Pile Guide With Pivot Mechanism And Releasable Spacers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pile guides for underwater pile driving require time-consuming adjustments and risk damage due to the need for welding and removal of rib-like spacers to accommodate dimensional tolerances, and they are cumbersome for transportation and storage.
Innovation Solution
A pile guide with pivotally mounted parts that rotate about two axes, allowing for greater movement and reduced height, and a system of releasable interconnecting profiles on elongate members that attach to the guide's inner surface, eliminating the need for welding and enabling easy size adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If rib-like spacers are welded to the inner peripheral surface of the hollow cylindrical portion to provide a snug sliding fit, then the dimensional tolerance between pile and guide is accommodated, but the adjustment process becomes time-consuming and risks heat fatigue damage to the pile guide member
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces permanent welded spacers with removable, replaceable spacers that can be quickly installed and removed without welding. These spacers are designed as consumable or replaceable components that can be adjusted or replaced to accommodate different dimensional tolerances, eliminating the time-consuming welding process and associated heat fatigue risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables easy adjustment of spacer dimensions and positions to accommodate varying dimensional tolerances between piles and guide members. By making spacers removable and replaceable rather than permanently welded, the system allows rapid parameter changes without the time-consuming welding and grinding processes described in the background.
2Manufacturing precision
If rib-like spacers are welded to the inner peripheral surface to provide a snug sliding fit, then dimensional tolerance is accommodated, but repeated welding and removal risks heat fatigue damage to the pile guide member
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces permanent welded spacers with removable, replaceable spacers that eliminate repeated welding operations. These spacers can be installed and removed without thermal processes, thereby eliminating the heat fatigue damage risk to the pile guide member while still providing the necessary dimensional tolerance accommodation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the welding process from the spacer installation method, replacing it with a mechanical attachment system. This extraction eliminates the harmful thermal effects of welding while maintaining the functional benefit of accommodating dimensional tolerances through adjustable spacers.
3Device complexity
If the pile guide member parts are pivotally mounted on the base frame for rotation about a single pivot axis, then the structure is simple, but the range of movement is limited and the overall height when not in use is greater
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a single-axis rotation mechanism to a dual-axis pivotal mounting system. By adding a second pivot axis perpendicular to the first, the guide member parts can fold in multiple directions, dramatically reducing the overall height when not in use while maintaining reasonable structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a more dynamic, multi-degree-of-freedom folding mechanism that allows the guide member parts to adapt their position in three-dimensional space. This dynamic capability enables compact storage positions with reduced height while maintaining operational functionality.
4Device complexity
If the pile guide member parts are pivotally mounted on the base frame for rotation about a single pivot axis, then the structure is simple, but the range of movement is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds another dimension of movement by introducing a second pivot axis perpendicular to the first. This creates a two-degree-of-freedom system that can achieve a much broader range of motion and more versatile positioning capabilities while keeping the mechanical structure relatively simple through the use of sequential pivotal connections.
Data Source
AI summary
A pile guide for supporting a pile as it is driven into a substrate, comprises: a base frame; and a pile guide member (100) which is mounted on the base frame and defines a passageway with an inner peripheral surface (102) to which a plurality of elongate members (104) are attached. The plurality of elongate members (104) are configured to engage a pile and guide it in a predetermined direction through the passageway as it is driven into a substrate. At least one elongate member (104) and the inner peripheral surface (102) of the passageway have releasable inter-connecting profiles for releasably attaching the at least one elongate member (104) to the inner peripheral surface (102). The at least one elongate member (104) may readily be removed and replaced by a narrower/wider elongate member to accommodate piles of different diameter.