Ligature Resistant Floor Drain Strainer with Segmented Rings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Floor drains in correctional and mental health facilities pose a risk for ligature attachment, which can be used in suicidal attempts, as their grates typically have openings that allow for the formation of anchor points for ligatures.
Innovation Solution
A ligature-resistant floor drain design featuring a strainer with concentric rings of openings and cylindrical extensions, along with inner and outer webs that separate adjacent openings, making it difficult to form a ligature point while allowing for unobstructed water flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a floor drain has a grate with openings to allow water flow, then drainage functionality is improved, but the risk of ligature attachment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The grate is divided into multiple concentric rings with multiple openings distributed across each ring. This segmentation prevents ligatures from being easily attached while maintaining adequate water flow through the distributed openings. The openings are separated by web structures that further segment the potential ligature paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The pattern of openings and webs creates an asymmetric structure where no continuous path exists for ligature attachment. The concentric rings with alternating openings and solid web sections disrupt the symmetry that would otherwise allow easy ligature formation, while still permitting water to pass through multiple directions.
2Productivity
If the grate openings are made larger to improve water flow, then drainage efficiency is improved, but ligature attachment becomes easier
Solution Approach 1:
The design transitions from simple planar openings to three-dimensional concentric ring structures with vertical web elements. This adds a vertical dimension to the opening pattern, allowing water to flow through multiple levels and directions while preventing ligatures from forming continuous attachment points across the grate surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The web structures act as intermediary elements between the openings. These webs are positioned to block ligature attachment paths while leaving sufficient gaps for water flow. The webs serve as mediators that selectively permit water passage while blocking ligature formation.
3Reliability
If the grate structure is modified to prevent ligature attachment, then safety is improved, but water drainage capability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the grate have different properties: the concentric rings provide structural integrity and ligature resistance, while the distributed openings in each ring provide water flow paths. The web structures locally reinforce certain areas to prevent ligature attachment while maintaining overall drainage capability through the distributed opening pattern.
Data Source
AI summary
A strainer for a ligature resistant floor drain and a ligature resistant floor drain incorporating a strainer. The strainer includes a top plate with two sets of openings forming rings. A cylindrical extension extends from the top plate at a location between the rings. Also provided are two series of webs, each web of which is located between an adjacent pair of openings in one of the rings. Optionally, a strainer plate is attached to the cylindrical extension and extends at least one of radially inward and outward relative from the cylindrical extension. The floor drain further includes a strainer frame having a receptacle into which the strainer is received.