Overhead Door Ice Prevention Heating Element
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Solution Overview
Problem
Overhead doors often freeze to the ground during freezing weather due to ice accumulation, preventing proper operation as the ice bonds with the door and the ground, making it difficult to open the door without removing the ice buildup.
Innovation Solution
An overhead door apparatus with a longitudinal body made of heat-conducting material, featuring a heating element and a sealing member, is placed adjacent to the bottom edge of the door to prevent ice formation. The apparatus includes wing members with fasteners to secure it to the ground and is designed to extend the length of the door, with a rounded top edge to avoid interference and a sealing member to block debris and air.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the overhead door is placed in freezing weather conditions, then the door remains structurally intact and grounded, but ice accumulates on the ground and bonds with the door, preventing proper operation
Solution Approach 1:
The heating element is activated before ice can accumulate and bond the door to the ground, preventing the harmful effect from occurring in the first place. This preliminary action maintains the ground surface temperature above freezing, eliminating the conditions necessary for ice formation and bonding.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the temperature parameter of the ground surface in the contact area with the door by applying heat through the heating element. This parameter change from below-freezing to above-freezing temperatures prevents ice accumulation and bonding, allowing the door to operate reliably in cold weather conditions.
2Reliability
If a heating element is added to prevent ice formation, then ice accumulation is inhibited, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heating element is integrated within the existing door assembly structure, merging the ice prevention function with the door itself rather than adding a separate external system. This combination reduces overall device complexity while maintaining the reliability benefit of ice prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating element is configured to automatically activate when freezing conditions are detected, allowing the system to service itself without requiring external control systems or complex monitoring mechanisms. This self-service capability maintains reliability while minimizing added complexity.
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 apparatus effectively prevents ice formation by maintaining a temperature higher than the surroundings, ensuring the door can be opened without ice buildup, enhancing operational reliability in cold weather conditions.
Implementation Method 1
the body is manufactured from a heat conducting material... configured to provide a temperature that is greater than that of its surroundings so as to inhibit ice formation
Data Source
AI summary
An overhead door apparatus that is configured to be placed across an opening of a structure wherein the invention will be adjacent the bottom edge of an overhead door secured to the opening when the overhead door is in a closed position. The invention includes a body that is elongated in shape being comprised of a first segment, a second segment and a third segment being contiguously formed. The second segment includes a first portion and a second portion that are angular in orientation with respect to each other having a rounded top edge at a transition point therebetween. Contiguously formed with the body are wing members wherein the wing members extend outward from the body and are configured to have a fastener journaled therethrough. A sealing member is secured to the bottom of the body and extends along the length thereof proximate a longitudinal edge of the third segment.