Ball Safety Netting Detachment Mechanism for Pole Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ball safety netting systems are prone to failure during sustained high winds or ice build-up, which can lead to pole failure and potential injury or damage.
Innovation Solution
The system incorporates safety devices that detach from the net when a predetermined force is exceeded, allowing the net to lower and reducing the likelihood of pole failure, with safety devices designed to break at a specific strength to prevent catastrophic failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the net is fixedly attached to the poles, then the net provides continuous protection, but the poles may fail during high winds or ice build-up
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment system is segmented into multiple independent safety devices distributed along the net and poles. Each safety device acts as an independent failure point, so if one fails due to excessive force, the others remain intact to maintain partial support and prevent catastrophic pole failure.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety devices are extracted as separate, removable components from the net-pole attachment system. These devices can be independently replaced after failure without requiring removal or replacement of the entire net or poles, enabling quick restoration of the protective barrier.
2Reliability
If safety devices are designed to break at a specific strength, then pole failure is prevented, but the net attachment is compromised under extreme conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The safety devices are pre-designed with a predetermined breaking strength that acts as a cushioning mechanism. When excessive force is applied during extreme conditions, these devices break to absorb the excess energy and force, protecting the poles from failure while maintaining overall system stability through the remaining intact safety devices.
3Reliability
If the net is made heavy duty for high wind resistance, then protection is improved, but the load on poles increases during ice build-up
Solution Approach 1:
The safety devices are designed with specific mechanical parameters (breaking strength, attachment geometry) that allow them to fail at controlled points. This parameter optimization enables the net to provide heavy-duty protection during normal operation while allowing controlled failure of safety devices to prevent excessive load accumulation on poles during extreme ice build-up conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
A ball safety netting system includes a net comprising a plurality of openings, a plurality of elongated poles having a lower end operably attachable to the ground in spaced-apart relationship, and a plurality of safety devices operably attachable to the plurality of poles and operably attachable to the net. The plurality of poles and the plurality of safety devices are operably sized and configured for use in supporting the net in a generally fixed upright relationship relative to the ground, and when a force exerted on the safety device exceeds a breaking point of the safety device, a portion of the net is detaches from the pole to reduce the likelihood of pole failure.