Impact-Absorbing Gate Arm With Bistable Pivot Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gates fail when struck by heavy stock handling equipment, leading to structural damage or catastrophic failure, potentially causing injury and damage to people and equipment.
Innovation Solution
An impact absorbing gate system with a bistable mechanism, pivotable coupling, and rotatable bumper design that allows the arm to rotate freely in three degrees of freedom, absorbing impact forces and preventing damage by adjusting the threshold angle and using resilient materials and anchoring assemblies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional gates are used to control stock handling equipment, then the gate can prevent unintentional movement, but the gate is prone to structural damage or catastrophic failure when struck by heavy equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The gate arm is designed to be pivotably coupled at multiple points (first end to first upright, second end to second upright) allowing it to dynamically rotate and absorb impact forces through controlled movement rather than rigid resistance. This dynamic capability enables the gate to withstand strikes from heavy stock handling equipment without structural damage or catastrophic failure.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the gate arm is rigidly fixed to prevent movement, then structural integrity is maintained, but impact forces cause damage or catastrophic failure
Solution Approach 1:
The pivotable couplings convert the harmful impact force from equipment strikes into beneficial rotational movement of the gate arm. When struck, the gate arm rotates about its pivot points, absorbing the impact energy and converting it into controlled motion rather than allowing the force to cause structural damage or catastrophic failure.
3Device complexity
If the gate uses fixed pivot points, then the structure is simple, but the gate cannot absorb impact forces effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The gate structure is segmented into multiple pivotable connection points rather than a single fixed pivot. The first end pivots on the first upright and the second end pivots on the second upright, creating a multi-degree-of-freedom system that can better absorb and distribute impact forces throughout the structure, thereby improving impact resistance while maintaining reasonable structural complexity.
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
The impact absorbing gate system effectively prevents damage and catastrophic failure upon being struck by heavy stock handling equipment, ensuring safety by maintaining structural integrity and controlling the movement of stock handling equipment through facilities without causing harm to people or equipment.
Implementation Method 1
a resilient material disposed within the hollow body
Implementation Method 2
a bearing disposed within the hollow body, the bearing being rotatable relative to the hollow body
Data Source
AI summary
An impact absorbing gate includes a first upright having a first proximal end attached to a surface and a first distal end, a second upright having a second proximal end attached to a surface and a second distal end, an arm having a first end and a second end, the first end being pivotably coupled to the first distal end of the first upright at a pivot point, and a bistable mechanism disposed in the first upright and configured cause the arm to rotate to a fully opened position when the arm is rotated to an angle in a first range of angles and to cause the arm to rotate to a fully closed position when the arm is rotated to an angle in a second range of angles.