Boat Dock Ramp Hinge Using Pillow Blocks for Relative Motion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional boat dock and ramp connections are prone to structural damage, personal injury, and electrical hazards due to relative motion and high voltage power lines, with simple bolt hinges failing under stress and posing safety risks.
Innovation Solution
A flexible coupling apparatus using pillow block bearings and an elongated bar structure to connect a ramp to a dock, allowing relative motion while preventing lateral movement and stress transmission, incorporating stainless steel components for strength and corrosion resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a simple two bolt hinge is used to connect the ramp to the dock, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability deteriorates due to bolt failure under shear stress from relative motion
Solution Approach 1:
The connection system is divided into separate functional components: receiver plates attached to the ramp and dock, pillow block bearings for motion accommodation, and an elongated bar for structural connection. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally without the limitations of a simple bolt hinge.
Solution Approach 2:
The pillow block bearings act as intermediaries between the receiver plates, providing a controlled mechanism for relative motion while preventing direct stress transmission to the connection bolts. This intermediary mechanism protects the connection hardware from shear stress failure.
2Strength
If the ramp is rigidly connected to the dock, then the structural integrity is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to damage from relative motion caused by water movement
Solution Approach 1:
The connection system transitions from a rigid fixed connection to a dynamic adjustable connection. The pillow block bearings allow the ramp to move relative to the dock in response to water level changes and wave action, while the elongated bar maintains structural integrity by preventing excessive lateral movement.
3Adaptability or versatility
If electrical power lines are run along the ramp to the dock, then the versatility is improved for boat docking, but the object-affected harmful factors worsen due to electrical shock hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The controlled motion mechanism acts as an intermediary that protects electrical infrastructure. By allowing relative motion between the ramp and dock through the pillow block bearings, the system prevents stress concentration that could damage electrical power lines, thereby reducing shock hazards while maintaining power distribution capability.
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
Enhances the safety and structural integrity of boat docks by preventing damage and injury, while maintaining electrical safety through controlled motion and robust connections.
Implementation Method 1
pillow block bearings... allowing relative motion while preventing lateral movement
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is directed to an apparatus that flexibly couples a ramp to a boat dock and to methods for constructing this apparatus. These methods may also include steps directed to selecting material strengths or sizes when designing an assembly that attaches the ramp to the boat dock. By allowing relative up-down motion between a boat dock and a ramp using materials with particular characteristics, apparatus built in a manner consistent with the present disclosure are much stronger than conventional apparatus that connect a ramp to a boat dock. Apparatus consistent with the present disclosure prevent property damage, personal injury, and death that are commonly associated with conventional boat ramps and docks. Apparatus of the present disclosure increase the safety of boat docks and increase the robustness of connection points where a ramp meets a boat dock.