Circular Roof Anchor Plate for Distributed Fall-Arrest Loads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Workers on high structures, such as buildings, face significant risks of falls due to inadequate fall protection systems, with existing anchoring devices failing to provide secure tie-off points that can support the required loads and maintain safety under various conditions.
Innovation Solution
A circular-shaped rooftop anchoring device with a cone-shaped center portion and a flange that seals fasteners to the roof surface, allowing secure coupling without anchoring into underlying structures, and featuring self-sealing mechanisms to prevent environmental intrusion, capable of supporting a load of at least 5,000 pounds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional anchoring devices are used, then installation is simple, but they cannot support the required 5,000 lbs. load and do not provide secure tie-off points
Solution Approach 1:
The anchoring device is divided into multiple fastening points (at least three fasteners) distributed around the circular plate, with each fastener independently anchored to the roof structure. This segmentation allows the load to be distributed across multiple attachment points, achieving the required 5,000 lbs. capacity while maintaining a relatively simple overall device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The device transitions from traditional point-anchoring to a distributed circular arrangement of multiple fasteners. The circular geometry with radius of at least 6 inches creates a two-dimensional load distribution pattern, spreading forces across multiple fasteners rather than concentrating them at a single point, thereby achieving higher load capacity.
2Strength
If fasteners are used to secure the device to the roof surface, then anchoring strength is achieved, but apertures are created that allow environmental intrusion
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible membrane or waterproofing layer is installed over the roof surface and integrated with the anchoring device. This thin film covers the apertures created by fasteners, preventing water, ice, and other environmental factors from penetrating through the fastener holes into the roof structure, while allowing the fasteners to maintain their anchoring function.
3Strength
If the device is anchored into underlying structures, then load capacity is maximized, but installation complexity and structural requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The anchoring device is designed to work with multiple types of roof structures (asphalt shingle, metal, tile, flat roofs) using the same basic configuration of circular plate and fasteners. The fasteners can be adapted to different substrate types without changing the fundamental device design, making installation easier across various roof types while maintaining 5,000 lbs. load capacity.
Data Source
AI summary
A mounting device may include a top plate including a cone-shaped center portion, a flange coupled to the cone-shaped center portion, a number of apertures defined in the flange, and a number of fasteners engaged with the apertures to couple the top plate to a surface of a structure. The flange seals a bottom side of the top plate to the surface of the structure. The flange includes a seal coupled to the bottom of the flange. The cone-shaped center portion has a convex paraboloid shape. The flange includes at least one surface that is parallel to a surface of the structure, and a transition between the cone-shaped center portion and the flange forms an angle. The top plate has a diameter sufficient to displace a load greater than 50 pounds over the surface of the structure.