Precast Concrete Block Lug Grid Vacancy Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing molded blocks lack effective protection against displacement, especially in heavily used and trafficked areas, and require a balance between maintaining joint spacing and ensuring stability with minimal joint width.
Innovation Solution
A molded block design featuring a grid unit of cams arranged on side surfaces, where a minority of cams are replaced by spaces, allowing for engagement between adjacent blocks and increased joint filling material volume, with outer cams having smaller depths and varying heights to accommodate additional material, ensuring stable anchoring without a press fit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If lugs are arranged in a complete grid pattern on all side surfaces, then interlocking stability is improved, but joint width increases and displacement protection in high-traffic areas deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes one lug from each 2x2 grid unit on the side surfaces, creating a gap pattern. This extraction of a single element from a complete grid maintains sufficient interlocking through the remaining three lugs while reducing joint width requirements and improving displacement resistance in trafficked areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates an asymmetric lug arrangement by replacing one lug with a gap in each grid unit, rather than maintaining symmetric complete grids. This asymmetric pattern optimizes the balance between interlocking stability and joint width, allowing narrower joints while maintaining adequate stabilization.
2Length of moving object
If joint width is reduced for narrower joints, then space efficiency is improved, but protection against displacement in heavily used areas deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different lug depths at different locations within the grid unit. Outer lugs have reduced depth compared to inner lugs, creating local variations in interlocking strength. This local quality differentiation allows narrower overall joints while maintaining sufficient displacement protection through strategically positioned deeper lugs.
3Volume of stationary object
If outer lugs have reduced depth, then joint filling material volume is improved, but interlocking strength may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by differentiating lug depths based on position: outer lugs have reduced depth to maximize joint filling material volume, while inner lugs maintain greater depth to preserve interlocking strength. This spatial variation in lug properties optimizes both material volume and mechanical strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The asymmetric lug depth configuration creates stronger interlocking at critical inner positions while allowing shallower outer lugs that accommodate more joint filling material. This asymmetric design balances volume optimization with strength requirements.
Data Source
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AI summary
A precast concrete block (100), in particular made of concrete, for creating a ground cover, comprising a base body (10) with a top (12) and a bottom (16) and four side surfaces (30, 40, 50) parallel to a block height (18) with lugs (62, 64, 68) arranged on at least one side surface (30, 40, 50). The lugs (62, 64, 68) are arranged in a grid unit (60) which provides space for at least n=4 lugs (62, 64, 68) arranged equidistantly from each other, of which a minority of at most n-1 lugs (62, 64, 68) is formed, and the difference between the number and the minority is formed by at least one vacancy (66) instead of a lug.