Pile Guide With Slidable Flange and Pivot Bracket
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pile guides for floating docks lack adjustability to accommodate varying distances of piles from the dock, leading to potential instability and misalignment.
Innovation Solution
A pile guide with a slidable planar flange and pivotable bracket system that allows for adjustable positioning and rotational movement, enabling the collar to be adjusted to accommodate varying pile positions relative to the dock.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed pile guide mounting is used, then the structure is simple and stable, but it cannot accommodate varying distances of piles from the dock
Solution Approach 1:
The pile guide mounting transitions from a fixed rigid structure to a dynamic adjustable system. The planar flange can slide within the bracket along the longitudinal axis, and the guides can pivot relative to the bracket, allowing the mounting to adapt to varying pile positions while maintaining structural integrity through controlled degrees of freedom.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting structure is divided into separable components: the bracket (mounted to the dock), the pile guide (with collar and flange), and the connection interface (guides and flange engagement). This segmentation allows independent adjustment of each component's position, enabling adaptation to different pile locations without redesigning the entire mounting system.
2Manufacturing precision
If precision pile driving is achieved, then perfect alignment is obtained, but the complexity and cost of pile driving increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring the pile driving process to achieve precise positioning (inverting the problem approach), the invention keeps pile driving simple and imprecise, then compensates for the positioning variability through the adjustable mounting mechanism. The pile guide can be repositioned along the sliding direction and rotated via pivoting guides to accommodate piles at various locations and orientations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the pile guide is made rigid and fixed, then structural stability is maintained, but adaptability to varying pile positions is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting employs controlled dynamics with sliding and pivoting capabilities that allow position adjustment while maintaining structural stability. The planar flange slides within constrained guides, and the guides pivot on fixed mounting points, providing adaptability without compromising the overall structural integrity of the connection between pile guide and dock.
Data Source
AI summary
A pile guide has a collar with a void therein. A planar flange extends from a side of the collar. A first guide and a second guide form opposing guides constructed and arranged for receiving the planar flange of the pile guide therein. The planar flange is in a slidable relationship within the opposing guides, and the bracket is constructed and arranged for mounting to a dock. The opposing guides pivot relative to the dock during installation and allow pivoting of the pile guide relative to the dock or other mounting. The distance and angle of the collar relative to the dock or other mounting can be adjusted to accommodate for positioning of pile guides due to positioning of piles relative to a dock or other structure.