Flexible Overhead Door Assembly Impact Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing overhead door assemblies are prone to damage from impact forces such as forklifts and trucks, leading to costly repairs and temporary loss of security and environmental protection, as they either deform permanently or disengage from their tracks.
Innovation Solution
A flexible sectional door assembly composed of interlockingly coupled extruded thermoplastic polymer elongated panels with a spring-like characteristic, where panels deflect under impact and return to their original position without manual reinstallation, utilizing a channel-protrusion interlock system and door hinges to absorb and distribute impact loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional rigid overhead door assemblies are used, then structural strength and security are maintained, but the doors are prone to permanent deformation or disengagement from tracks when subjected to impact forces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the door panels flexible rather than rigid. The panels are constructed with a flexible core material surrounded by a skin, allowing them to dynamically deform under impact loads and then return to their original shape. This flexibility enables the door to absorb impact energy through elastic deformation, preventing permanent damage and maintaining operational integrity without requiring manual reinstallation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by altering the physical state of the door panels from rigid to flexible. The panels are constructed with a flexible core material that can undergo elastic deformation, changing the mechanical properties of the door to allow it to bend and deflect under impact forces while maintaining structural integrity and returning to its original position.
2Strength
If rigid door panels are used, then manufacturing precision and structural stability are maintained, but impact loads cause permanent deformation requiring manual reinstallation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the self-service principle through the self-healing mechanism of the flexible panels. When impact forces cause the panels to deform, the flexible core material naturally returns to its original shape and position without requiring external intervention or manual reinstallation. The door assembly essentially repairs itself automatically, eliminating the need for manual intervention after impact events.
3Ease of operation
If traditional sectional door assemblies are used, then ease of operation is maintained, but impact forces cause disengagement from tracks requiring manual reinstallation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by enabling the door panels to dynamically adapt to impact forces while maintaining track engagement. The flexible panels can deflect and move within the track system during impact events, then automatically return to their original positions and re-engage with the tracks without manual intervention, maintaining both ease of operation and reliability.
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 flexible door assembly effectively absorbs impact loads up to 400 pounds, deflecting over three inches without structural damage and returning to its original state, maintaining operational integrity and environmental seal without requiring manual reinstallation.
Implementation Method 1
one or more of the elongated panels to elastically deform at a spring rate in response to the impact
Implementation Method 2
a roller slidingly mounted in a pivot between adjacent end caps. The roller is adapted to ride in a door track and to pivot about a rolling plane of the roller
Data Source
AI summary
An impact resistant sectional door includes a plurality of interlockingly coupled extruded thermoplastic polymer elongated panels. An elongated panel edge includes a channel and an adjacent edge of an adjacent panel includes a protrusion. The protrusion nests in the channel. Each end cap is rotatingly coupled to an adjacent end cap by a door hinge. The roller is adapted to ride in a door track and to pivot about a rolling plane of the roller. An impact load applied to one or more elongated panels causes one or more of the elongated panels to elastically deform at a spring rate in response to the impact and one or more of the protrusions to slide away from one or more of the channels. The impact resistant sectional door remains substantially undamaged. A method for protecting a sectional door from an impacting force is also described.