Metal Deck Insert Assembly With Top-Side Reversible Expansion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cast-in-place anchors secured to metal decking are difficult to remove and reposition due to automatic and irreversible expansion, requiring access from the underside of the decking, which is cumbersome and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A cast-in-place anchor assembly with a telescopic design, featuring a radially expandable member that can be selectively actuated from the top side, allowing easy installation and removal by engaging the expansion member through a manipulable friction fit, enabling secure locking and unlocking to/from the metal decking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional anchors use automatic irreversible expansion of the expansion member, then the anchor is securely locked to the metal decking, but the anchor becomes difficult to remove and reposition
Solution Approach 1:
The expansion member is designed with dynamic properties that allow it to transition between expanded and collapsed states. The biasing element (spring) provides the dynamic mechanism that enables reversible expansion, allowing the anchor to be securely locked when expanded and easily removed when collapsed, thus resolving the contradiction between secure locking and ease of removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The expansion member's physical state is changed from permanently expanded to reversibly expandable. By introducing a biasing element that can store and release mechanical energy, the expansion member's expansion state becomes a controllable parameter rather than a permanent condition, enabling both secure locking and easy removal.
2Productivity
If the expansion member is automatically expanded during installation, then the anchor is quickly secured to the decking, but access from the underside is required which is cumbersome and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of expanding the expansion member from the underside of the decking (conventional approach), the invention inverts the operation by enabling expansion from the top side. The shaft of the anchor housing engages the expansion member from above, allowing installation workers to access and operate the anchor from the convenient top side of the decking rather than requiring cumbersome access from the underside.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft of the anchor housing serves as an intermediary mechanism that transmits the expansion force from the top side of the decking to the expansion member. This intermediary allows the expansion action to be initiated from the accessible top side while still effectively engaging the expansion member located on the underside of the decking.
3Strength
If multiple anchors are installed in the metal decking, then the structural support is adequate, but it becomes difficult to determine precisely which anchor needs removal
Solution Approach 1:
The invention utilizes visual differentiation (analogous to color changes) by making the expansion member visible or distinguishable from the top side of the decking. This allows workers to easily identify which specific anchor needs removal among multiple installed anchors, solving the identification difficulty while maintaining structural integrity through proper anchor selection.
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
Enables secure and reversible attachment of anchors to metal decking, facilitating easy repositioning and removal without needing access from the underside, enhancing installation efficiency and flexibility.
Implementation Method 1
lock the assembly to the hole by trapping the hole between the base support flange and the expansion member
Implementation Method 2
engaging the expansion member through a manipulable friction fit
Data Source
AI summary
A cast-in-place concrete anchor assembly for installation in or on a metal decking form. The assembly incudes an anchor housing with shaft extending from a flange. The flange includes a locking member that may take the form of a female thread. The anchor housing further including an anchor sleeve or spacer. The anchor assembly also including an anchor support with a receptacle for receiving the anchor sleeve and a shaft of the anchor housing. The anchor support further includes a radial expansion member for flexing outward to trap the anchor assembly to a support such as an edge of a hole in concrete metal decking.