Integrated Flange Assembly for Multi-Piece Plastic Tanks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multi-piece plastic tanks used for storing liquids face challenges in on-site assembly, requiring numerous tools and clips, and quality control is difficult to ensure.
Innovation Solution
A multi-piece plastic tank assembly with integrated flange structures and a jig system that allows secure connection without external fasteners, using a jig to traverse and compress flanges together, creating a sealed joint.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multi-piece tanks are connected together at the point of use via welding and/or separate clips, then the tanks can be assembled on-site, but the installers have to carry a large number of tools, clips and/or other articles that are necessary to securely connect the pieces of the tank together
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the connection means directly into the tank sections themselves. The flange structure with engagement features and sealing surfaces is molded as an integral part of each tank section, eliminating the need for separate clips, fasteners, or connection articles. This merging of the connection function into the tank structure itself resolves the contradiction by maintaining ease of assembly while eliminating the complexity of carrying multiple separate connection components.
Solution Approach 2:
The tank sections are designed with self-contained connection features that enable them to connect to each other without external tools or fasteners. The flange structures with integrated engagement features allow the tank sections to self-assemble through direct insertion and engagement, where the connection means serves itself rather than requiring separate clips or tools. This self-service approach resolves the contradiction by simplifying the assembly process while eliminating the need for additional connection articles.
2Ease of operation
If multi-piece tanks are connected together at the point of use via welding and/or separate clips, then the tanks can be assembled on-site, but quality control is very difficult to ensure
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the connection means into the tank sections themselves, the patent ensures that the connection features are manufactured with consistent precision during the molding process. The flange structures with engagement features and sealing surfaces are produced as integral parts with controlled tolerances, ensuring reliable and consistent connections. This eliminates the variability and quality control issues associated with on-site assembly using separate clips or welding, while maintaining ease of assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection means are pre-formed and integrated into the tank sections during manufacturing, with precise geometries and sealing surfaces already in place. This preliminary preparation of the connection features ensures that when the tank sections are assembled on-site, the connection quality is consistent and reliable without requiring complex on-site quality control measures. The pre-engineered flange structures ensure proper alignment and sealing, resolving the quality control contradiction.
3Strength
If large size tanks are made as one-piece plastic tank by blow molding or rotational molding, then the tanks have good structural integrity, but the tanks are bulky thereby causing storage and the cost of shipping from factory to point of use to be high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the large tank into multiple smaller sections that can be stacked and stored efficiently. Each section maintains its structural integrity through the integrated flange design, while the overall system achieves the required capacity through combination of sections. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by enabling compact storage and reduced shipping costs while maintaining the structural strength needed for large-capacity tanks through proper connection design.
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-piece plastic tank is provided and includes a tank top section, wherein the tank top section defines a tank top opening surrounded by a top flange that extends along the length of the top flange, a tank bottom section having, wherein the tank bottom section defines a tank bottom opening surrounded by a bottom flange that extends along the length of the bottom flange, wherein the top flange and bottom flange are configured to be connected to form the multi-piece plastic tank.