Integrated Mounting Assembly for Composite Deck Planks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for installing composite wood and plastic planking on substructures are time-consuming, lack quality control, and are not reliable in extreme weather, especially when using steel or aluminum girder substructures, and require specialized tools.
Innovation Solution
A system featuring elongated base members with U-shaped channels, angled panel connectors, and breakaway cutouts that securely engage planks without distortion, allowing for installation on vertical surfaces and metal girders using standard tools, and providing alignment features for faster and more accurate installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional clips are fastened to the substructure individually, then installation can be completed, but the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple individual clips are merged into a single integrated mounting assembly that attaches to the substructure as one unit. The assembly includes multiple clips positioned at different locations along the plank, connected through a common base structure that fastens to the substructure simultaneously, eliminating the need to install each clip separately.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting system is segmented into modular components including the base structure, multiple clips, and connection elements. This segmentation allows the system to be manufactured as standardized modules that can be quickly installed and replaced, improving installation efficiency while maintaining structural integrity.
2Reliability
If conventional clips are used to fasten planks, then planks can be installed, but the clips are not interconnected and lack mutual support, making the installation unreliable in high-wind weather
Solution Approach 1:
Individual clips are merged into an interconnected assembly where multiple clips are structurally connected through a common base. This interconnection creates mutual support among the clips, distributing wind loads across the entire assembly rather than concentrating forces on individual clips, thereby improving reliability in high-wind conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting assembly incorporates curved or angled connector elements that provide flexible yet strong connections between clips. These curved connectors allow the assembly to flex and absorb wind forces while maintaining structural integrity, enhancing the system's ability to withstand extreme weather.
3Manufacturing precision
If clips are fastened individually to the substructure, then installation can proceed, but quality control is difficult to ensure
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple clipping operations are merged into a single fastening action. The integrated assembly ensures that all clips are positioned and secured simultaneously, eliminating variability in individual clip installation and ensuring consistent quality across the entire plank mounting.
Solution Approach 2:
The clips are pre-positioned and pre-assembled into the mounting assembly during manufacturing, with precise spacing and orientation already established. This preliminary action ensures that during installation, the assembly is simply attached as a unit, guaranteeing consistent quality control without requiring complex on-site adjustments.
4Ease of operation
If specialized tools are used to engage the fastening tangs, then the prior system can be installed, but it requires proprietary equipment that increases complexity and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting assembly is designed to be self-installing using only standard flooring hammers and common tools. The clips and connectors are configured to engage with the substructure and planks through simple hammer-driven fastening actions, eliminating the need for specialized proprietary tools and making the system accessible to general contractors and DIY installers.
Data Source
AI summary
The system for mounting elongated panels to a substructure is a steel track having a series of formed connectors for receiving and engaging decking planks. The system for mounting elongated panels to a substructure will allow a deck system to be installed without the use of any mechanical fasteners such as screws, nails or individual fasteners, and will allow installation of deck systems mounted onto wood, concrete, or steel substructures, in a horizontal, vertical, overhead (or anything in between) fashion. The upper fasteners and receivers, referred to as tangs, maintain the desired gap between composite deck boards for the life of the deck.