Escalator Step Shock Absorbing Cleat Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing escalator steps fail to reliably prevent serious head injuries when passengers fall and hit the corner, as they lack specific material and structural details for effective shock absorption without compromising normal use safety.
Innovation Solution
An escalator step design featuring a tread with parallel convex sections, a riser with concave sections, and a shock-absorbing cleat made from a polymeric material with a Young's modulus of 1,000 MPa or less, positioned in a notch at the corner, ensuring adequate hardness for normal use while absorbing collision energy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a flexible polymeric material is mounted on the tread part corresponding to the corner to reduce injury, then the ability to absorb collision energy is improved, but the structural stability during normal use deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different material properties to different locations: the shock absorbing cleat at the corner uses a flexible polymeric material (Young's modulus ≤1000 MPa) for collision absorption, while the main tread and riser structures use rigid materials for structural stability. This local differentiation allows the corner to be soft for safety while maintaining overall structural integrity during normal use.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent specifies a quantitative parameter threshold (Young's modulus ≤1000 MPa) for the shock absorbing cleat material to ensure adequate shock absorption while preventing buckling under normal loads. This parameter-based approach provides a clear design criterion that balances flexibility for collision absorption with sufficient rigidity for structural stability.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the cleat strip is made softer to improve shock absorption, then the ability to prevent serious injury is improved, but the resistance to buckling under load deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes a specific parameter range (Young's modulus ≤1000 MPa) for the polymeric material that optimizes the balance between shock absorption capability and buckling resistance. This quantitative specification ensures the material is soft enough to absorb collision energy effectively while remaining rigid enough to maintain structural integrity under normal operational loads.
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 design effectively reduces the risk of serious injury upon head collision and maintains structural integrity during normal use by using a polymeric material with a Young's modulus of 1,000 MPa or less, ensuring the cleat does not buckle under load.
Implementation Method 1
a shock absorbing cleat that is provided in a notch which is formed in a corner portion where the riser and the tread are coupled together... the shock absorbing cleat is made from a polymeric material having a Young's modulus of 1,000 MPa or less
Data Source
AI summary
An escalator step includes: a tread that includes a body section wherein a plurality of convex sections, which are parallel in a travelling direction, are arranged in a width direction; a riser that is coupled at a rear end portion of the body section of the tread and on which a plurality of convex sections are arranged in a width direction, with troughs being formed between adjacent convex sections; and a shock absorbing cleat located in a notch formed in a corner portion where the riser and the tread are coupled together. On the shock absorbing cleat, a plurality of convex sections, arranged in a width direction and parallel to the travelling direction, rear end surfaces are flush with troughs of the riser, each of the convex sections of the shock absorbing cleat is shifted a half pitch from each of the convex sections of the riser.