Ground Screw Adaptor With Telescoping Beam Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Solar panel support assemblies experience significant mechanical stress due to weight, terrain, wind-loading, and thermal expansion, requiring innovative anchoring solutions to securely attach upright beams to anchored ground screws while accommodating various forces and adjustments.
Innovation Solution
The development of novel ground screw adaptors featuring cylindrical or hollow connectors with strategically placed bolt holes and intermediate plates, allowing for telescoping and secure attachment of upright beams to ground screws, which can withstand upward, downward, and moment forces, along with rotational adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If ground screws are used as anchors for solar panel support assemblies, then the assembly can be securely anchored to the ground, but the connection must withstand significant mechanical stress from weight, wind-loading, and thermal expansion
Solution Approach 1:
The ground screw anchor is divided into multiple functional segments: a threaded engagement portion for ground anchoring, a shaft portion for structural connection, and a head portion for attaching the support assembly. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized for its specific function, distributing mechanical stresses across different components rather than concentrating them in a single element.
Solution Approach 2:
The ground screw transitions from a simple linear fastener to a multi-dimensional anchoring system by adding a head portion with mounting surfaces and connection points. This dimensional expansion allows the anchor to resist not only vertical loads but also lateral wind forces and rotational moments through its extended geometry and multiple attachment points.
2Stability of the object's composition
If multiple bolt holes are distributed circumferentially about the cylindrical connector, then the connection can resist moment forces and provide rotational stability, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cylindrical connector features bolt holes distributed at specific circumferential positions rather than uniformly throughout. This localized arrangement places fastening points strategically at locations that maximize resistance to moment forces and rotational loads, providing enhanced stability only where mechanically necessary rather than uniformly across the entire connector surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The bolt holes are pre-positioned and pre-configured in the cylindrical connector during manufacturing, establishing the optimal geometric arrangement for resisting rotational and moment forces before the actual assembly process. This preliminary configuration eliminates the need for complex field adjustments or calculations during installation.
3Ease of operation
If the adaptor allows for telescoping and secure attachment of upright beams to ground screws, then installation flexibility and alignment adjustment are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The adaptor employs a telescoping structure where the upright beam connector can slide within or alongside the cylindrical connector portion attached to the ground screw. This nested arrangement allows for vertical adjustment and alignment flexibility during installation, enabling the beam to be positioned at different heights and angles before being securely locked in place.
Solution Approach 2:
The adaptor transitions from a static rigid connection to a dynamic adjustable system during installation. The telescoping portions allow movement and adjustment, while locking mechanisms or fastening elements enable the structure to transition to a stable, load-bearing configuration once positioned, providing both installation flexibility and operational rigidity.
Data Source
AI summary
An adaptor for connecting a ground screw to an upright beam of a solar panel support assembly includes (a) a cylindrical connector having an open ground-screw receiving bottom end and a top end, the cylindrical connector having an inner circumferential surface with a diameter slightly larger than that of the ground screw and at least two sets of bolt holes, each set of bolt holes including at least three bolt holes uniformly distributed circumferentially about the cylindrical connector at an axial level, and the at least two sets of bolt holes being axially distanced from one another; (b) an intermediate plate having a top surface and a bottom surface fixed to the top end of the cylindrical connector; and (c) an upright beam connector fixed to the top surface of the intermediate plate and extending upward from the intermediate plate.