Keder Rail Attachment Without Drilling for Fabric Tensioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing keder rail attachment methods require drilling holes, which can lead to weak points, water intrusion, and limited load-bearing capacity, making them inefficient and prone to stress fractures, especially when re-installed or adjusted.
Innovation Solution
A keder rail attachment system that allows secure attachment to a support beam without drilling, using a longitudinally extensive box with cylindrical protrusions and a tensioning tool to tension the fabric, ensuring the integrity of the moisture barrier and allowing for adjustable positioning without additional fabrication or holes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If TEK screws are used to attach keder rails, then installation is simple and quick, but the structure creates weak points prone to stress fractures and water intrusion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the screw attachment mechanism entirely from the keder rail system. Instead of using TEK screws that penetrate the structure, the invention uses a clamp-on attachment system that secures the keder rail to the structural member surface without penetration, eliminating holes and associated weaknesses while maintaining secure attachment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary attachment mechanism (clamp-on bracket) between the keder rail and the structural member. This intermediary component provides a secure connection point without requiring direct penetration into the structural member, thus maintaining structural integrity while enabling reliable attachment
2Force
If TEK screws are used to attach keder rails, then attachment is achieved, but load-bearing capacity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the attachment function into multiple contact points along the keder rail rather than relying on discrete screw points. The continuous clamp-on design distributes loads across multiple locations, increasing overall load-bearing capacity while maintaining secure attachment strength
3Ease of manufacture
If screws are used to attach keder rails, then attachment is achieved, but holes create pathways for water and corrosive agents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent completely eliminates the hole-creating screw attachment method and replaces it with a surface-mounted clamp-on system. This extraction of the penetration mechanism removes the pathway for water and corrosive agents while preserving the attachment function
4Ease of operation
If keder rails are attached with screws, then initial attachment is achieved, but adjustment and re-installation are difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic, reversible clamp-on attachment system that can be easily opened and repositioned. Unlike fixed screw attachments, the clamp mechanism allows for adjustment and re-installation without damage, providing operational flexibility throughout the structure's lifecycle
Data Source
AI summary
An keder rail and clamping anchor secure keder fabric to a building support beam. In one embodiment, the clamping anchor clamps about the support beam. In a second embodiment, the anchor passes through the support beam and compresses a pair of laterally extending keder rail feet against the support beam. A temporary keder rail anchor has a transitional member, support beam engagement, and keder rail engagement that displace and hold the second embodiment keder rail to an offset position relative to support beam prior to and during installation of keder fabric within the keder rail. A method of tensioning keder fabric uses this holder to secure the keder rail adjacent an edge of the structural beam while keder fabric is inserted. The holder is released and the keder rail is centered on the beam to tension the keder fabric, and the keder rail is secured to the structural beam.