Gabion Deployment Platform with Releasable Retaining Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gabion deployment systems are inefficient due to bulky and heavy containers, requiring significant time and space for storage and transport, and leaving empty containers that need disposal after deployment.
Innovation Solution
A gabion containment apparatus with a base element and retaining elements that securely hold and release the gabion during deployment, allowing for efficient storage, transport, and easy recovery by enabling the gabion to be folded and unfolded with releasable connections for quick deployment and decommissioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If gabions are supplied on pallets in stacks wrapped in shrink wrap plastics material, then storage and transport are simplified, but removal of shrink wrapping and extraction from pallet takes significant time
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the gabion from the traditional pallet-shrink wrap packaging system and replaces it with a dedicated containment apparatus that integrates storage and deployment functions. The containment apparatus holds the folded gabion directly without requiring external wrapping materials, allowing rapid extraction by simply releasing the retaining element rather than removing shrink wrap.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention eliminates the disposable shrink wrap plastics material from the system. Instead of using single-use wrapping that must be removed and discarded, the containment apparatus provides a reusable system where the same apparatus can be used repeatedly for storing and deploying multiple gabions without generating packaging waste.
2Ease of operation
If a container is used to retain folded gabion for deployment, then gabion storage and transport are facilitated, but the container becomes bulky and heavy requiring large storage space and transport space
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the containment function into a minimal structure consisting of only the essential base element and retaining element, rather than using a complete enclosed container. This segmented approach provides the necessary containment and deployment facilitation while eliminating unnecessary volume from walls, roof, and other container components.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses the folded gabion's own structure as part of the containment system. The folded gabion maintains its folded configuration through its inherent structural integrity, eliminating the need for a rigid container to impose and maintain that shape. The containment apparatus simply needs to hold the pre-folded gabion in its self-maintaining configuration.
3Ease of operation
If conventional containment systems are used, then gabion storage is achieved, but empty containers must be disposed of after deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The invention recovers the containment apparatus for reuse after gabion deployment. The base element and retaining element remain intact and can be used to store and deploy subsequent gabions. This eliminates the disposal problem of conventional containers by making the containment system itself reusable across multiple deployment cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The containment apparatus is designed with universal functionality to perform multiple operations: storing folded gabions, facilitating their deployment, and being reused for subsequent gabions. The base element and retaining element constitute a universal system that can handle different gabion deployments without requiring replacement containers.
Data Source
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Figure 5a~5b
AI summary
The present invention relates to a gabion deployment platform for storing a folded multi-compartment gabion and from which the gabion can be deployed, the deployment platform comprising: a base element for supporting the folded multi-compartmental gabion, the base element comprising a first member configured to extend along at least a part of a first side of said folded multi-compartment gabion, and a second member, extending transversely from said first member, said second member configured to extend along at least a part of a second side of said folded multi-compartmental gabion; and at least one retaining element, coupled at a first end thereof to said base element, said at least one retaining element being releasably attached, connected or retentively engaged, at least at one point of said at least one retaining element, by way of at least one releasable attaching, connecting or retentive engaging means, to a portion of a compartment of said folded multi-compartment gabion, said at least one retaining element configured to extend from said base element, over at least a portion of said folded multi-compartment gabion, said at least one retaining element serving to attach, connect or retentively engage a part of the gabion to the base element when the gabion is folded but to release the gabion from the base element when the gabion is deployed.