Manhole Platform With Expandable Clamp for Safe Slab Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for positioning upper slabs of manholes are difficult and unsafe, particularly due to the challenges of lowering the slabs into place and ensuring secure attachment without risking falls through access holes.
Innovation Solution
A manhole platform with a support plate, clamping bracket, and actuator that allows secure attachment to the upper slab from above, featuring a clamping mechanism that expands to fit over the access hole and includes a safety cage for enhanced safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If chains attached to the arm of an excavator are used to lower the upper slab into position, then the slab can be positioned, but the process is difficult and unsafe
Solution Approach 1:
A platform is introduced as an intermediary device between the excavator and the upper slab. The platform provides a stable working surface that allows workers to safely access and position the slab, eliminating the need to work directly from the excavator arm or ground level, thus improving both ease of operation and safety
Solution Approach 2:
The platform includes safety cages and guardrails that are installed beforehand to prevent falls and accidents before they can occur. These protective structures cushion against potential hazards by providing physical barriers and safe access pathways during the slab positioning operation
2Manufacturing precision
If individuals manually access the manhole to adjust the upper slab into position, then positioning can be achieved, but the risk of falls through access holes increases
Solution Approach 1:
The platform serves as a safe intermediary working surface that eliminates direct access through the hazardous access hole. Workers stand on the protected platform surface rather than risking falls through the hole, while still being able to precisely position the upper slab
Solution Approach 2:
Safety cages and guardrails are installed on the platform before workers access it, providing beforehand protection against falls. The platform design ensures that even if someone slips, the safety structures prevent catastrophic falls through the access hole
3Reliability
If the clamping bracket is designed with a clamping width greater than the unclamped width, then secure attachment is achieved, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The clamping bracket is designed with dynamic geometry where the distance between clamping portions changes during operation. In the unclamped state, the width is smaller for easy insertion; when actuated, the width expands to a larger clamping width for secure attachment. This dynamic transformation allows a simple mechanical structure to achieve both ease of installation and secure attachment
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention provides a manhole platform 10 for mounting on the upper slab 4 of concrete manholes 1 to allow them to be lifted into or out of position and to provide a safe platform on top of the manhole for users to stand on. The manhole platform 10 comprises a support plate 11 for mounting on an upper surface of the upper slab 4 to cover an access hole 6 of the upper slab and a clamping bracket 12 that extends downwardly from a lower side of the support plate 11, through the access hole 6, to clamp the manhole platform to the upper slab 4. An actuator 13 is located above an upper surface of the support plate 11 to operate the clamping bracket between a clamping position in which the manhole platform 10 is clamped to the upper slab 4 and an unclamped position in which the manhole platform can be lifted off the upper slab. In the clamping position a width of the clamping bracket 12 is greater than a width of the access hole 6. In the unclamped position a width of the clamping bracket 12 is less than a width of the access hole 6.