Biodegradable Wood Transport Hoop with Interlocking Spacers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wood transportation devices are costly, difficult to handle, and require retrieval by wood merchants, posing environmental and safety risks due to non-biodegradable materials and complex disassembly.
Innovation Solution
A biodegradable and combustible wood transportation device comprising an annular hoop made of interconnected rings and spacers assembled without nails or screws, allowing for easy handling and burning after use, with features like notches, wedges, and a key to secure the wood in place and facilitate rolling and carrying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a bundling device made of curved metal profiles is used to transport wood segments, then the device has satisfactory rigidity, but the cost price is relatively high and the device must be recovered by the wood merchant
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the material parameter from metal profiles to molded wood elements (laths and corners), transforming the device into a biodegradable, combustible material that is both economical and environmentally friendly while maintaining sufficient structural strength for wood segment transport
Solution Approach 2:
The transport device is designed as a disposable structure made of molded wood elements that can be left with the user after use and burned in the fireplace, eliminating recovery costs and transforming waste into useful fuel, thereby resolving the contradiction between cost and functionality
2Stability of the object's composition
If a frame formed of wooden slats fixed to rigid corners by nails or staples is used, then the structure provides stability, but the nails or staples are not biodegradable and can prove dangerous for users
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes all metal fasteners (nails, staples, screws) from the structure, replacing them with mechanical interlocking joints formed by notches and grooves in the molded wood elements, thereby eliminating safety hazards while maintaining structural stability
Solution Approach 2:
The device uses composite molded wood elements integrating multiple functions (structural support, joining, handling) into single biodegradable components, eliminating the need for non-biodegradable fasteners while maintaining structural integrity
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the hoop is made of biodegradable and combustible material, then the device can be burned in the user's fireplace, but the assembly without nails or screws must ensure sufficient structural integrity
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into modular molded wood elements (laths, corners, spacers) that assemble through interlocking notches and grooves, providing sufficient structural integrity through precise geometric fitting while maintaining complete biodegradability and combustibility
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameter to molded wood with integrated mechanical joining features, achieving both structural integrity and environmental friendliness through a single material system that requires no metal fasteners
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device is economical, easy to handle, and can be left with the user for burning, eliminating the need for wood merchant retrieval, while being environmentally friendly and safe, as all components are combustible and biodegradable.
Implementation Method 1
a wedge locking the segments in position in the hoop
Implementation Method 2
part of this key being capable of capping the spacer in providing a passage zone for the corner when it is introduced between a spacer and the adjacent logs
Implementation Method 3
the hoop can also be burned in the user's fireplace
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 1A
Figure 2
AI summary
The log holder/carrier (1) consists of two rings (11, 12) made from a combustible and biodegradable material such as compressed woodchips or sawdust and a bonding agent. The rings are connected by spacers (13) with interlocking surfaces formed by notches (113), while wedges (14) with irregular surfaces can be inserted between the spacers and logs (B) to fix them in place. In a variant of the design the rings can be made with square outer edges for stability.