Drainable Threshold Water Ramp Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing door thresholds lack effective drainage solutions, particularly for water management, and often fail to comply with accessibility standards like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), leading to issues with water accumulation and safety.
Innovation Solution
A drainable door threshold with a trough, water ramp, and anti-skid profile, featuring a two-piece construction with a threshold ramp and cap, designed to direct water out through egress apertures, ensuring compliance with ADA standards and efficient water drainage, with a drainage flow rate of at least 2.3 gallons per minute per 3 foot section.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional door thresholds are used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but water accumulates at the door area and accessibility standards are not met
Solution Approach 1:
The threshold is divided into multiple functional segments: a trough section for water collection, a ramp section for water direction, and an anti-skid surface section for safety. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function effectively while maintaining overall system reliability for water drainage.
Solution Approach 2:
The threshold incorporates a three-dimensional water ramp structure that creates a sloped pathway for water flow. By adding this dimensional element, the threshold actively directs water away from the door area rather than merely providing a flat barrier, thereby improving drainage effectiveness without requiring complex external drainage systems.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the threshold height is increased to provide structural support, then stability improves, but ADA compliance is compromised due to excessive height
Solution Approach 1:
The threshold employs a composite construction combining aluminum extrusion for structural stability with non-slip surface materials for safety. This composite approach allows the threshold to maintain adequate stability for structural support while keeping the overall height low enough to meet ADA accessibility requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The water ramp section incorporates curved and sloped surfaces that smoothly transition from the door area outward. These curved geometries provide structural integrity and stability while maintaining a low profile that complies with ADA height restrictions, eliminating the need for high vertical barriers.
3Reliability
If the threshold includes drainage features, then water management improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The aluminum extrusion is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support, creates the water collection trough, forms the water ramp with integrated drainage pathways, and incorporates anti-skid surfaces. This multi-functionality allows effective water management to be achieved through a single manufacturing process rather than assembling multiple separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The threshold utilizes variations in the extrusion profile parameters to create different functional zones along its length. By changing the cross-sectional geometry of the aluminum extrusion at different positions, the design achieves complex drainage and structural functions through a relatively simple continuous manufacturing process.
4Productivity
If the threshold provides adequate drainage capacity, then water flow rate increases, but the threshold structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The water ramp structure is designed to utilize gravity and its own geometry to channel water flow outward from the door area. The sloped surfaces and integrated trough configuration enable the threshold to self-drain water without requiring additional pumps, motors, or complex active drainage systems, thereby achieving high flow rates with minimal structural complexity.
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 solution effectively directs water away from the door area, ensuring compliance with ADA standards and providing a safe, anti-skid surface while maintaining a low profile, thus addressing the inefficiencies in water management and accessibility issues of traditional thresholds.
Implementation Method 1
water falls down through the one or more apertures of the trough section, down the water ramp member, and out of the entry door drainable threshold
Data Source
AI summary
An entry door drainable threshold comprises a front section including one or more water egress apertures; a trough section including one or more apertures; and a water ramp member disposed under the trough section and the front section, whereby water falls down through the one or more apertures of the trough section, down the water ramp member, and out of the entry door drainable threshold through the one or more water egress apertures.