Collapsible Frame for Liquid Storage Tank with Variable Capacity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional portable water storage tanks for firefighting require multiple sizes to accommodate different site constraints, leading to increased setup and teardown time, logistical challenges, and higher costs due to the need for various tank sizes, which diverts attention from the firefighting effort and complicates emergency responses.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible frame for portable liquid storage tanks with orthogonal upper and lower rails, hinges at corners, midpoints, and quarterpoints, allowing the tank to be expanded or collapsed to maximize storage capacity while accommodating site constraints, eliminating the need for multiple tank sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple tanks of different sizes are deployed to accommodate site constraints, then adaptability to different sites is improved, but device complexity and loss of time increase due to needing to manage, transport, and set up multiple tank sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by designing a tank with a collapsible frame that can dynamically change its size. The frame includes hinges at corners, midpoints, and quarterpoints that allow the tank to be collapsed to different configurations, enabling a single tank to adapt to various site constraints without requiring multiple fixed-size tanks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the frame into multiple hinged sections at corners, midpoints, and quarterpoints. These segmented sections can be independently folded and collapsed, allowing the tank to be reduced to different sizes while maintaining structural integrity, thus eliminating the need to manage multiple separate tanks.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple tanks of different sizes are deployed, then adaptability to site constraints is improved, but loss of time increases due to additional setup and teardown operations
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic collapsible frame allows workers to quickly adjust the tank size by operating hinges, enabling rapid adaptation to site constraints without the time-consuming process of setting up multiple different-sized tanks. The same tank can be rapidly collapsed and expanded as needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The single tank with collapsible frame serves multiple functions by accommodating different site constraints through its variable size capability, replacing the need for multiple specialized tanks of different sizes, thus reducing setup and teardown time.
3Adaptability or versatility
If tank width is reduced to accommodate narrow staging areas, then adaptability to site constraints is improved, but volume of the tank decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The collapsible frame enables the tank to dynamically adjust its width to fit narrow staging areas while maintaining full capacity when deployed in open areas. The same tank provides both narrow and wide configurations, eliminating the trade-off between width reduction and capacity loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The collapsible frame allows the tank to be nested or folded into a compact configuration for transport and storage, then expanded to full size for use, effectively providing both small and large volume capabilities from a single tank structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A collapsible frame for a liquid holding tank is provided. The frame has orthogonal upper and lower rails spaced by vertical struts. The upper and lower rails have hinges at each corner thereof and orthogonally aligned hinges at midpoints and quarterpoints of two opposed sides thereof. The frame can be expanded or collapsed between a fully expanded and a fully collapsed condition by operation of the midpoint hinges and corner hinges. The frame can be expanded or collapsed between a fully expanded and a semi-expanded condition by operation of either the quarterpoint and corner hinges or the midpoint, quarterpoint, and corner hinges. The fully collapsed condition is primarily designed for storage, the semi-expanded condition allows the size of the tank to be reduced to accommodate site constraints, and the fully expanded condition maximizes the tank's liquid storage capacity.