Modular aviation equipment rack
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aviation equipment racks face challenges in achieving a balance between rigidity and weight, often resulting in increased complexity and cost due to the need for additional supporting materials, which complicates assembly and shipping.
Innovation Solution
A modular aviation equipment rack design utilizing identical tubing members and corner pieces with standardized holes for easy assembly and customization, featuring a rectangular frame structure with reinforcement members and aviation-standard mechanical fasteners, allowing for lightweight, low-profile shipping and easy on-site assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If supporting material and stronger/thicker materials are added to increase rack strength, then the rigidity and strength of the aviation equipment rack is improved, but the mass of the rack increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rack is divided into modular components (vertical members, horizontal members, corner pieces) that can be assembled in different configurations. This segmentation allows using lighter materials in each component while achieving overall structural strength through the modular assembly and interlocking mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The rack utilizes composite construction combining aluminum tubing members with reinforcement members and corner pieces featuring reinforcement plates. This composite approach provides enhanced strength at critical joints without uniformly increasing the mass of the entire rack structure.
2Stability of the object's composition
If supporting material is added to increase rack strength, then the rigidity of the aviation equipment rack is improved, but the complexity of the rack increases making assembly difficult and time consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The rack design segments the structure into standardized vertical members, horizontal members, and corner pieces with consistent reinforcement plate configurations. This segmentation creates a systematic assembly process where identical components are repeatedly used, reducing complexity despite the presence of reinforcement elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The corner pieces are pre-configured with reinforcement plates and mounting holes during manufacturing. This preliminary action ensures that the reinforcement structure is already in place before field assembly, eliminating the need for complex on-site fabrication or adjustment of reinforcement elements.
3Strength
If preassembled three-dimensional aviation equipment racks are constructed, then the structural integrity is maintained, but the shipping and handling costs increase and additional space is required for storing the packaged product
Solution Approach 1:
The rack is segmented into collapsible modular components that can be disassembled into flat-pack configurations for shipping. The vertical members, horizontal members, and corner pieces can be nested or stacked in a compact arrangement, dramatically reducing shipping volume while maintaining the ability to assemble a structurally intact rack at the destination.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular rack components are designed to nest within each other during shipping, with horizontal members fitting within vertical members and corner pieces positioned in compact arrangements. This nesting configuration minimizes the packaged volume while preserving all structural elements for complete rack assembly.
4Adaptability or versatility
If custom aviation equipment racks are manufactured to fit specific equipment, then the adaptability to specific needs is improved, but the manufacturing cost and complexity increase requiring unique racks for each job
Solution Approach 1:
The rack employs universal corner pieces with standardized reinforcement plates and mounting holes that can accommodate various equipment configurations. The modular vertical and horizontal members can be arranged in different patterns to fit different space requirements, providing adaptability to specific equipment needs without requiring custom-manufactured racks for each application.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular design allows the rack configuration to be dynamically adjusted by repositioning or removing vertical and horizontal members based on the specific equipment requirements. This dynamic reconfigurability enables a single rack design to serve multiple purposes and accommodate different equipment layouts without increasing manufacturing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
One modular aviation equipment rack has vertical and horizontal tubing members fixed together via a plurality of identical corner pieces to form a rectangular frame. Two opposing faces of each vertical tubing member have holes drilled therein in a repeating pattern, and two opposing faces of each horizontal tubing member have holes drilled therein in a repeating pattern. Each corner piece has a vertical flange received by a vertical tubing member, and a lateral flange received by a horizontal tubing member. Each vertical flange has apertures corresponding to the vertical tubing member holes, and each lateral flange has apertures corresponding to the horizontal tubing member holes. Two of the vertical tubing members are coplanar, and a backer strip is secured to a back face of one of the coplanar members. The backer strip is configured to provide electrical ground for the rack.