Profile Rail H-Shaped Intermediate Piece Height Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing profile rails for bridging floor joints lack adaptability in height, stability, and ease of installation, often requiring material waste and complex assembly processes due to rigid designs and limited adjustability.
Innovation Solution
A profile rail system featuring an H-shaped intermediate piece with elastic H-walls that can be easily inserted between the cover rail's webs, providing lateral support and adjustability, and a conical bore for secure screw fixation, allowing for variable height adjustment without auxiliary tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If legs with predetermined breaking points are used for height adjustment, then the profile rail can accommodate different joint depths, but the legs become unstable and offer no lateral support
Solution Approach 1:
An intermediate piece is introduced as a mediator between the cover rail and base rail. This intermediate piece provides the necessary lateral support and stability that the adjustable legs cannot provide, while still allowing height adjustment through the cover rail's downwardly directed legs engaging with the intermediate piece.
Solution Approach 2:
The profile rail system is divided into separate functional components: the base rail with upwardly directed legs, the cover rail with downwardly directed legs, and an intermediate piece. This segmentation allows each component to specialize - the legs provide height adjustability while the intermediate piece provides lateral stability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If legs are made very long to accommodate all joint depths, then all height differences can be covered, but material waste increases due to cutting on construction site
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate piece is designed as a disposable component that is cut to the specific length needed for each application. Rather than making all legs excessively long and cutting them on site, the intermediate piece serves as a sacrificial element that can be easily trimmed and discarded, reducing waste from the main structural components.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediate piece acts as a mediator that absorbs the variability in joint depths. By placing the intermediate piece between the cover rail and base rail, the system can accommodate different heights without requiring the main structural legs to be excessively long, thus reducing material waste.
3Stability of the object's composition
If an intermediate piece with rigid structure is used for height compensation, then firm support is provided, but assembly requires increased force and auxiliary tools
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate piece incorporates an H-shaped cross-section with thin-walled construction. The H-profile provides structural rigidity and support firmness, while the thin walls allow the component to be easily compressed and assembled without requiring excessive force or auxiliary tools. The elastic deformation of the thin-walled H-profile facilitates simple snap-together assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediate piece's H-shaped cross-section with specific wall thickness is designed to change its effective stiffness during assembly. During installation, the thin walls allow temporary deformation to enable easy insertion, while once assembled, the structure provides firm support. This parameter change from flexible during assembly to rigid in service resolves the contradiction.
4Ease of manufacture
If downwardly directed legs are used for engagement, then the cover rail can engage the base profile, but lateral guidance and support are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate piece serves as an intermediary that bridges the gap between the downwardly directed legs of the cover rail and the upwardly directed legs of the base rail. It provides the necessary lateral guidance surface that the simple leg engagement cannot provide, while maintaining the simplicity of the overall engagement mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediate piece with its H-shaped cross-section adds a new dimensional aspect to the engagement. Rather than relying solely on the vertical engagement of the downwardly directed legs, the H-profile introduces lateral dimension stability through its cross-web and uprights, providing guidance in the lateral direction while maintaining simple vertical engagement.
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
Enables easy, tool-free installation and adjustment of the profile rail to accommodate varying joint depths with minimal material waste, ensuring stable and secure fitting across different floor heights.
Implementation Method 1
The H-walls have a certain elasticity and can be pushed slightly inward before the webs come into positive engagement with them. The H-walls are designed with a small wall thickness in order to have the desired elasticity.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The profiled rail (1) for covering or bridging gaps between two adjacent floor coverings, with a base rail (2) and a cover rail (8), has an intermediate piece (14) which is formed by a H-shaped block component (17) which is fastened in a positive-locking manner by its vertical H-walls between downwards orientated ribs (11,12) of the cover rail. A downwards oriented wall (23) is formed centrally on the crosspiece (18) of the block component and during assembly of the cover rail fits in a threaded channel (5) in a vertical member (4) of the base rail.