Curved Pipe Support Clamps Without Welding
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current pipe supporting structures for curved portions of pipes are limited, as attachment-type structures welded to the pipes prevent thickness measurement and compromise structural integrity, requiring additional stress evaluations and limiting optimal load support positions.
Innovation Solution
A fastening-type pipe supporting apparatus using clamps with curved surfaces and connection bolts, washers, and supporting parts that can be easily attached and detached, allowing for optimal load distribution without welding, enabling measurement of pipe thickness and reducing structural integrity issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If attachment-type pipe supporting structures are welded to curved portions of pipes, then structural integrity is compromised and thickness measurement becomes impossible, but load support capability is improved
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe supporting structure is divided into separate components: a clamp that can be attached to the pipe without welding, and a supporting structure that connects to the clamp. This segmentation allows the supporting function to be added while preserving the pipe's structural integrity and enabling thickness measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
A clamp serves as an intermediary component between the pipe and the supporting structure. The clamp is attached to the pipe using non-invasive methods (such as binding or clamping), avoiding direct welding to the pipe, thus preserving structural integrity while still enabling load support.
2Strength
If attachment-type pipe supporting structures are welded to curved portions of pipes, then load support capability is improved, but additional stress evaluations are required
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the supporting function from the pipe structure itself and using a removable clamp, the system avoids creating permanent stress concentration points that would require complex stress evaluations. The clamp design allows for simpler assessment of load paths.
3Strength
If attachment-type pipe supporting structures are welded to curved portions of pipes, then load support capability is improved, but thickness measurement becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The supporting structure is segmented into a removable clamp component and a supporting element. The clamp can be detached to allow access to the pipe surface for thickness measurement, while still providing the necessary load support when attached.
Solution Approach 2:
The clamp acts as a temporary intermediary that provides load support during operation but can be removed when measurement is needed, thus not permanently blocking access to the pipe surface for thickness measurement.
4Ease of manufacture
If fastening-type pipe supporting apparatuses are used on straight portions of pipes, then ease of installation is improved, but optimal load support positions are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp is designed with a curved configuration that matches the curvature of pipe bends, allowing the fastening-type apparatus to be installed on curved portions of pipes. This curved design enables the apparatus to conform to the pipe geometry while maintaining ease of installation through mechanical fastening.
Data Source
AI summary
A fastening-type pipe supporting apparatus capable of supporting a curved pipe against loads acting on a curved portion of the pipe via clamps having curved surfaces and being easily attached to and detached from the curved portion of the pipe. The fastening-type pipe supporting apparatus includes: a first clamp having a semicircular cross-sectional shape and a curved surface with a curvature to surround the curved portion of a pipe; a second clamp having a semicircular cross-sectional shape and a curved surface with a curvature to surround the curved portion of the pipe, the second clamp being coupled to the first clamp; a connection bolt coupling the first clamp with the second clamp; and a washer placed around the connection bolt.