Internal Mounting Accessory for Hollow Post Fastening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hollow PVC posts used in fencing and railing structures have thin walls, making it challenging to achieve sufficient strength and durability in fastening rails due to limited material engagement for screw-type fasteners, especially when bearing weight or acting as protective barriers.
Innovation Solution
An internal mounting accessory is provided, comprising interconnected walls with openings to accommodate the upright support, allowing for flexible positioning and increased screw-engagable material within the hollow post, compatible with systems that allow angular adjustment between the pipe and post, enhancing connection strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If screw-type fasteners are used to attach rails to hollow posts, then the installation process is simple, but the connection strength is insufficient due to minimal material engagement depth
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting accessory is nested inside the hollow post, with its outer periphery fitting within the post's internal space. The accessory presents engagement surfaces that extend the available material depth for fastener engagement, effectively creating a nested structure where the accessory is contained within the post but provides enhanced fastening capability beyond what the post wall alone could provide.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting accessory extends the engagement dimension by presenting planar or substantially planar surfaces that protrude into the hollow post's internal space. This creates additional material engagement depth in the axial direction of fasteners, transforming the limited single-dimension wall thickness into a multi-dimensional engagement structure with increased fastener bite depth.
2Strength
If a mounting accessory is installed inside the hollow post, then the fastener engagement area is increased, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting accessory serves multiple functions: it provides enhanced fastener engagement surfaces, acts as a structural support element within the hollow post, and accommodates the upright support pipe through its open space. By consolidating these functions into a single component, the accessory increases fastener engagement area without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting accessory is designed with segmented walls that define an open space, allowing the upright support to pass through. This segmentation enables the accessory to provide engagement surfaces on multiple sides while maintaining openness for the support pipe, distributing the structural function across multiple wall sections rather than requiring a solid, complex structure.
3Strength
If previous mounting devices are used inside the hollow post, then fastener engagement is improved, but compatibility with angular adjustment between pipe and post is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting accessory is designed with flexibility to accommodate angular misalignment between the upright support pipe and the hollow post. The accessory can adjust its orientation or deform slightly to maintain contact and fastener engagement even when the pipe and post are not perfectly aligned angularly, thereby maintaining compatibility with adjustable post orientations while still providing improved fastener engagement.
Data Source
AI summary
A mounting accessory is used for secure connection of a rail or other component to a hollow post positioned over an internal upright by a mounting device having an axial passage through which the upright extends. The accessory features interconnected walls facing into an open space left therebetween, the open space being sized to accommodate passage of the upright support therethrough with the mounting accessory oriented to situate the walls on different sides of the upright support. Each wall has an opening therein sized to accommodate a respective portion of the periphery of the mounting device. With a portion of the mounting device periphery received in the opening of each wall, the wall resides at or adjacent the periphery of the device to lie internally adjacent a respective wall of the post to provide extra material for engagement by a screw fastener driven through the post wall.