Modular Enclosure Transfer System Using Slide Beams and Hydraulic Jacks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Crane systems used to move pre-fabricated enclosures are inefficient, pose safety risks, and struggle with environmental interferences like high voltage overhead power lines and strong winds, making it difficult to adjust foundations for level placement.
Innovation Solution
A 'slide and lower' modular enclosure transfer system employing a sliding beam system and coordinated self-contained hydraulic jack units, which allows for the pre-fabricated enclosure to be pulled off a semi-trailer and lowered onto a pre-laid foundation using winches and hydraulic units, enabling precise leveling and faster placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a crane system is used to lift and place the pre-fabricated enclosure, then the enclosure can be moved from the semi-trailer to the foundation, but the process is time-consuming (2-8 hours) and difficult to adjust for level placement
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the transfer operation into two independent phases: (1) horizontal sliding movement using slide beams and winches to position the enclosure over the foundation, and (2) vertical lowering using hydraulic jack units to achieve precise level placement. This segmentation allows each phase to be optimized independently, enabling fast horizontal movement followed by precise vertical adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydraulic jack units provide dynamic, adjustable vertical support during the transfer process. The jacks can be independently adjusted to accommodate uneven foundations, and the system can pause at any point during lowering to make foundation adjustments, unlike a crane which requires continuous motion for safety.
2Productivity
If a crane system is used to move the pre-fabricated enclosure, then the enclosure can be transferred to the foundation, but safety risks increase due to overhead power lines and environmental factors
Solution Approach 1:
The system operates entirely at ground level during the transfer process. The slide beams rest on the semi-trailer and ground, and the hydraulic jacks operate on the ground surface. This eliminates the need for high lifting operations that would bring equipment near overhead power lines, making the system safe to operate in environments with power lines and strong winds.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a crane system is used for enclosure transfer, then the enclosure can be placed on the foundation, but the process requires heavy equipment and is less adaptable to site constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the heavy crane equipment from the transfer process and replaces it with lighter, more adaptable components: slide beams that can be positioned on any stable surface and hydraulic jack units that can operate on uneven ground. This extraction of the crane function allows the system to operate in locations where cranes cannot access or where overhead obstacles exist.
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
This system significantly reduces placement time, enhances safety by avoiding overhead power lines, and allows for precise leveling adjustments, overcoming the limitations of crane systems in challenging environmental conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a cylinder for lowering and/or raising the pre-fabricated enclosure
Implementation Method 2
a counterbalanced hydraulic valve system to prevent unwanted cylinder retraction
Implementation Method 3
The sliding beam system pulls a pre-fabricated metal enclosure off a semi-trailer using winches and slide beams
Implementation Method 4
an initial check to verify the foundation is level is completed using a laser-level system or another method
Data Source
AI summary
A non-crane system for moving a pre-fabricated enclosure is disclosed. The system comprises a sliding beam system and a system of coordinated self-contained hydraulic jack units, which in conjunction allow a pre-fabricated enclosure to be slid horizontally off a semi-trailer, positioned above a pre-laid foundation, and lowered to the foundation. Slide beams are arranged perpendicularly to the semi-trailer and supported by blocks at the height of the pre-fabricated enclosure. A cable attachment plate located on each slide beam connects to the pre-fabricated enclosure and is connected by a cable to winches placed at the end of each slide beam. The rotation of the winches pulls the pre-fabricated enclosure off the semi-trailer and onto the sliding beam system. The system of coordinated self-contained hydraulic jack units, which comprises multiple portable self-contained hydraulic jack units, then lowers the pre-fabricated enclosure to the foundation.