Top Bracket With Deflectable Plate for Fall Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Vertical climbing fall protection systems often cause damage to structures like ladders due to the unattenuated transmission of forces from safety cables, leading to wear and tear, and existing top brackets are not designed for repeated use without permanent deformation.
Innovation Solution
A top bracket with a pivotally deflectable plate and neck configuration that allows for downward and rearward deflection upon force application, incorporating an abutment plate and elongate gap for visual inspection of deformation, enabling the system to absorb forces and potentially return to its original state without permanent damage, while also indicating when replacement is necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a rigid top bracket is used to support the safety cable, then the bracket provides strong support and stability, but the forces from falls are unattenuated and cause damage to the structure (ladder and rail)
Solution Approach 1:
The top bracket incorporates a pivotally deflectable plate connected to the base plate by a neck, allowing the plate to dynamically deflect downward and rearward when force is applied during a fall. This dynamic response attenuates the force transmission to the rail and ladder, reducing structural damage while maintaining support strength during normal operation.
2Strength
If a rigid top bracket is used, then structural support is provided, but the bracket is not designed for repeated use and suffers permanent deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The pivotally deflectable plate is designed to undergo reversible deflection through the neck connection, allowing the bracket to absorb fall forces and return to its original state. This elastic deformation capability enables repeated use without permanent deformation, improving reliability while maintaining structural support.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket's mechanical properties are optimized to allow controlled elastic deformation within a specific range. The neck and plate geometry are designed so that the deflection remains within elastic limits during normal fall events, enabling the bracket to return to its original configuration and be reused multiple times without degradation.
3Strength
If the top bracket is designed to be rigid and strong, then it provides stable support, but there is no way to detect when replacement is necessary
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates visual indicators (such as color-coded markers or contrasting surfaces) on the deflectable plate or neck that change or become visible when the bracket exceeds its operational threshold. This allows easy detection of deformation and when replacement is necessary, while maintaining the rigid strong appearance during normal operation.
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 top bracket effectively reduces structural damage by attenuating forces transmitted to the rail and ladder, allowing for multiple uses without permanent deformation, and provides a visual or sensor-based method to determine if the bracket has exceeded its operational threshold.
Implementation Method 1
a pivotally deflectable plate that is integrally and pivotally connected to the base plate by a neck
Implementation Method 2
an abutment plate with a forward abutment surface that is separated from a rearward abutment surface of the pivotally deflectable plate by an elongate gap
Data Source
AI summary
A top bracket for supporting a safety cable of a vertical climbing fall protection system, the bracket including a base plate and a pivotally deflectable plate that is integrally and pivotally connected to the base plate by a neck. The top bracket may also include an abutment plate with a forward abutment surface that is separated from a rearward abutment surface of the pivotally deflectable plate by an elongate gap.