Corrugated Deck Alignment Frame With Actuated Flute Gripping
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of corrugated steel deck panels in large warehouses and industrial facilities is labor-intensive and requires precise alignment and fastening, often necessitating the removal of temporary pins, which is inefficient and unsafe, especially when working at heights.
Innovation Solution
A mechanical apparatus with a main body, alignment frame, and adjustable corrugation plates that align and secure corrugated panels using linear actuators, continuous tracks, and a control panel, allowing for automated alignment and fastening without the need to cut pins, enhancing safety and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional manual alignment and fastening methods are used, then workers can install corrugated panels, but the process is labor-intensive and requires frequent pin removal which reduces efficiency and safety
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations with an automated mechanical system featuring linear actuators that automatically position and align panels, and automated fastening mechanisms that secure panels without manual intervention. This substitution eliminates the need for workers to manually handle and shear pins, thereby improving both productivity and safety while reducing operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment and fastening system is designed to perform its own alignment and securing operations without requiring external manual assistance for pin removal and repositioning. The automated system independently completes the entire installation cycle, allowing workers to focus on higher-level tasks and improving overall safety and efficiency.
2Reliability
If precise alignment is required for structural integrity, then panels must be carefully positioned and secured, but this meticulous process increases installation time and labor requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs automated linear actuators and mechanical positioning systems that precisely align panels to structural support members with high accuracy, ensuring structural integrity. The automated fastening mechanisms then securely attach panels without manual intervention. This mechanical automation achieves meticulous alignment and secure fastening much faster than manual methods, thereby maintaining reliability while dramatically reducing installation time.
3Productivity
If workers manually align and fasten panels while wearing fall-resistant harnesses, then installation can proceed, but the complexity of safety equipment and high-altitude work increases operational difficulty and risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual high-altitude operations with an automated mechanical system that performs alignment and fastening tasks. The automated apparatus can operate from the ground or positioned locations, eliminating the need for workers to wear fall-resistant harnesses and perform dangerous high-altitude manual operations. This substitution maintains installation capability while dramatically improving safety and reducing operational complexity.
4Adaptability or versatility
If temporary pins are used to hold panels during installation, then panels can be positioned, but the need to shear and remove pins repeatedly complicates the process and reduces efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the temporary pin system with an automated positioning and fastening system using linear actuators. The actuators provide controlled, adjustable positioning of panels during installation, offering the same flexibility as manual pin adjustment but without the need to physically install and remove pins. The system then automatically fastens panels permanently, eliminating the repetitive pin shearing and removal operations that reduce productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for aligning corrugated decking includes a main body, an alignment frame, and one or more arms configured by linear actuation to raise and lower the alignment frame. The apparatus features one or more vertically-adjustable corrugation plates and a sliding corrugation plate positioned across the alignment frame, each including a plurality of teeth that are grooved to complement the profile of corrugated panels. The sliding corrugation plate is moveable along sliding rails via a linear actuator in a header of the alignment frame. In practice, the vertically-adjustable corrugation plates grip the flutes of an unsecured panel while the sliding corrugation plate grips the flutes of an adjacent unsecured panel and aligns them together with one another in preparation for fastening.