Modular Water Management Cells With Tension Cables
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional water management systems are inadequate in managing sudden influxes of water, such as from storms, as they fail to effectively slow down the drainage process, leading to inefficient water handling and potential environmental disruptions.
Innovation Solution
A water management system comprising modular cells with top and bottom flanges, side openings, and integral legs, where the top and bottom legs are connected with spacers and a flowable substance to create a stable structure that allows lateral water flow and is reinforced with tension cables for added stability, enabling gradual drainage and resistance to seismic activity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional water management systems are used, then water drainage is rapid, but the system cannot effectively manage sudden water influxes from storms
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the water management function into multiple modular cells, each capable of independent water storage and gradual drainage. This segmentation allows the system to handle sudden water influxes by distributing the load across multiple cells, improving reliability while maintaining controlled drainage rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static rapid drainage to dynamic controlled drainage by using cells that can adjust their drainage rate. The modular cell design with controlled openings allows the system to adapt its drainage speed to match environmental conditions, enabling effective stormwater management while maintaining gradual release.
2Productivity
If modular cells with side openings are used to permit lateral water flow, then water management efficiency improves, but construction alignment precision becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates self-aligning features at critical interfaces between modules. The top module includes positioning elements that automatically align with corresponding features on the bottom module during assembly, ensuring precise lateral positioning of side openings without requiring high construction precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular cells include built-in alignment mechanisms that enable the structure to self-align during assembly. The positioning features on top and bottom modules automatically guide correct placement, allowing the system to achieve precise alignment through its own geometric constraints rather than relying on external alignment controls.
3Stability of the object's composition
If spacers and flowable substances are used to connect legs, then structural stability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses spacers as intermediary elements between the top and bottom legs, providing a simple mechanical means to maintain proper spacing and alignment. The flowable substance acts as a secondary intermediary that fills gaps and bonds the components together, achieving structural stability through straightforward intermediary elements rather than complex joint mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
Water management systems and methods of constructing water management systems comprising two-dimensional arrays of cells. Each cell has a base and a cell top module stacked on the base, the cell top module having a top flange and at least one top leg, a lower end of which engages the base. A base of one system has a bottom leg with an upper end cavity configured for a lateral clearance fit of a lower end portion of the top leg. The cavity holds at least one stacked spacer and is filled with a flowable substance after the top leg is inserted and positioned on the spacer. The flowable substance hardens to fully seat the lower end portion of the upper leg. Another system series of the cell top flanges being held together by tension cables extending therethrough.