Adjustable Duct Mounting Bracket With Sound-Decoupled Slots

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing mounting brackets for ducts to structural elements lack adjustability and are complex to manufacture, making them difficult to align accurately and costly to produce.

Innovation Solution

The mounting bracket features oblong holes in the second leg, housing parts, and sound-insulating element, aligned coaxially for the fastening element, allowing for adjustability and easy assembly, with a simplified design that includes a stamped/bent angle element and an elastic sound-insulating element, ensuring economical production and effective sound decoupling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If traditional mounting brackets with limited adjustability are used, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but adaptability and ease of operation deteriorate due to inability to compensate for positioning errors

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveadjustabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The mounting bracket incorporates movable components that allow adjustment of the fastening element position after assembly. The through-opening in the second leg enables the fastening element to be shifted within a certain range, providing dynamic adaptability to compensate for positioning errors without requiring complex manufacturing processes

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The design changes the geometric parameters of the through-opening in the second leg to allow for positional adjustment. By designing the opening with specific dimensions and orientation, the bracket can accommodate variations in fastening element position while maintaining a relatively simple manufacturing process

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Measurement precision

If mounting brackets are designed for precise alignment, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates due to tighter tolerances required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvealignment precisionVSAvoidmanufacturing ease
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The through-opening in the second leg provides a dynamic adjustment range that allows the fastening element to be positioned precisely without requiring the entire bracket to be manufactured with tight tolerances. The opening acts as a tolerance compensation mechanism

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The through-opening in the second leg serves as an intermediary element between the bracket body and the fastening element. It mediates the tolerance accumulation by allowing positional adjustment, thereby achieving precise alignment without requiring high manufacturing precision in all components

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If sound-insulating elements are added to decouple the mounting bracket, then noise reduction is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional components

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructure-borne noiseVSAvoidcomponent quantity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The sound-insulating element is introduced as an intermediary component between the mounting bracket and the structural element. It decouples the mechanical connection while allowing the fastening function to remain, thereby reducing structure-borne noise without significantly increasing overall device complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The mounting bracket combines different materials with complementary properties: the metallic angle element provides structural strength, while the elastomeric sound-insulating element provides noise reduction. This composite approach addresses both structural and acoustic requirements

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

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 provides adjustable mounting with reliable sound decoupling and economical production, allowing for precise alignment and effective noise reduction while minimizing material usage and manufacturing complexity.

Implementation Method 1

a sound-insulating element having a fourth through-opening for the fastening element, which partially surrounds the second leg and is decoupled from the housing parts

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSound insulation: Acoustic Absorption

Data Source

PatentEP2072872B1Mounting bracket
Publication Date: 2010.06.23 HILTI AG
  • EP2072872B1 patent drawingFigure 1~4
  • EP2072872B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The bracket (11) has a blade (13) fastening to a duct, and another blade (15) comprising an aperture (16) for a fastening element, which fastens the bracket to a construction element. Two housing parts (22, 27) comprises two apertures (23, 28) for the fastening element, respectively, and a sound damping element (31) comprises a fourth aperture. The apertures are slotted holes in the blade, the parts and the sound damping element. The slotted holes lie in one of the blade in a complete overlapping with the slotted holes in the housing parts and the slotted hole in the damping element.