Foldable Torsion Box Panel Assembly with Hinged Sub-panels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional torsion boxes are cumbersome and costly to transport due to their size and weight, necessitating a compact configuration for shipping and storage.
Innovation Solution
A torsion box panel assembly comprising sub-panels with hinges that fold to form a compact configuration, with stabilizing members securing the panels in an expanded configuration, allowing for efficient transportation and assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional torsion boxes are constructed and transported in fully assembled form, then structural integrity is maintained, but transportation cost and storage space increase due to size and weight
Solution Approach 1:
The torsion box is divided into multiple sub-panels that can be folded together to form the complete structure. This segmentation allows the box to be collapsed into a compact configuration for transportation and storage, while maintaining structural integrity when assembled through the use of hinges and stabilizing members.
Solution Approach 2:
The sub-panels are designed to nest within each other when folded, creating a compact collapsed configuration. The stabilizing members are stored within the collapsed structure and deployed when needed to lock the panels in their assembled position,实现ing space-efficient storage while maintaining structural integrity.
2Loss of energy
If conventional torsion boxes are constructed on site, then transportation cost is reduced, but construction time and labor complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The torsion box is pre-assembled into a compact folded configuration at the manufacturing site, with all structural components including hinges and stabilizing members already in place. This preliminary assembly allows for efficient transportation and storage, while enabling quick deployment and final assembly at the construction site without requiring complex on-site construction procedures.
3Volume of stationary object
If sub-panels are folded to compact configuration, then storage space efficiency improves, but structural stability during folding decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Hinges serve as intermediary components that connect adjacent sub-panels, enabling controlled folding motion while maintaining structural integrity during the transition between expanded and collapsed states. The hinges act as mediators that allow the panels to fold together without compromising the overall structural stability of the torsion box.
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizing members are designed to change their functional state based on the configuration of the box. In the expanded configuration, they provide structural reinforcement; in the collapsed configuration, they can be positioned to lock the hinges and maintain stability during transportation and storage, adapting to different structural requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A torsion box panel assembly includes a plurality of sub-panels each having a skin secured to a core, and a plurality of hinges each coupled between a different pair of the sub-panels such that each sub-panel is foldable relative to an adjacent sub-panel along a respective hinge. The hingedly-coupled sub-panels together form a base panel having an expanded configuration in which each hinge is closed and the surfaces of the sub-panel skins are substantially co-planar. The base panel, in its expanded configuration, has a planar panel surface defined, at least in part, by the combination of the co-planar sub-panel skins. At least one stabilizing member is secured to the planar panel surface and spans all of the closed hinges to lock the sub-panels together to form a torsion box panel.