insertable into a first portion of the channel and a second portion of the connector rotatable into a second portion of the channel and then slidable away from the first portion such that the first and second portions of the connector are retained within the channel but are slidable in the longitudinal direction until the connector is fixedly secured to the beam. The frame is made in certain aspects from a flat plate.