Top-Access Coupling Element for Furnace Grate Bars
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complex and time-consuming assembly and maintenance of furnace grates pose a risk to workers due to the need for scaffolding and the inability to loosen threaded rods during operation, leading to potential injuries from falls.
Innovation Solution
A coupling element with pins and recesses allows for secure assembly and disassembly of grate bars from the top, using a positive locking mechanism that can be inserted and removed without specialized tools, reducing the risk of injury and simplifying maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If threaded rods and nuts are used to connect grate bars from underneath, then the grate bars can be securely connected, but assembly and maintenance work becomes complex and time-consuming requiring scaffolding and ladders
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by connecting grate bars from the top side instead of from underneath. The coupling element is inserted from the top through opening sections of adjacent grate bars and locked in place by pins engaging with recesses, eliminating the need for workers to access the underside of the grate structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling element is divided into distinct functional parts: insertion sections that pass through opening sections, pins that engage with recesses for locking, and a head portion for tool engagement. This segmentation allows for simplified assembly operations from the top side while maintaining secure connection.
2Reliability
If threaded rods are used during operation, then secure connection is maintained, but maintenance becomes dangerous due to inability to loosen rods under heat exposure
Solution Approach 1:
By inverting the connection approach to access from the top side, the patent allows maintenance workers to safely remove and replace coupling elements without exposure to high temperatures underneath the grate bars. The coupling element can be completely removed from the top, eliminating heat exposure risks during maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling element is designed to be completely extractable from the top side through the opening sections. The pins engage with recesses to provide secure connection during operation, but can be easily disengaged and removed when maintenance is required, separating the connection function from the maintenance accessibility issue.
3Strength
If nuts and threaded rods are used for connection, then secure fastening is achieved, but special tools and angle grinders are required for disassembly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional fastening approach by using a coupling element that is inserted from the top and locked by pins engaging with recesses, rather than using threaded rods from underneath. This allows disassembly using only a hammer and chisel from the top side, eliminating the need for angle grinders and specialized threading tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling element is designed as a simple, inexpensive component that can be easily replaced rather than repaired. The pins and recesses provide secure connection during service life, but the entire coupling element can be quickly removed and replaced with a new one using simple tools, making the system economically efficient.
4Ease of repair
If workers access underneath the grate bars for maintenance, then connection work can be performed, but risk of injury from falls increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent fundamentally inverts the maintenance access approach by enabling all connection and disconnection operations to be performed from the top side of the grate bars. Workers stand on safe, level ground at the top and perform all maintenance tasks without needing to position themselves underneath the structure, completely eliminating fall risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling element is designed to be self-contained with all necessary connection and locking features integrated into a single component that can be installed and removed from the top. The pins automatically engage with recesses to provide secure connection, and the entire assembly can be removed by hand or with simple tools without requiring workers to access dangerous areas.
Data Source
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AI summary
A grate (10) for combustion plants with grate bars (12) arranged side by side along a row direction (14) to form a grate row (16), wherein the grate bars (12) each have a planar extending base (22) on their upper surface (20), wherein the bases (22) together form a section of a grate surface (24) for fuel, is designed and further developed in order to facilitate assembly and maintenance work on a grate for combustion plants using simple structural means, such that two adjacent grate bars (26, 28) in the grate row (16) each have a pin (34, 36) on their facing sides (30, 32), wherein the pin (34, 36) is arranged in an opening section (38, 40) formed in the base (22), and that a coupling element (42) is provided which is attached to opposite side surfaces (44, 46) each has a recess (48, 50) for one of the pins (34, 36),and that the coupling element (42) is designed such that it can be inserted from the top (20) into an opening (52) formed by the opening sections (38, 40) of the two adjacent grate bars (26, 28) and pushed onto the pins (34, 36) along a sliding direction (54), wherein the recesses (48, 50) and the pins (34, 36) engage behind each other in the row direction (14).