Concrete Boom Recess Nesting for Compact Folded Height
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing boom arm systems for concrete delivery devices require significant space when folded, limiting their overall height and necessitating heavier, less efficient designs to maintain load-bearing capacity.
Innovation Solution
The boom arm system incorporates a design where one arm is inserted into a recess of another, allowing for a more compact folded configuration, utilizing composite materials like CFRP to achieve lighter and stiffer arms while maintaining load-bearing capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If boom arms are designed with traditional configurations, then load-bearing capacity can be maintained with sufficient structural strength, but the overall height and installation space increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting by inserting one boom arm into a recess formed in another boom arm when folded. The recess has a clear width greater than the boom arm width, allowing the inserted arm to be partially surrounded by the accommodating arm. This nested configuration reduces the overall height and installation space while maintaining the structural integrity and load-bearing capacity of each individual arm.
2Weight of moving object
If boom arms are made lighter to reduce weight, then mobility and energy efficiency improve, but the load-bearing capacity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies that boom arms manufactured from composite materials, particularly carbon-fibre-reinforced plastics (CFRP), are appropriate for the nested configuration. These composite materials enable the construction of lighter boom arms that maintain sufficient stiffness and load-bearing capacity. The nested design further optimizes weight by allowing thinner wall sections in the inserted arm where it is surrounded and protected by the accommodating arm.
3Volume of moving object
If the clear width of the recess is increased to accommodate the boom arm, then the folded configuration becomes more compact, but the structural strength of the accommodating arm decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by forming a recess with a clear width greater than the inserted boom arm width, creating a localized region of reduced material in the accommodating arm. This localized recess allows compact nesting while the remaining portions of the accommodating arm maintain their full structural thickness and strength. The recess is strategically positioned and dimensioned to provide adequate clearance for the inserted arm while preserving the load-bearing capacity of the accommodating arm's main structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A boom system for a concrete-delivery device includes a plurality of booms which are pivotably interconnected. At least one of the booms has a recess along its length, the recess configured to at least partially receive an adjacent boom when the boom system. is in a retracted position. Side walls of the boom are extended to define the recess in the form of a channel. The recess may have a depth greater than or equal to a height of the adjacent boom so that the adjacent boom is received within the recess when the boom system is in the retracted position. Alternatively, the recess may have a depth less than a height of the adjacent boom so that the adjacent boom is only partially received in the recess when the boom system is in the retracted position.