Invertible Pipe Jack Stand for Stable Welding Across Diameters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional jack stands are inadequate for supporting pipes of varying diameters, leading to difficulties in welding due to unstable positioning and high center of gravity, and they are often bulky and require separate stands for different pipe sizes, making them inconvenient for storage and transport.
Innovation Solution
A jack stand apparatus with a frame and barrel system that includes adjustable caster wheels and a support head with rotatable roller heads, allowing for inversion to accommodate different pipe diameters and providing a low center of gravity, while being compact and disassemblable for ease of use and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional jack stands are used for large diameter pipes, then the pipe can be supported, but the center of gravity becomes high making the stand unstable and difficult to weld
Solution Approach 1:
The jack stand is designed to be invertible, allowing the frame to be flipped upside down. This inversion changes the geometry of support, enabling large diameter pipes to be positioned with their center of gravity lower relative to the support point, thereby improving both stability and welding accessibility while maintaining the ability to support various pipe sizes
2Reliability
If separate jack stands are used for different pipe diameters, then each pipe size can be properly supported, but the quantity of equipment increases making storage and transport difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The jack stand is designed with universal adaptability to support multiple pipe diameters through a single unit. The frame structure allows for inversion and adjustment that enables proper support for both small and large diameter pipes, eliminating the need for multiple specialized stands and reducing storage and transport requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The jack stand incorporates dynamic reconfigurability through its invertible frame design. By allowing the frame to be flipped and repositioned, the stand can adapt its geometry to properly support different pipe diameters, providing the functionality of multiple stands through a single dynamic structure
3Adaptability or versatility
If the support head is in a fixed position, then the structure is simple, but it cannot adapt to various pipe diameters requiring proper support positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The support head assembly is designed to move with the inversion of the frame. When the frame is flipped, the support head repositions itself to accommodate different pipe diameters, providing adaptability through the simple mechanical action of inverting the entire assembly rather than requiring complex adjustable mechanisms
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
Enables convenient welding of pipes with varying diameters by maintaining a low center of gravity and adapting to different sizes without the need for multiple stands, improving safety and reducing storage and transport challenges.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of caster wheels support the frame for a second distance from a level of a bottom of the caster wheels
Implementation Method 2
a jack screw threadedly received by the barrel
Implementation Method 3
the jackscrew, which is located in telescoping relation within the elevation tube, is manipulated upwardly or downwardly to achieve precise positioning of the support head
Implementation Method 4
a support head with rotatable roller heads
Data Source
AI summary
A jack stand apparatus has a frame having a first portion and an outwardly extending second portion, a barrel affixed to the outwardly extending portion so as to have a generally vertical longitudinal axis, a jack screw threadedly received by the barrel, and a plurality of caster wheels removably affixed to the frame. The barrel has an outer end extending outwardly for a first distance from the first portion of the frame. The plurality of caster wheels support the frame for a second distance from a level of the bottom of the caster wheels. The first distance is no more than the second distance. A support head is affixed to an end of the jack screw opposite the barrel. The frame is invertible relative to the caster wheels such that in one position the barrel extends upwardly from the frame and a second position in which the barrel extends downwardly from the frame.