Breakaway Door Bottom Assembly Impact Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Breakaway doors with metal plates at the bottom can cause damage to vehicles upon impact, as the metal plates fly into the air and collide with the vehicle upon door activation.
Innovation Solution
A bottom assembly for breakaway doors featuring a padded bar with a bumper and a flexible security edge, where the security edge is suspended from the door with an internal elastomeric cushion to absorb impact and prevent damage, comprising a mounting plate, tabs, and a padded bar to absorb and distribute force.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a metal plate is used at the bottom of the breakaway door to weigh it down and assist in closing, then the door's ability to close and remain stable is improved, but the metal plate flies into the air upon impact and crashes into the vehicle causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter of the bottom assembly from rigid metal to flexible padded material. The bottom assembly includes a padded bar with cushioning material that can deform upon impact, absorbing energy without flying off like the rigid metal plate. This parameter change maintains door stability while eliminating the harmful effect of metal fragments striking the vehicle.
Solution Approach 2:
The bottom assembly uses composite construction combining a rigid mounting plate for structural support with flexible padded material (such as rubber or foam) for impact absorption. The mounting plate provides the necessary weight and stability to keep the door closed, while the padded material covers the edges to prevent damage during impact, creating a composite structure that resolves the contradiction between stability and harm prevention.
2Strength
If a rigid metal plate is used to weigh down the door, then the door can effectively close and seal the opening, but the rigid structure causes damage upon impact with a vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by incorporating padded material on the bottom assembly before impact occurs. The padded bar with cushioning material is positioned at the bottom edge of the door to absorb impact energy during vehicle collision, preventing the rigid mounting plate from striking the vehicle and causing damage, while still maintaining effective door closing capability.
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 reduces or eliminates damage to vehicles by absorbing the impact of the door with the padded and cushioned design, while maintaining the door's functionality to reset quickly after impact.
Implementation Method 1
The loop of flexible material has an interior void at least partially filled with an internal cushion
Implementation Method 2
The internal cushion may be formed of an elastomeric material, which may be rubber
Implementation Method 3
The internal cushion may not fill the interior void adjacent to a bottom portion of the loop thus allowing the bottom portion of the loop to deform upon contact with flooring underneath the breakaway door
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is a bottom assembly for a breakaway door. The bottom assembly comprises a first mounting plate fixed on one of the faces of the breakaway door proximate to its bottom and a security edge formed of a loop of flexible material suspended from the bottom of the breakaway door. The security edge has a second tab sandwiched between the first mounting plate and the breakaway door to mount the security edge to the breakaway door. The loop of flexible material has an interior void at least partially filled with an internal cushion. The bottom assembly further includes a first padded bar including a bumper and a first tab extending from the bumper wherein the first tab is sandwiched between the first mounting plate and the breakaway door to mount the first padded bar to said breakaway door.