Gravity-Actuated Cableway Enclosure for Smoke Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tunnel-shaped route enclosures provide effective immission protection but require special safety and fire protection measures due to their closed construction, which complicates smoke extraction and fire management in the event of a fire.
Innovation Solution
A modular railway or roadway enclosure system with support elements and shell elements that can be opened using gravity, triggered by temperature or air quality thresholds, allowing for large-area smoke extraction and fire prevention by sliding shell elements laterally and transversely to the route, facilitated by a monitoring and electromechanical triggering mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the route enclosure is constructed as a closed tunnel-shaped structure for effective immission protection, then protection against emissions is improved, but smoke extraction and fire management become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The enclosure transitions from a static closed structure to a dynamic system where shell elements can be moved between closed and open positions. The guides enable the shell elements to slide laterally along the support elements, allowing the enclosure to adapt its state based on operational requirements - closed for protection, open for smoke extraction and fire management.
Solution Approach 2:
The enclosure is divided into modular components consisting of support elements and movable shell elements. This segmentation allows individual shell elements to be independently positioned along the guides, enabling selective opening of specific sections while maintaining enclosure integrity in other areas, thus balancing protection with smoke extraction capability.
2Reliability
If the shell elements are made movable along the support elements for smoke extraction, then fire safety is improved, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guides are designed to utilize gravity as the driving force for moving shell elements along the support elements. By configuring the guides with appropriate slopes and orientations, the system achieves movement without requiring additional power sources or complex actuation mechanisms, reducing overall structural complexity while maintaining fire safety functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The enclosure system uses its own weight and gravitational force to drive the opening and closing of shell elements. The mass of the shell elements themselves provides the necessary force for movement along the guides, eliminating the need for external motors, actuators, or power supply systems, thus simplifying the overall structure.
3Area of stationary object
If the enclosure elements slide laterally overlapping off the support elements for opening, then large-area smoke extraction is enabled, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shell elements are designed to nest within or overlap each other during the sliding motion along the guides. This nesting arrangement allows multiple shell elements to be compactly stored in the closed position while enabling smooth, coordinated movement when opening, reducing the complexity of the sliding mechanism compared to independent actuation of each element.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables effective smoke extraction, facilitates fire source location, and prevents overheating and fire spread by opening a large area, while also aiding evacuation and extinguishing agent supply, with the option for regular maintenance checks without external aids.
Implementation Method 1
a release mechanism which is configured to in response to exceeding a threshold value regarding temperature or air quality inside the enclosure
Implementation Method 2
a release mechanism which is configured to in response to exceeding a threshold value regarding temperature or air quality inside the enclosure
Implementation Method 3
the support elements have guides which make it possible to move the shell elements, utilizing gravity, from first positions and orientations to second positions and/or orientations
Data Source
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AI summary
The illustration shows a cableway enclosure. The enclosure comprises support elements arranged longitudinally along the cableway, designed to span the cableway transversely, and shell elements designed to define a space located between two, three, or more of the support elements, perpendicular to the cableway's longitudinal direction. The support elements have guides that allow the shell elements to be moved, using gravity, from initial positions and orientations to secondary positions and/or orientations for opening the cableway enclosure, particularly for smoke extraction from the space in case of fire.