Ground Improvement Apparatus with Reciprocating Agitation Blades
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ground improvement apparatuses are large and cumbersome, making it difficult to construct improved bodies with rectangular cross sections due to the size of the Reuleaux rotary shaft and shaft receiving portion, which act as obstacles when penetrating the ground.
Innovation Solution
A compact ground improvement apparatus featuring an outer pipe rotated by a driver, an inner shaft with a crank mechanism that rotates four times faster, and reciprocating agitation blades with discharge outlets, utilizing a slider crank mechanism to convert rotational movement into reciprocating motion of the blades to form a rectangular cross section by advancing and retreating them relative to each other.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If a Reuleaux rotary shaft is used to form a rectangular cross section, then the improved body can be formed with rectangular cross section, but the apparatus becomes large in scale and the shaft becomes a large obstacle when penetrating the ground
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus is divided into an outer pipe and an inner shaft that can move relative to each other. The agitation blades are segmented and mounted on the inner shaft, allowing them to reciprocate between advancing and retreating positions. This segmentation enables the formation of rectangular cross sections without requiring a large-diameter Reuleaux rotary shaft, as the blades create the rectangular shape through their reciprocating motion rather than through the shaft's rotation geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The agitation blades are made dynamic by enabling them to reciprocate between advancing and retreating positions along the inner shaft. This dynamic configuration allows the blades to create rectangular cross sections during rotation without requiring a fixed large-diameter shaft. The reciprocating motion is driven by a crank mechanism that converts the rotation of the outer pipe into linear reciprocation of the blades, achieving the desired shape with a compact shaft diameter.
2Shape
If the diameter of the Reuleaux rotary shaft is increased to form rectangular cross section, then the rectangular shape can be achieved, but the shaft receiving portion becomes a large obstacle making it difficult to smoothly construct the improved body
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into an outer pipe and an inner shaft that can move independently. The agitation blades are mounted on the inner shaft and can reciprocate relative to the outer pipe. This segmentation allows the blades to advance and retreat within a compact shaft diameter, creating rectangular cross sections without requiring a large-diameter shaft receiving portion, thereby enabling smooth construction of the improved body.
Solution Approach 2:
The agitation blades are configured to reciprocate dynamically between advancing and retreating positions during rotation. This dynamic reciprocation, driven by the crank mechanism, allows the blades to form rectangular cross sections with a compact shaft diameter, eliminating the need for a large-diameter shaft receiving portion and enabling smooth construction of the improved body without operational difficulties.
3Length of moving object
If a compact apparatus is used, then the apparatus size is reduced, but it may be difficult to form improved bodies with rectangular cross section
Solution Approach 1:
The agitation blades are made dynamic with reciprocating motion between advancing and retreating positions, driven by a crank mechanism that converts the rotation of the compact outer pipe into linear reciprocation. This dynamic reciprocation allows the compact apparatus to form rectangular cross sections effectively, as the blades sweep out rectangular paths during their reciprocating motion while the apparatus rotates, achieving the desired shape without requiring a large apparatus size.
Solution Approach 2:
The agitation blades move in two dimensions: rotation with the outer pipe and reciprocation along the inner shaft. This two-dimensional motion combines to create rectangular cross sections. The reciprocating dimension adds the capability to form rectangular shapes while keeping the apparatus compact, as the rectangular shape is created through the combination of rotational and reciprocating motions rather than through the shaft's cross-sectional geometry.
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 the easy and reliable formation of improved bodies with a rectangular cross section, reducing the need for overlapping lap portions and thus lowering the cost of solidifying material when constructing continuous improved bodies.
Implementation Method 1
a slider crank mechanism configured to convert a rotation movement of the crank to a reciprocating movement of the pair of agitation blades
Data Source
AI summary
A ground improvement apparatus includes: an inner shaft arranged inside an outer pipe and including a mechanism for rotating a crank at a rotation speed four times as fast as that of the outer pipe; agitation blades supported by the outer pipe so as to reciprocate in a radial direction of the outer pipe and including discharge outlets; and a slider crank mechanism for converting a rotation movement of the crank to a reciprocating movement of the agitation blades. A ground at a location where the outer pipe is penetrated and a solidifying material discharged from the discharge outlets are agitated and mixed with each other to form an improved body having a substantially rectangular cross section by rotating the agitation blades while advancing and retreating the agitation blades relative to each other via the slider crank mechanism by rotation of the crank.