Adjustable Formwork Bracket with Interlocking Lug Engagement
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Solution Overview
Problem
In construction, traditional timber formwork for concrete slab edges is inefficient due to material wastage, labor-intensive, and poses safety risks from nails, and existing solutions do not adequately address these issues.
Innovation Solution
A bracket system comprising interconnected members with a lug or protrusion engagement feature that securely attaches to formwork, providing improved strength and reducing material wastage and labor, featuring a mechanical linkage with adjustable components for versatile use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If traditional timber formwork is used, then material availability is ensured, but material wastage increases and labor requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket system is designed to be reusable across multiple formwork applications. The metal bracket with its standardized formation can be detached from one formwork panel and reattached to another, recovering the support function repeatedly rather than discarding timber brackets after single use. This directly reduces material wastage while maintaining productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket design incorporates a standardized formation that can engage with multiple different formwork panels and configurations. The universal interface allows the same bracket to serve various supporting functions across different locations and applications, reducing the need for multiple specialized timber components and thereby reducing overall material wastage and labor.
2Reliability
If timber formwork is used, then ease of construction is maintained, but safety risks increase due to nails
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the traditional timber-and-nails mechanical connection system with a metal bracket system that uses formation engagement (interlocking geometric shapes) rather than fasteners. This substitution eliminates nail-related safety hazards while maintaining ease of construction through the simple engage-disengage mechanism of the formation interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The dangerous element (nails) is completely extracted from the construction system. The bracket relies solely on the mechanical interlocking of formations without any penetrating fasteners, removing the safety hazard entirely while preserving construction simplicity through the straightforward engagement mechanism.
3Adaptability or versatility
If fixed bracket design is used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but adaptability to different formwork sizes is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket incorporates adjustable elements that allow modification of its geometry to suit different formwork panel sizes. Rather than a fixed rigid structure, the bracket can be dynamically adjusted in length or angle, providing adaptability while keeping the overall structural concept relatively simple and manufacturable.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket is divided into modular segments or components that can be assembled in different configurations. This segmentation allows the same basic bracket design to adapt to various formwork sizes by simply reconfiguring the segments, maintaining manufacturing simplicity through standardized parts while achieving versatility.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2c
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
There is provided a bracket for supporting formwork; comprising a formation for engaging with a corresponding formation on formwork. Formwork and a corresponding system are also provided.