Modular Stormwater Capture System with Interconnected Columns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current underground stormwater detention systems face challenges with structural integrity, fluid retention capacity, and the need for heavy machinery for installation, as they often rely on bulky concrete or weak plastic modules with limited load sharing and redundant internal structures.
Innovation Solution
A modular stormwater capture system utilizing interconnected load-bearing vertical columns and horizontal struts, with customizable and adjustable components made from lightweight materials like concrete, allowing for greater fluid retention volumes and improved structural integrity without requiring heavy machinery for assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional concrete modular systems are used, then structural strength is improved, but weight and bulk increase requiring heavy machinery for installation
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the stormwater detention structure into modular components (walls, floors, ceilings, columns, beams) that can be independently manufactured and assembled. This segmentation allows for optimized component design where each element is sized and shaped for maximum efficiency, reducing overall material requirements and weight while maintaining structural integrity through the modular assembly configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs composite construction techniques combining concrete elements with steel reinforcement and connection hardware. This composite approach achieves high structural strength equivalent to traditional concrete systems while reducing individual component weights and enabling manual handling. The composite nature allows for optimized load distribution across the modular assembly.
2Ease of operation
If independent modular blocks are stacked, then ease of assembly is improved, but structural integrity and load sharing deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The modular components are designed with integrated connection features that merge adjacent blocks into a unified structural system. Connection elements such as interlocking joints, grout joints, and reinforcement continuity transform separate modular units into a cohesive load-bearing assembly, enabling load sharing across the entire structure while preserving the benefits of modular assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
Connection intermediaries including grout joints, mortar beds, and mechanical connectors are introduced between modular blocks to facilitate load transfer and structural integration. These intermediary elements enable the independent blocks to function as a unified structure with improved load sharing and structural integrity while maintaining the ease of modular assembly.
3Stability of the object's composition
If redundant internal structures are included, then structural stability is improved, but fluid retention capacity per unit volume decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The design extracts and eliminates redundant internal structural elements from the modular blocks. By removing unnecessary internal walls, partitions, and support structures, the system maximizes the internal void space available for fluid retention while concentrating structural strength at critical locations such as connection points and load-bearing interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
Structural reinforcement and stability features are concentrated at local critical points such as corner connections, joint interfaces, and load transfer zones rather than being distributed uniformly throughout the blocks. This localized quality approach provides necessary structural stability at key locations while minimizing material usage and maximizing fluid retention volume in non-critical regions.
4Productivity
If heavy machinery is used for installation, then productivity is improved, but cost and environmental impact increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into compact modular components that can be manually handled and transported without heavy machinery. This segmentation enables workers to assemble the structure using basic hand tools and simple lifting techniques, eliminating the need for cranes, forklifts, or other heavy equipment while maintaining efficient assembly through the modular configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The component dimensions and weights are optimized to fall within ranges suitable for manual handling (typically under 50-100 pounds per component). This parameter change in component sizing and weight enables installation by conventional labor without specialized heavy machinery, reducing installation costs and environmental impact while maintaining productivity through the efficient modular assembly process.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular fluid capture system retains stormwater runoff beneath a ground surface. Internal components include columns and struts, while outer components include walls, ceilings, and/or floors. Load bearing vertical column components having column openings are spaced apart and/or stacked to form capture system layer(s). Elongated horizontal strut components install into the column openings to couple columns into an interconnected internal structure that distributes physical loads across all or most column components. Wall, ceiling, and/or floor components couple to this interconnected internal structure to form the outer walls, ceiling, and floor. The overall fluid retention volume is the overall volume within the walls, ceiling, and floor, minus the displacement volume of the internal components. This overall system fluid retention volume is substantially greater than the displacement volume. The number of internal components can be readily increased or decreased to increase or decrease correspondingly the system size and overall fluid retention volume.