Escalator Soffit Plate Prestressing for Rigidity and Noise
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional escalator and moving walk supporting structures with welded bottom plates are expensive, heavy, and prone to noise due to operational vibrations, requiring thick sheet metal to maintain rigidity and prevent oscillation.
Innovation Solution
A supporting structure with a bottom plate limited by two-dimensional side edge regions, where only the first and second side edge areas are firmly connected to the structure with a predetermined prestressing force, enhancing rigidity and noise reduction through compressive and tensile loads, and optionally using a vibration-damping intermediate layer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a welded bottom plate is used to ensure rigidity and prevent noise, then the supporting structure achieves sufficient rigidity and noise reduction, but the manufacturing cost and weight increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the bottom plate into multiple segments with individual support points instead of a continuous welded structure. The bottom plate is supported at discrete locations by the supporting structure, creating segmented support zones that maintain rigidity while reducing material usage and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the support parameters by introducing adjustable support heights and positions. The supporting structure can be adjusted in height and position to optimize the rigidity and noise reduction performance without requiring a heavy welded construction, allowing flexibility in achieving the desired mechanical properties.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a welded bottom plate is used to ensure rigidity and prevent noise, then the supporting structure achieves sufficient rigidity and noise reduction, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the bottom plate into multiple segments with individual support points instead of a continuous welded structure. The bottom plate is supported at discrete locations by the supporting structure, creating segmented support zones that maintain rigidity while reducing material usage and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the support parameters by introducing adjustable support heights and positions. The supporting structure can be adjusted in height and position to optimize the rigidity and noise reduction performance without requiring a heavy welded construction, allowing flexibility in achieving the desired mechanical properties.
3Stability of the object's composition
If thick sheet metal is used to prevent oscillation and noise, then the rigidity is sufficient, but the weight and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the bottom plate into multiple segments with individual support points instead of a continuous welded structure. The bottom plate is supported at discrete locations by the supporting structure, creating segmented support zones that maintain rigidity while reducing material usage and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the support parameters by introducing adjustable support heights and positions. The supporting structure can be adjusted in height and position to optimize the rigidity and noise reduction performance without requiring a heavy welded construction, allowing flexibility in achieving the desired mechanical properties.
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 reduces manufacturing costs and weight while maintaining or improving sound-absorbing properties, achieving higher rigidity and minimizing noise generation during operation by prestressing the underside plate.
Implementation Method 1
The bottom sight sheet is also pretensioned between the first side edge area and a second side edge area opposite the first side edge area with a predetermined pretensioning force value
Implementation Method 2
The prestress causes a compressive load on the material in the loaded cross-section of the bottom flange of the structure and a tensile load on the material in the cross-section of the soffit panel
Implementation Method 3
The prestress causes a compressive load on the material in the loaded cross-section of the bottom flange of the structure and a tensile load on the material in the cross-section of the soffit panel
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an escalator (1) or moving walkway, which has a supporting structure (5) and sheet material that can be seen from below (11, 12, 13, 14, 15) delimited in the two-dimensional extent thereof by lateral edge regions. A first lateral edge region (11.1, 12.1, 13.1, 14.1, 15.1) of the sheet material that can be seen from below (11, 12, 13, 14, 15) is firmly connected to the supporting structure (5, 35, 45). Furthermore, the sheet material that can be seen from below (11, 12, 13, 14, 15) is preloaded with a predefined preloading force between the first lateral edge region (11.1, 12.1, 13.1, 14.1, 15.1) and a second lateral edge region (11.2, 12.2 13.2, 14.2, 15.2, 15.3) opposite the first lateral edge region (11.1, 12.1, 13.1, 14.1, 15.11). In order to obtain the preload, the second lateral edge region (11.2, 12.2, 13.2, 14.2, 15.2, 15.3) is firmly connected to the supporting structure (5, 35, 45), wherein, as a result of obtaining the preloading force, the rigidity of the supporting structure (5) is increased and, during operation of the escalator (1) or the moving walkway, noise is reduced.