Undercut-Groove Deck Fastener Prevents Surface Protrusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional deck plank fastening systems require precise installation, are prone to weather damage, and pose safety risks due to protruding fasteners, while existing hidden fasteners are not compatible with planks featuring undercut side grooves.
Innovation Solution
A hidden deck plank fastener with a flat body, upward arms, and trailing legs that include notches and feet, allowing for secure attachment to a joist without visible protrusions, compatible with planks having undercut side grooves, and enabling rapid installation using a power driver tool.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional fasteners are driven through the top of deck planks, then secure attachment to joists is achieved, but the planks develop a pock-marked appearance and become prone to weather damage
Solution Approach 1:
The fastener system extracts the fastening function from the traditional top-down penetration method and relocates it to the side grooves of the deck planks. The hidden fasteners engage with the grooves and secure to the joist without penetrating the top surface of the planks, thereby eliminating the pock-marked appearance and exposure to weather elements while maintaining secure attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The side grooves act as intermediaries between the fasteners and the plank structure. The hidden fasteners engage with these grooves, which are specifically designed to receive and hold the fastener components, providing a protected pathway for attachment that avoids direct exposure of fasteners to weather and preserves the aesthetic appearance of the plank surfaces.
2Strength
If nails or screws are driven through deck planks, then secure attachment is achieved, but fasteners may work loose and protrude from the upper surface posing safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening function is extracted from the traditional through-penetration method and relocated to the side grooves. The hidden fasteners are positioned within the groove structure and secure to the joist without protruding from the upper surface of the planks, thereby eliminating the safety hazard of loose fasteners while maintaining secure attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastening approach transitions from a vertical dimension (top-down penetration) to a lateral dimension (side groove engagement). The hidden fasteners engage the planks from the side through the grooves and secure to the joist, keeping all fastener components concealed within the groove structure and preventing any protrusion from the upper surface.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If hidden fasteners are used with undercut side grooves, then moisture collection in grooves is reduced, but compatibility with known hidden fasteners is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The fastener design incorporates local quality variations with different components optimized for specific functions: the body portion engages with the undercut groove geometry to prevent moisture collection, the arm with wing provides lateral engagement and retention, the alignment holes ensure proper positioning, and the trailing leg with foot and notch provides additional securing. This localized optimization of each component's geometry enables compatibility with undercut grooves while maintaining effective moisture management.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastener design incorporates specific geometric parameters optimized for undercut groove engagement. The body width, arm angle, wing dimensions, alignment hole positioning, trailing leg configuration, foot geometry, and notch depth are all designed with specific parameter ranges that enable effective engagement with the undercut groove profile while preventing moisture collection in the groove cavity.
Data Source
AI summary
Deck planks with undercut side grooves can be attached to underlying joists by hidden fasteners with leading wings and trailing feet engaged into the side grooves of the deck planks. The bodies of the hidden fasteners space the deck planks so as to provide adequate drainage gaps between the top faces of the deck planks. A power driver tool can be used for rapidly positioning the hidden fasteners and for attaching the hidden fasteners to the joists.