Offset Hinged Connector for Aligned Collapsible Trusses
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hinged connectors for structural members are either expensive, complex to install, or do not allow for proper alignment and pivotal movement without interference from fasteners, limiting their effectiveness in collapsing and reassembling large trusses during shipping and assembly.
Innovation Solution
A hinged connector made from cold-formed sheet metal with offset extensions and indexing flanges, allowing for strong, pivotable connections between structural members without fastener interference, and enabling easy alignment and installation in pairs on both sides of the members.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If existing hinged connectors are used to connect structural members, then the members can be joined and shipped in a collapsed state, but the connectors are expensive and complex to install
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is divided into two separate members with extensions that form a hinge joint when assembled. This segmentation allows each part to be simpler and cheaper to manufacture individually, while still providing the collapsible connection capability when combined.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a complex pre-fabricated hinge mechanism, the invention inverts the approach by using simple extensions with offset bends that create the hinge function through their geometric configuration and fastener arrangement, eliminating the need for complex mechanical hinge components.
2Strength
If fasteners are used to connect the connector members, then strong connection is achieved, but fasteners interfere with each other when connectors are installed in pairs
Solution Approach 1:
The fastener openings are positioned asymmetrically on the two connector members, with offset extensions that stagger the fastener locations. This asymmetric arrangement allows connectors to be installed in pairs on opposite sides of structural members without fasteners interfering with each other, while still maintaining strong connections.
3Manufacturing precision
If connectors are installed in aligned pairs on opposed surfaces, then proper alignment is achieved, but the axes of rotation must be precisely aligned which complicates installation
Solution Approach 1:
The connector members include indexing flanges that automatically engage with the structural members to provide self-alignment. This self-aligning mechanism ensures that the axes of rotation of paired connectors are properly aligned without requiring complex alignment procedures or specialized installation tools, making the installation process simpler while maintaining precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The connector provides a strong, cost-effective, and efficient means to connect structural members that can be easily shipped in a collapsed state and assembled with precise alignment, ensuring proper pivoting action without fastener interference, enhancing the stability and ease of assembly of large trusses.
Implementation Method 1
The connector is preferably made from sheet metal that is cold-formed such that the offset is formed from a pair of angled offsetting bends between the plate and the extension that has the hinge.
Data Source
AI summary
A hinged connector is used to attach two generally coplanar first and second structural members while allowing for pivotal movement of the structural members in the plane of the structural members about an axis that is transverse or perpendicular to the plane in which the structural members rotate.