Boom Guard Assembly for Pipe Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Construction machines like pipelayers face challenges in stabilizing and protecting large diameter pipes during transportation, as the pipes are prone to damage from abrupt contact with boom arms due to shifting boom pads and uneven terrain, leading to chipping, cracking, and coating delamination.
Innovation Solution
A boom guard assembly with laterally extending crossmembers and protective support members, equipped with a deformable polymeric layer, is integrated into the pipelayer machine to stabilize and protect the pipes by extending beyond the boom span and providing a cushioned surface for pipe support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If boom pads are temporarily attached to the boom to reduce impact force, then the pipe is protected from damage, but the boom pads shift during machine use resulting in an exposed area of the boom's outer support surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a guard assembly as an intermediary structure between the boom arm and the pipe. This assembly includes a crossmember extending laterally past the boom arm and support members with protective layers that contact the pipe, preventing direct contact between the pipe and the boom's outer support surface. The guard assembly remains fixed to the boom, eliminating the positioning instability of temporary boom pads.
Solution Approach 2:
The guard assembly is pre-installed on the boom arm before pipe handling operations begin. The protective layers are already in position on the support members, so when the pipe is placed against the boom, it immediately contacts the protected surface rather than requiring temporary attachment of protective materials at the moment of need.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the pipe section rests against the boom arms during transport, then the pipe is supported, but the pipe becomes displaced from the resting point as the machine traverses rough terrain causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The guard assembly acts as an intermediary structure that provides a stable, protected resting point for the pipe during transport. The crossmember extends laterally past the boom arm to position the support members optimally, ensuring the pipe rests against the protective layer rather than directly on the boom arm, preventing both displacement and scraping damage during machine movement over rough terrain.
3Ease of operation
If the boom is placed in the most upright position for pipe transport, then the pipe section rests against the boom arms, but the pipe may become displaced causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The guard assembly provides an intermediary protective structure that allows the boom to be positioned in the optimal upright transport position while preventing direct contact between the pipe and the boom arm. The support members with protective layers intercept the pipe contact, eliminating the harmful effect of direct boom arm contact even when the boom is in the most upright position.
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 solution effectively stabilizes the pipe sections during transport, reducing the risk of damage and coating loss by minimizing contact with the boom arms, even on rough terrain, while maintaining the structural integrity of the pipes and their coatings.
Implementation Method 1
a deformable polymeric layer
Implementation Method 2
reducing the force of impact
Data Source
AI summary
A boom configured to maneuver large objects, such as sections of pipe, which comprises a machine guard assembly having a support member. The support member includes an outer support surface with a protective layer disposed thereon.