Expansion Joint Assembly With Releasable Mounting for Inspection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional expansion joints in buildings require significant effort to disassemble for inspection and are not easily adaptable to changes in architectural gaps due to temperature, seismic activity, or structural displacement.
Innovation Solution
The expansion joint features a releasable mounting joint with continuous, integrally formed components that allow easy detachment from architectural surfaces, along with slide assemblies and extension arms to accommodate varying distances and movements, ensuring secure attachment and ease of inspection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional expansion joints are used with fixed mounting joints, then secure attachment to architectural surfaces is achieved, but significant effort is required to disassemble for inspection
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting joint is divided into separate components including a mounting frame, coupling members, and clamping arms that can be independently assembled and disassembled. This segmentation allows the expansion joint to be securely attached when assembled and easily disassembled for inspection without compromising attachment reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting joint transitions from a static fixed connection to a dynamic releasable connection. The coupling members and clamping arms enable the mounting joint to be in either an engaged state for secure attachment or a disengaged state for easy removal, providing operational flexibility while maintaining secure attachment when engaged.
2Adaptability or versatility
If traditional expansion joints with fixed structures are used, then structural stability is maintained, but adaptability to changes in architectural gaps due to temperature, seismic activity, or structural displacement is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The expansion joint incorporates movable components including slide assemblies that can translate along the longitudinal axis and extension arms that can extend and retract. These dynamic elements allow the joint to adapt to changes in gap distance caused by temperature variations, seismic activity, or structural displacement while maintaining structural stability through controlled movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The extension arm is received within the subframe in a telescoping relationship, allowing the extension arm to extend outward to increase the distance between mounting joints or retract to decrease the distance. This nested configuration enables compact storage when not in use while providing extended reach when adaptation is needed, maintaining structural stability throughout the range of motion.
3Ease of manufacture
If continuous integrally formed components are used in mounting joints, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but ease of adjustment and detachment is improved
Solution Approach 1:
While each mounting joint component (mounting frame, coupling member, clamping arm) is manufactured as a continuous integrally formed piece using methods like extrusion to simplify manufacturing, the mounting joint itself is segmented into multiple separable components. This allows each component to be easily manufactured while the assembled joint remains easily detachable through separation of these components.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of an expansion joint are provided. The expansion joint is configured to cover a gap between a first architectural surface and a second architectural surface. The expansion joint includes a panel, subframe, first mounting joint, and a second mounting joint. The second mounting joint includes a coupling member, mounting frame, and clamping arm, each, respectively, being continuous and integrally formed components. The second mounting joint releasably attaches the expansion joint to the second architectural surface. In this way, the expansion joint can be easily removed from the second architectural surface. The expansion joint may also include a slide assembly capable of moving laterally within the subframe and/or an extension arm configured to extend the subframe of the expansion joint to keep the panel from dislodging from the architectural surfaces in response to seismic activity and/or other large expansions or contractions between architectural gaps.