Hollow-Profile Conveyor Support for Adjustable Track Gauge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rail-mounted industrial conveyors face challenges in design and manufacturing complexity due to the need for custom-built steel frame constructions and precise maintenance of track gauge, which are heavy and require complex assembly.
Innovation Solution
A hollow profile with grooves and recesses for wheel axles and bearings, allowing for adjustable wheel spacing and integration of force sensors, and using lightweight materials like aluminum or fiber-reinforced plastic, eliminating the need for welding and enabling easy assembly and adjustment to different track gauges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If custom-built welded steel frame constructions are used to ensure rigidity and heat resistance for specific load dimensions, then structural strength and adaptability are improved, but device complexity and manufacturing effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The support is designed as a universal component with a standardized hollow profile structure that can accommodate different wheel cassettes and configurations. The groove-shaped recess and recess for wheel axles create a platform that works across various track gauges and load requirements, eliminating the need for custom-built frames for each application.
Solution Approach 2:
The support is divided into modular components including the hollow profile, groove-shaped recess, and recess for wheel axles. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each component and facilitates assembly with different wheel cassettes and wheel arrangements to suit specific track gauge requirements.
2Strength
If welded steel frame constructions are used to ensure structural rigidity, then strength is improved, but weight increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The support utilizes a hollow profile structure that combines material strength with weight reduction. The hollow cross-section provides structural rigidity while enclosing air or other lightweight materials, creating a composite structure that maintains strength-to-weight ratio superior to solid steel frames.
Solution Approach 2:
The hollow profile walls function as thin-walled structural shells that provide the necessary rigidity through their geometric configuration and material properties, rather than relying on thick solid sections. This shell structure achieves strength with minimal material usage.
3Manufacturing precision
If wheel cassettes are manufactured with precise track gauge maintenance requirements, then guidance precision is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The groove-shaped recess and recess for wheel axles are pre-formed during support manufacturing with precise dimensions and positions. This preliminary action ensures that when wheel cassettes are assembled, the track gauge is automatically maintained to the required precision without complex adjustment procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure itself provides the precision positioning features through its groove-shaped recess and recess for wheel axles. The geometry of these recesses automatically ensures correct wheel alignment and track gauge maintenance, making the system self-servicing regarding precision requirements.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a support (2) of a track floor conveyor (1), which comprises a hollow profile (3), of which at least one hollow space (4) is enclosed by a wall (5). The invention further relates to a track floor conveyor with such a support. In order to simplify the construction and maintenance of a track floor conveyor, provision is made that the wall (5), on the side adjoining the track (11), has at least one groove-shaped depression in which the axle or the axle bearing (9) of one or more wheels (8) can be accommodated, and the wall (5) has a recess (7) for at least a part of a wheel (8).