Modular Pipe Shoe Anchor and Guide for Thermal Expansion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems fail to provide stable support for long lengths of pipe on open frameworks while allowing for thermal expansion and contraction without constraining the pipe's longitudinal motion, and they do not accommodate pipes of varying diameters effectively.
Innovation Solution
A modular system comprising pipe shoes, anchors, and guides that securely attach to I-beam frameworks, where a single anchor point fixes the pipe against motion, and multiple guides allow reversible sliding motion along the pipe's axis, accommodating thermal expansion and contraction, and supporting pipes of different diameters through adjustable shoe configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the pipe is fixedly anchored at multiple points to the framework, then positional stability is improved, but thermal expansion and contraction are constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The support system is segmented into multiple functional units: fixed anchors at specific locations and movable guides at other locations. This segmentation allows different portions of the pipe to have different support characteristics - some points provide fixed support while others allow movement, resolving the contradiction between stability and thermal expansion accommodation
Solution Approach 2:
The support system transitions from a static, uniformly fixed approach to a dynamic system where guides can move along the pipe axis. The guides are designed to slide freely in the longitudinal direction, providing adaptive support that maintains positional stability perpendicular to the pipe while allowing thermal expansion and contraction along the pipe length
2Manufacturing precision
If the support system is designed for a specific pipe diameter, then support precision is improved, but adaptability to varying diameters deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe shoes are designed with universal adaptability to accommodate multiple pipe diameters. The shoes can be adjusted or selected to fit different diameter pipes while maintaining precise support characteristics. This multi-functionality allows the same support system to work across a range of pipe sizes without sacrificing support precision
Solution Approach 2:
The system accommodates varying pipe diameters by changing the parameters of the pipe shoes - specifically their dimensions and configuration. Different shoe sizes or configurations can be selected or adjusted to match the specific pipe diameter, allowing precise support for each diameter while maintaining overall system adaptability
3Adaptability or versatility
If a modular system with multiple components is used, then adaptability to different pipe diameters is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into modular, standardized components (anchors, guides, pipe shoes) that can be independently selected and assembled. This segmentation allows adaptability through component selection rather than complex integrated designs, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining diameter adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The modular components are designed with universal features that allow them to work together in different configurations. The standardized interfaces and dimensions enable multiple pipe diameters to be supported using the same component family, achieving adaptability without proportionally increasing complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A modular system for supporting, on an underlying framework, and at plural pipe-underside locations, an elongate linear pipe. The system includes (a) for each such location, a shoe anchorable to the pipe's underside at that location, (b) for one pipe-underside location only, an anchor securable to the framework for receiving and anchoring the shoe, and thus the pipe also, at this one location, against any motion relative to the framework, and (c) for each other pipe-underside location, a guide securable to the framework for guidably receiving the adjacent shoe in a manner permitting it, and thus the pipe also, at this other location, solely reversible sliding motion relative to the framework along a line substantially paralleling the pipe's long axis.