Flexible Handrail Connector With In-Place Hardening Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of handrails in complex stairways and transitions requires custom fabrication off-site, which is cumbersome and time-consuming, especially in large buildings with multiple handrail sections and transitions.
Innovation Solution
A handrail connector system using a flexible hollow conduit filled with a curable liquid compound that hardens in place, allowing for easy on-site assembly and continuous handrail transitions and terminations, featuring interchangeable connectors and terminators that can be bent and secured to handrails using sleeves and adhesive.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If custom fabrication is performed off-site in a specialist metal fabrication shop, then manufacturing precision is improved, but loss of time and productivity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The handrail system is divided into modular components (handrail sections, connectors, transitions) that can be manufactured separately and assembled on-site. This segmentation allows for precise manufacturing of individual components while enabling rapid on-site assembly, resolving the contradiction between fabrication precision and installation time.
Solution Approach 2:
Standardized connectors and transition components are pre-manufactured with precise dimensions and connection interfaces. This preliminary action ensures manufacturing precision is achieved during production while the actual on-site installation is simplified and accelerated through straightforward assembly operations.
2Manufacturing precision
If custom fabrication is performed off-site, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Universal connectors and standardized interfaces are designed to work across different handrail sections and transition types. This universality reduces device complexity by eliminating the need for multiple specialized components, while still achieving manufacturing precision through standardized production processes.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple functions (connection, transition, alignment) are merged into integrated connector components. This merging simplifies the overall device complexity by reducing the number of separate parts required, while manufacturing precision is maintained through specialized production of these multi-functional components.
3Manufacturing precision
If custom fabrication is performed off-site, then manufacturing precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates flexible connectors and adjustable components that can be easily manipulated and positioned during on-site installation. This dynamic capability improves ease of operation while manufacturing precision is achieved through pre-formed connection interfaces and standardized dimensions produced in controlled fabrication environments.
Solution Approach 2:
Standardized connectors serve as intermediaries between handrail sections, providing simple connection interfaces that are easy to install. These intermediary components bridge the gap between precisely manufactured sections, making the overall installation process easier while maintaining manufacturing precision through standardized production.
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
Facilitates efficient, cost-effective, and time-saving installation of handrails by allowing on-site customization and continuous transitions, reducing labor and material costs while meeting universal and building code requirements for smooth and continuous handrail surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
a liquid compound injected into the first hole fills the second hole and hardens
Data Source
AI summary
A handrail connector may include a hollow lengthwise member configured to retain flexibility when empty, a first sleeve having first and second sleeve ends, and a second sleeve having third and fourth sleeve ends. The member has first and second opposing ends and a side surface, the first end having a first hole proximate the side surface, the second end having a second hole proximate the side surface. The first sleeve end couples with the first end of the member and the second sleeve end couples with a first handrail. The third sleeve end couples with the second end of the member and the fourth sleeve end couples with a second handrail. The member is configured to become more rigid when a liquid compound injected into the first hole fills the second hole and hardens.