Modular Polymer Shaft Elements for Trench Stability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shafts for trenches, manufactured using polymer materials through processes like blow molding and rotational sintering, often have uneven wall thicknesses, leading to instability and increased material usage to compensate, making them costly and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
Designing shafts composed of identical structural elements connected via congruent connecting means, allowing for stable assembly with minimal material usage, using polymer materials like polypropylene and fiber-reinforced polymers, and manufacturing through processes such as injection molding or 3D printing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If shafts are manufactured through blow molding or rotational sintering processes, then production is achieved, but wall thicknesses become uneven leading to instability
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft is divided into multiple identical modular components that are connected together. Each component can be manufactured separately with uniform wall thickness, and the connection elements ensure stable assembly. This segmentation allows use of simpler manufacturing processes while achieving uniform overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft has different structural characteristics at different locations - the main shaft body has uniform wall thickness for stability, while connection elements are specifically designed with varying thicknesses to accommodate joining requirements. This local differentiation allows optimization of both manufacturing ease and structural stability.
2Stability of the object's composition
If wall thickness is increased to counteract instability, then stability improves, but material usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the shaft into modular components, the invention achieves stability through proper connection design rather than uniformly thick walls. The connection elements are strategically placed to provide structural support, allowing thinner walls in the main body while maintaining overall stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft uses composite construction with different material properties in different locations - the main shaft body uses material optimized for structural integrity with uniform thickness, while connection elements use materials and geometries optimized for joining. This composite approach reduces overall material usage while maintaining stability.
3Ease of manufacture
If shafts are made from polymer materials, then cost is reduced, but manufacturing precision and wall thickness uniformity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft is segmented into multiple identical polymer components that can be manufactured separately using cost-effective polymer processing. Each component maintains uniform wall thickness through standardized manufacturing, and the modular design allows for precise assembly that compensates for any minor variations in individual component thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the manufacturing parameters approach by using modular design where each component can be optimized for its specific function. Connection elements have different geometric parameters than shaft body components, allowing each to be manufactured with parameters optimized for its requirements, thereby achieving overall precision despite using cost-effective polymer materials.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a shaft (101) for a drainage trench (200) made of shaft elements (102) manufactured from a number of identical components (1), wherein the component (1) is essentially plate-shaped with a first side (2) and a second side (3) opposite the first side (2), each of which is flat and arranged substantially parallel to each other, with a third side (4) and a fourth side (5) opposite the third side (4), wherein connecting means (8, 9) are provided on the third side (4) and on the fourth side (5), such that a first connecting means (8) is formed on the third side (4) and a second connecting means (9) on the fourth side (5), and a fifth side (6) and a sixth side (7), wherein the sixth side (7) is opposite the fifth side (6) and both are arranged flat and substantially parallel to each other.wherein connecting means (10, 11) are provided on the fifth side (6) and on the sixth side (7), such that a third connecting means (10) is formed on the fifth side (6) and a fourth connecting means (11) on the sixth side (7), wherein the first connecting means (8) on the third side (4) and the second connecting means (9) on the fourth side (5) are congruent with each other in order to establish a connection between two adjacent identical components (1, 1') in one spatial direction, and wherein the third connecting means (10) on the fifth side (6) and the fourth connecting means (11) on the sixth side (7) are congruent with each other in order to establish a connection between two adjacent components (1, 1') in another spatial direction.