Concrete finishing assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing finishing devices for concrete floors do not effectively smooth the concrete to a predetermined slope for efficient water drainage, as they lack a mechanism to attach to the drain and surround the shower floor with a defined border.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising adjustable rails that form a border around the shower floor, a cylinder that fits into the drain, and a trowel unit with a telescopic handle that slides along the rails to smooth the concrete at a predetermined slope for water drainage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If existing finishing devices are used to smooth concrete floors, then general concrete smoothing can be achieved, but the concrete cannot be smoothed to a predetermined slope for efficient water drainage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces rails as an intermediary guide structure that defines the desired slope geometry. The trowel unit with wheeled base slides along these rails, using them as a physical constraint to maintain the predetermined slope angle during concrete smoothing operations. This mediator structure eliminates the need for operators to manually calculate and maintain precise slope angles.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds a dimensional constraint by elevating the trowel unit above the concrete surface using the wheeled base that rolls along the rails. This vertical dimensioning allows the trowel blade to maintain a consistent angular relationship with the horizontal plane, thereby achieving precise slope control through spatial geometry rather than manual measurement.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed-length trowel is used, then the structure is simple, but it cannot adapt to different shower floor sizes and drain positions
Solution Approach 1:
The trowel unit incorporates a telescopic handle that can be extended or retracted to different lengths. This dynamic adjustment mechanism allows the device to adapt to various shower floor dimensions and drain positions while maintaining the overall structural simplicity through a well-established telescopic design.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle is divided into telescopic segments that can be independently adjusted. This segmentation allows flexible length modification without requiring complete redesign of the handle structure, enabling adaptation to different application scenarios while keeping each individual component relatively simple.
3Manufacturing precision
If manual slope estimation is used during concrete smoothing, then no additional guiding structure is needed, but the slope precision for water drainage is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The rails serve as a physical intermediary that encodes the desired slope geometry. Rather than relying on operator estimation, the rails provide a tangible reference framework that guides the trowel unit to achieve the precise predetermined slope required for effective water drainage toward the drain.
Data Source
AI summary
A concrete finishing assembly includes a plurality of rails that each has a guide surface. A plurality of couplers each releasably engages a respective pair of the rails for attaching the respective pair of rails together. In this way the plurality of rails defines a border to surround a shower floor. A cylinder is provided and the cylinder can be inserted into a drain in the shower floor. A trowel unit is provided that has an adjustable length and the trowel unit is attachable to the cylinder. The trowel unit is slidable along the guide surface of the plurality of rails that defines the border. In this way the trowel unit can smooth concrete on the shower floor at a predetermined slope for draining water into the drain.