One-Piece Roller Rail for High-Load Glass Wall Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rail systems for mounting and moving glass wall elements on seagoing vessels face challenges in withstanding high loads and maintaining ease of manufacture, particularly when made of glass or predominantly glass, and are prone to dirt ingress.
Innovation Solution
A one-piece metal or plastic rail with lateral recesses and undercut sections for rollers, equipped with brushes and T-nuts for attachment, ensuring durability and cleanliness while simplifying production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the rail is made from multiple assembled parts, then it can provide complex bearing surfaces for rollers, but the manufacturing complexity and assembly difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple rail sections into a single monolithic extruded profile that integrates bearing surfaces, lateral recesses for rollers, and undercut sections for brushes and T-nuts. This combining of functions into one manufactured component eliminates assembly steps while providing the complex geometry needed for roller support and wall element guidance.
Solution Approach 2:
The rail cross-section parameters are optimized through extrusion design to provide varying widths and depths in different zones - narrow at the roller level for precise positioning, wider in undercut sections for brush and T-nut accommodation. This parameter variation within a single extruded profile achieves the functional complexity of multiple parts.
2Manufacturing precision
If the rail is made narrow at the roller level, then it provides precise roller positioning, but it reduces the space available for protective brushes and mounting features
Solution Approach 1:
The rail cross-section is designed with locally optimized properties: the vertical section is narrow at the roller bearing level to provide precise roller positioning and support, while lateral recesses and undercut sections are provided at specific locations to accommodate brushes and T-nuts. This local differentiation of cross-sectional geometry allows precise roller support in critical areas while providing space for protective and mounting features where needed.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the rail includes lateral recesses and undercut sections, then it accommodates rollers and protective brushes, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lateral recesses for rollers and undercut sections for brushes are integrated into a single monolithic extruded profile. This combining of protective features into the basic rail structure eliminates the need for separate protective components while maintaining the simplicity of extrusion manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The undercut sections are designed to directly receive and hold brushes and T-nuts as integral components of the rail system. The rail structure itself provides the mounting features (undercut sections) that automatically accommodate the protective elements, eliminating the need for additional fastening or assembly steps.
4Productivity
If the rail is made as a one-piece structure, then manufacturing is simplified, but providing complex bearing surfaces and protective features becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The extrusion profile parameters are specifically designed to provide the required bearing surfaces, lateral recesses, and undercut sections within a single continuous profile. By optimizing the cross-sectional geometry parameters during the extrusion process, the rail delivers reliable roller support and protective features while maintaining high production efficiency through continuous extrusion manufacturing.
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 solution provides a robust, easy-to-manufacture rail system that withstands high loads and prevents dirt ingress, enhancing the reliability and longevity of glass wall elements on seagoing vessels.
Implementation Method 1
The wall elements are equipped with rollers... the rollers then rest on a section of the rail, enabling the wall elements to move
Implementation Method 2
Brushes can be inserted into these undercut sections... The wall elements can be guided through these brushes; the brushes enclose the sections of the wall elements that pass through, preventing dirt from penetrating the area of the bearing surfaces for the rollers and the rollers themselves
Data Source
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AI summary
A rail for the suspended and movable mounting of wall elements, preferably for forming a wall, particularly on a seagoing vessel, wherein the wall elements are aligned with rollers, is provided that the rail has bearing surfaces for rollers and is manufactured in one piece from a metal or plastic. This rail can bear high loads despite its simple construction.