Subterranean Conduit Cover With Biasing Contact Shoes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Accessing and protecting subterranean control devices like valves in sprinkler systems from corrosion and environmental factors while allowing easy access for technicians is challenging due to the need for a secure and durable cover that can withstand ground burial and water pressure.
Innovation Solution
A disc-shaped cover with a circular rib and risers, featuring contact shoes that provide a mechanical bias for secure fitting over access conduits, made from materials like stainless steel or polypropylene, ensuring durability and easy installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a flat lid is used to cover the conduit opening, then the cover is simple in structure and easy to manufacture, but it provides insufficient secure fitting and may be displaced by water pressure or ground movement
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is divided into multiple functional segments: a base portion for structural support, multiple risers extending upward, and contact shoes at the tips of risers for engagement with the conduit. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function while collectively providing secure fitting without excessive overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact shoes are designed to be movable relative to the risers, allowing them to adapt to slight variations in conduit dimensions and ground conditions. This dynamic capability enables the cover to maintain secure engagement under varying conditions without requiring a complex adjustment mechanism.
2Reliability
If the cover is made from durable materials like stainless steel or polypropylene, then it withstands corrosion and environmental factors, but it becomes more expensive and heavier
Solution Approach 1:
The cover utilizes composite construction with a base portion and attached risers that can be formed from different materials optimized for their specific functions. The base portion may use corrosion-resistant materials while the risers and contact shoes use materials optimized for mechanical engagement, allowing durability without excessive weight or cost.
3Reliability
If the contact shoes have a different curvature than the circular rib, then they provide better engagement with the conduit, but they increase manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The contact shoes are designed with locally optimized curvature that differs from the circular rib, tailored specifically for engagement with the conduit surface. This localized geometric variation improves engagement without requiring the entire cover structure to be complex, as only the contact points need the specialized curvature.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided herein are covers useful for covering the open end of an access conduit that may contain fluid control equipment. A cover according to the invention comprises a disc-shaped base portion having a top surface and a bottom surface, with a plurality of risers attached to its bottom surface. There is a contact shoe associated with each of the risers, and the contact shoes have a curvature and are disposed sufficiently on the bottom surface of the base portion so as to exert an outward mechanical force against the inner wall of a conduit that is capped by a cover according to the invention, when such cover is in its installed position, thus providing a secure, yet conveniently removable access cover/conduit assembly.