Liner-Based Pivoting Member for Low-Friction Solar Array Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pivoting devices for solar arrays mounted to torque rails experience high friction during rotation, leading to increased costs and sizes of actuators, interference with motion range, and potential shading, as well as high expenses from engineered plastic components.
Innovation Solution
A pivoting member with a rotatable design featuring an outer housing and an inner member, where a liner is disposed between the two to reduce friction, allowing the torque rail to rotate about a rotational axis, and a tracking system that includes this pivoting member to adjust photovoltaic arrays efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional pivoting devices are used for solar arrays, then the array can rotate to follow the sun, but friction during rotation is high which increases actuator cost and size
Solution Approach 1:
A liner material is introduced as an intermediary between the inner member and outer housing to reduce friction during rotation. The liner acts as a mediator that allows smooth relative motion while reducing direct contact friction between metal surfaces, thereby reducing actuator load and size requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The friction coefficient is changed by introducing a liner material with different surface properties. This parameter change reduces the friction force during rotation, allowing for smaller actuators while maintaining reliable rotation capability for sun tracking.
2Reliability
If high load rating actuators are used to overcome high friction, then rotation is maintained, but the actuator size increases and may interfere with motion range or cause shading
Solution Approach 1:
The liner serves as a friction-reducing intermediary that enables reliable rotation with significantly lower actuator loads. This eliminates the need for oversized actuators that would interfere with motion range or cause shading, as the liner maintains rotation capability with minimal friction resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the friction parameter through liner introduction, the required actuator load is reduced, allowing for compact actuator design that does not interfere with the solar array's motion range or cause shading issues.
3Ease of operation
If engineered plastic components are used to reduce friction, then rotation smoothness improves, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The friction parameter is modified by introducing a liner material that provides smooth rotation. The liner can be made from cost-effective materials such as PTFE or other low-friction coatings that achieve the desired rotation smoothness without the high costs associated with engineered plastic components.
Solution Approach 2:
A composite structure is created by combining the liner material with the existing pivoting member components. This composite approach allows for smooth rotation similar to engineered plastics but with more cost-effective material selection and manufacturing processes.
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 solution significantly reduces friction during rotation by at least 25-50%, thereby minimizing the load and size of actuators, reducing costs, and preventing interference with the solar array's motion range.
Implementation Method 1
The rotatable member includes a liner disposed between the outer housing and the inner member
Data Source
AI summary
Pivoting members for pivoting a solar array mounted to a torque rail and tracking systems that include such pivoting members are disclosed. The pivoting member may include a liner between a rotating inner member and the outer housing of the pivoting member to reduce friction during pivoting of the solar array.