Interlocking Control Barrier With Removable Coupler
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional control barriers are either lightweight and easily tipped over, or heavy and difficult to move, and often have gaps that allow individuals or vehicles to pass through, posing challenges in high-impact environments like airports and construction sites, and existing plastic barriers are costly and complex to produce due to the need for rotational molding.
Innovation Solution
A portable, reusable control barrier system comprising a housing with a removable coupler and a light assembly, where the housing can be filled with ballast and features a tenon-and-mortise connection for stability, and a blow molding process is used to simplify production, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly without the need for external fasteners.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional lightweight barriers are used, then ease of movement is improved, but stability and resistance to propeller wash/jet blast deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier system is divided into multiple individual barrier units that can be used separately or connected together. Each unit is lightweight enough to be manually moved but can be linked to form a continuous barrier line, resolving the contradiction between individual ease of movement and collective stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupler mechanism allows barrier units to nest within each other when connected, with the coupler fitting into recesses on adjacent barriers. This nested connection system enables lightweight individual units to achieve stable connected configurations that can resist propeller wash and jet blast forces.
2Ease of operation
If conventional barriers with gaps are used, then ease of assembly is improved, but security and prevention of passage deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier system uses flexible connection mechanisms that allow barriers to be dynamically adjusted and connected at various angles. The couplers enable barriers to be quickly assembled in different configurations to eliminate gaps, providing both ease of assembly and reliable gap closure depending on the operational requirements.
3Strength
If concrete barriers are used, then stability and impact resistance are improved, but ease of movement and positioning deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier material parameters are changed from heavy concrete to lightweight plastic or composite materials, while compensating for the strength loss through structural design features like interlocking couplers and ballast compartments. This allows the barrier to maintain impact resistance through design rather than mass alone, enabling easy movement and positioning.
4Ease of manufacture
If plastic barriers with interlocking features are produced using rotational molding, then manufacturing capability is improved, but production cost and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier design uses simple geometric shapes and standardized coupler mechanisms that can be efficiently copied through injection molding. The coupler and barrier body are designed as separate components that can be mass-produced using cost-effective molding processes, avoiding the need for complex rotational molding while achieving the required interlocking functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A barrier includes a housing having an interior surface and an opposing exterior surface extending between a first end and an opposing second end, the interior surface bounding a chamber that is adapted to receive a ballast. A coupler is rigidly connected to the first end of the housing, the housing and the coupler being separate discrete members that are connected together after formation. A structure, such as an opening or a post, is formed on the coupler for removably connecting a separate barrier to the coupler.