Modular Dike Wall Pin-and-Socket Connection for Complex Shaping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dike wall structures face limitations in shaping around obstructions due to their composition of straight and curved sections, restricting flexibility in containment vessel design.
Innovation Solution
A dike wall section with a pin-and-socket connection system allowing for vertical axis assembly and discrete horizontal angle locking, enabling flexible and precise shaping through connectable sections with a pin-and-socket connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If dike wall is formed from straight sections and curved sections, then the structure provides defined shapes and stable assembly, but it places substantial limits on the possible shape of the dike and makes it difficult to go around obstructions
Solution Approach 1:
The dike wall is divided into multiple identical modular sections, each with standardized pin-and-socket connection interfaces. This segmentation allows the same basic module to be assembled in various configurations (straight, curved, angled) to adapt to different site requirements and obstructions, resolving the contradiction between shape flexibility and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
Each dike wall section is designed as a universal module that can serve multiple functions: forming straight walls, creating curves of various radii, and navigating around obstructions. The standardized pin-and-socket interface with index surfaces enables the same section to be assembled at different angles and orientations, providing versatility without requiring multiple specialized section types.
2Ease of operation
If connectable sections use pin-and-socket connection with vertical axis, then assembly is simplified and sections connect securely, but the ability to create varied shapes around obstructions is limited by the connection geometry
Solution Approach 1:
The pin-and-socket connection incorporates index surfaces that allow the socket to be rotated to different angular positions before the pin is inserted. This dynamic adjustment capability enables workers to easily assemble sections at various angles (0°, 45°, 90°, etc.) while maintaining secure mechanical connection, thus achieving both assembly ease and shape configuration flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection interface uses asymmetric index surfaces on the socket that engage with corresponding features on the pin at specific angular orientations. This asymmetric design provides discrete angular positioning options that facilitate easy assembly at standard angles while enabling the creation of varied dike shapes including curves and angles to navigate obstructions.
Data Source
AI summary
A dike wall section for assembling a dike wall is taught. The dike wall section has an elongate body, a pin at a male end of the body; and a socket at the female end of the body, the pin and socket being operable to connect additional sections to the first section by a pin-in-socket connection having a vertical axis.