Right-Angle Girder Tie Connector Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connectors for joining structural members, such as sheet metal hangers in hip roofs, lack effective reinforcement and efficient fastening mechanisms, particularly for hollow metal members, leading to potential disassembly issues and material wastage in manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
A connector with angularly-joined flanges and reinforcing embossments, formed from a sheet metal blank, which allows for secure fastening of jack trusses to girder trusses at 90-degree angles using fasteners from multiple directions, reducing material waste and enhancing structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional sheet metal connectors are used without reinforcement, then manufacturing is simpler and material usage is reduced, but the connector lacks sufficient strength and deformation resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by adding reinforcing embossments only at specific locations where the flanges experience highest stress and deformation risk. Rather than reinforcing the entire connector uniformly, the embossments are strategically placed at critical points to provide localized strength enhancement, resolving the contradiction between overall strength and device complexity.
2Reliability
If fasteners enter from the same direction, then the connector structure is simpler, but disassembly becomes easier and connection reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensionality change by arranging fastener entry points at multiple angular dimensions rather than a single direction. The flanges are oriented at different angles relative to each other, causing fasteners to enter from diverse directional approaches. This multi-dimensional fastening arrangement prevents simultaneous disassembly by creating a complex load distribution pattern, thereby enhancing connection reliability without requiring overly complex fastening mechanisms.
3Productivity
If angularly-joined flanges are formed from sheet metal blank, then material waste is minimized and manufacturing efficiency improves, but the forming process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-forming the angularly-joined flanges and embossments on the sheet metal blank before final assembly. The flanges are bent and positioned at their final angular orientations during the forming process, and the reinforcing embossments are created while the blank is still flat. This preliminary preparation of complex geometric features during manufacturing simplifies the overall assembly process and improves productivity, as the complex geometry is already in place rather than requiring post-assembly operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A connector for joining a supported member to a supporting member is formed with a series of angularly-joined flanges. The flanges are substantially planar and are substantially vertically oriented, when joining the supported member to the supporting member. The connector allows the end of a supported truss to be connected to a vertical member in the open web of a supporting truss.