Double-Wall Appliance Runner Structure for Buckling Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current blow molded runners used for bulky appliances lack sufficient localized stiffness, leading to buckling and deformation under load, which can cause shifting and potential damage to appliances during stacking.
Innovation Solution
A blow molded runner design featuring a double wall configuration with compressed double wall structures and channels, along with tapered sides and protrusions, to enhance localized stiffness and prevent buckling, while maintaining overall stiffness for easy movement and protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a double wall configuration is used for the runner, then manufacturing cost is reduced and material usage is minimized, but localized stiffness at mounting areas becomes insufficient causing buckling under load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating compressed double wall structures at specific mounting areas where appliances are attached. These compressed sections have increased wall thickness and density compared to the rest of the runner body, providing localized stiffness enhancement exactly where needed to prevent buckling, while the remaining portions maintain the lighter double wall configuration for cost efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure by compressing the double wall configuration at mounting areas to form regions with different mechanical properties. The compressed zones act as a composite of the original wall material plus compression-induced density increase, providing enhanced stiffness and strength at attachment points while maintaining the economical double wall structure elsewhere.
2Quantity of substance
If the runner walls are made thinner to reduce material costs, then manufacturing expense is reduced, but the runner becomes more prone to buckling and deformation under stacked appliance loads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by varying the wall thickness and compression density only at critical mounting areas rather than throughout the entire runner. This allows thin-walled construction in non-critical areas to minimize material usage while providing thick, compressed walls at attachment zones to ensure reliability and prevent buckling under load.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the runner into distinct zones: compressed double wall structures at mounting areas for high strength, and thinner double wall sections in between for material efficiency. This segmentation allows the runner to achieve reliable load-bearing capacity where needed while minimizing overall material consumption.
3Reliability
If the runner structure is reinforced to prevent buckling, then structural reliability is improved, but the overall stiffness and ability to resist deflection may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing reinforcement through compressed double wall structures only at mounting areas where buckling is most likely to occur. The channels between columns provide localized structural support without adding significant overall weight or reducing the runner's ability to deflect and absorb energy during handling and stacking operations.
4Strength
If columns are added to increase localized stiffness at mounting points, then resistance to buckling is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes physical parameters by compressing the double wall structure during the blow molding process to create denser, stiffer regions at mounting areas. This parameter change (compression density) provides enhanced localized stiffness without adding separate structural elements like columns, maintaining manufacturing simplicity while achieving the desired strength enhancement.
Data Source
AI summary
A blow molded runner having a bottom wall and a top wall forming a double wall blow molded configuration, at least one compressed double wall structure defined by compression of the bottom and top walls against each other such that an inner surface of the bottom wall is in contact with an inner surface of the top wall. At least two columns spaced apart at a distance wherein each of the at least two columns defines one of the at least one compressed double wall structure and has a top surface and the compressed double wall structure corresponding to each of the at least two columns extends from the top surface to a bottom surface of the runner at the at least two columns wherein the bottom surface is defined by an outer surface of the bottom wall.