Mounting Rail Fastening Layout for Stable Non-Rotating Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fastening arrangements in installation technology, such as those for supply and disposal lines in buildings, lack variability and stability, particularly in connecting elements that secure mounting rails to supporting components.
Innovation Solution
A fastening arrangement featuring U-shaped mounting rails with cantilevered front wall sections and pairs of retaining projections on a connecting element that can engage with the mounting slots in various orientations, ensuring a stable and non-rotatable connection between mounting rails.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If retaining projections are arranged centrally on the connecting element, then the connecting element is simple to manufacture, but the fastening arrangement lacks stability and rotational resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining projections are arranged asymmetrically relative to the connecting element's geometry. Specifically, the distance between retaining projections is greater than the clear width of the mounting slot, creating an asymmetric engagement where the projections contact the side walls at non-central positions. This asymmetric arrangement prevents rotational movement while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution transitions from central planar arrangement to a three-dimensional engagement where retaining projections extend beyond the mounting surface and contact side walls at elevated positions. This dimensional change from 2D central arrangement to 3D side-wall engagement creates rotational resistance without complicating the basic flat sheet metal construction of the connecting element.
2Device complexity
If retaining projections are arranged to engage centrally in mounting slots, then the connecting element has simple geometry, but the fastening arrangement lacks variability in application
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting element with laterally extended retaining projections serves multiple functions: it connects mounting rails laterally, prevents rotation through side wall contact, and maintains structural stability. This single component design achieves multiple fastening functions without requiring additional elements, enhancing versatility while keeping geometry simple.
3Manufacturing precision
If the distance between retaining projections is equal to the clear width of the mounting slot, then the connecting element fits precisely, but the fastening arrangement cannot resist rotational forces
Solution Approach 1:
The distance between retaining projections is deliberately made greater than the clear width of the mounting slot, creating an asymmetric engagement geometry. This asymmetry causes the projections to contact the side walls at positions that generate rotational resistance, while still maintaining precise fit through controlled clearance and side wall contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining projections are designed with curved contact surfaces that complement the curved contact contours on the side walls. This curvature allows for precise fit while accommodating slight variations in positioning and providing rotational resistance through the geometry of contact.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a fastening arrangement having a first mounting rail (1), a second mounting rail (2) and a connecting element (18) for connecting the first mounting rail (1) to the second mounting rail (2). The mounting rails (1, 2) each have a mounting slot (13, 14), each of which extends along a rail longitudinal axis (L1, L2). In order to secure the connecting element (18) against displacement transversely with respect to at least one of the mounting slots (13, 14), it is proposed that retaining projections (21, 22, 23, 24) are arranged in pairs on the connecting element (18), wherein the distance (aH) between the retaining projections (21, 22) of the first pair is greater than the clear width (aw), measured orthogonally to the rail longitudinal axis (L1) of the first mounting rail (1), of the mounting slot (13) of the first mounting rail (1), and that the length (LH), measured orthogonally to the distance (aH), of the retaining projections (21, 22) of the first pair is equal to the clear width (aw) of the mounting slot (13) of the first mounting rail.