Ground-Supported Attachment Stabilization for Pipe Welding Precision
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional grapple attachments for construction equipment face instability due to slight movements caused by hydraulic leakage or equipment settling, which can impact the precision of jobsite tasks like welding pipes.
Innovation Solution
The attachment incorporates ground support members that can be actuated to engage with the ground, providing direct stabilization and minimizing the impact of equipment movements, allowing for stable operation during tasks such as welding pipes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the attachment is supported indirectly through the construction equipment arm, then the equipment can move freely, but the attachment experiences instability due to hydraulic leakage and equipment settling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces ground support members as an intermediary element between the attachment and the ground. These support members directly engage with the ground to provide stable support for the attachment, while the construction equipment arm remains free to move. The ground support members act as a mediator that decouples the stability function from the mobility function, allowing the attachment to be stable during processing operations while the equipment can still be positioned and moved as needed.
2Reliability
If the attachment remains connected to the construction equipment for stability, then equipment movements are transmitted to the attachment, but disconnecting the attachment loses the ability to reposition easily
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the support function from the attachment by introducing separate ground support members. The attachment itself focuses on the processing operation, while the ground support members provide the stability function. This segmentation allows the attachment to be reliably connected to the equipment for processing while the ground support members independently provide stability, enabling easy repositioning without compromising processing reliability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the ground support members are extended to support the attachment, then stability during processing is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ground support members are designed with extendable and retractable capability, allowing them to dynamically adjust between supporting and non-supporting states. This dynamic design enables the support mechanism to be activated only when stability is needed during processing operations and retracted when not needed, providing stability improvement without requiring a permanently complex support structure.
Data Source
AI summary
An attachment that is mountable to an arm of construction equipment includes a mount bracket that is removably attachable to the arm of the construction equipment. An implement is mounted to the mount bracket, where the implement is configured to perform at least one jobsite task. At least one ground support member is mounted on the attachment, and the at least one ground support member includes at least two support legs that are actuatable between a retracted position and an extended, ground-engaging position at which the at least one ground support member is able to support the attachment on the ground when the mount bracket is not attached to the arm of the construction equipment.