Curved Sump Grate Minimizes Suction Force
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional swimming pool drainage sumps pose a risk of severe suction force that can trap human bodies, as they have flat surfaces with interstices that allow suction to occur, leading to potential injuries unless emergency procedures are undertaken.
Innovation Solution
A tapered, injection-molded sump with a grate cover featuring a curved surface and minimized interstices, designed to prevent skin contact and reduce suction force effectiveness, allowing for safer operation by minimizing contact areas and preventing finger entrapment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a flat surface grate cover is used with interstices to catch debris, then debris can be caught and water can be suctioned into the sump, but the suction force becomes intense enough to trap human bodies and cause injury
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature to the grate cover surface, replacing the traditional flat surface with a curved configuration. This curved surface reduces the contact area between the grate and human bodies, thereby reducing the suction force effectiveness while still allowing water to be drawn into the sump through the interstices. The curvature is specifically designed to minimize the area where suction could act on a human body, preventing entrapment while maintaining drainage functionality.
2Productivity
If the grate cover has many interstices to catch debris on the surface, then debris can be effectively caught, but the contact area for suction increases and traps human bodies
Solution Approach 1:
The curved configuration of the grate cover reduces the effective contact area where suction acts on human bodies. The interstices are distributed across this curved surface, maintaining debris catching capability while the curvature itself reduces the area available for suction entrapment. The curve is designed to minimize the projection of the grate cover onto a horizontal plane, thereby reducing the effective contact area.
3Ease of manufacture
If a conventional flat grate cover is used, then manufacturing is simple, but emergency procedures are required when human bodies are trapped due to intense suction
Solution Approach 1:
The curved grate cover design inherently prevents body entrapment by reducing contact area, eliminating the need for complex emergency procedures. The curvature is integrated into the manufacturing process, and while it may be slightly more complex than a flat surface, it provides passive safety that prevents the need for emergency interventions when bodies are encountered during pool maintenance or operation.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the grate cover surface area is reduced to prevent suction entrapment, then body entrapment is prevented, but debris catching capability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The curved configuration allows the grate cover to maintain an extended surface area for debris catching while reducing the projected contact area for suction. The interstices are distributed across the curved surface, and the curvature creates a geometry where the effective suction contact area is minimized compared to a flat surface of the same dimensions. This allows adequate debris catching capability to be maintained while preventing body entrapment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively prevents human body entrapment by reducing the contact area and curvature of the grate cover, minimizing the risk of suction-induced injuries, making it safer for use in various pool environments.
Implementation Method 1
the force of the suction is of such intensity that a human body can be trapped on top of the cover
Data Source
AI summary
A grate cover in combination with a swimming sump being installed in a recess in the top of the sump. The grate cover having a multiple of interstices or openings there through. The size of the interstices being held to a minimum so that fingers of a human cannot be sucked into the openings. The top surface of the grate cover has a curvature thereon while the bottom surface is flat. This way, the forceful suction within the sump cannot obtain enough force to suction the skin of a human against the grate cover to cause any injuries.