Profile Rail Plug for Formwork Attachment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current profile rail systems for concrete formwork are complex, expensive, and require laborious processes for attachment and detachment, often resulting in protruding nail or screw ends that need to be ground down, which is time-consuming and risky, and the logistics of anti-corrosion protection and anchor placement are inefficient.

Innovation Solution

A C-shaped profile rail with prefabricated holes for plugs that can be inserted and removed easily, allowing for flexible connection to formwork without damaging the rail or its corrosion protection, and enabling on-site selection of anchors or plugs for efficient assembly and disassembly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If holes are made in the back of the rail for nail or screw attachment, then the profile rail can be connected to the formwork, but the protruding nail or screw ends must be ground down or knocked off after casting, which is time-consuming and risky

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveattachment processVSAvoidpost-casting processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the problematic protruding nail or screw ends by providing a separate recess that receives these ends after casting. The nail or screw ends are taken out from the visible surface and placed into the recess, eliminating the need for grinding or knocking them off.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention uses a simple recess structure that can be easily formed during rail production. This recess serves as a temporary holding space for the nail or screw ends, which are then removed after formwork detachment, avoiding the need for expensive and time-consuming post-processing operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

2Reliability

If anchors are connected to the back of the rail for better form-fitting anchoring, then the anchoring in concrete is improved, but the arrangement of anchors must be carried out individually and the standardized profile rails must be changed and adapted individually at great expense

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveform-fitting anchoringVSAvoidanchor arrangement complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention provides a universal attachment structure with holes and recesses that can accommodate both anchors and nail/screw connections. This multi-functional design allows standardized profile rails to be used for different anchoring requirements without individual adaptation, reducing complexity and cost.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention segments the attachment functionality by providing separate holes for nail/screw attachment and separate recesses for anchor placement. This segmentation allows flexible configuration of anchors and fasteners while maintaining a standardized rail design that can be used across different applications.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Strength

If the profile rail is attached to the formwork with nails or screws, then the connection is secure, but the nail or screw ends protrude from the profile rail after formwork removal and must be ground down or knocked off

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnection strengthVSAvoidprotruding ends
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the harmful protruding nail or screw ends by providing a recess that receives these ends after formwork removal. The ends are taken out from the visible surface and placed into the recess, eliminating the hazard of protruding sharp ends.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The recess acts as an intermediary structure that temporarily holds the nail or screw ends after formwork removal. This intermediary space allows the ends to be contained safely until they can be removed with a punch, eliminating the need for grinding or direct knocking off from the visible surface.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3514297B1Profile rail with plug for attachment to a formwork
Publication Date: 2020.06.17 NEIKES FRIEDRICH WILHELM
  • EP3514297B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3514297B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3514297B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The present invention relates to a profile or anchor rail (2) for fastening to a formwork (5) for at least partial embedding in concrete, wherein the profile rail (2) is essentially C-shaped along a longitudinal axis of the profile rail and a plurality of holes (24) with a respective hole cross-section are formed in the rail back (21);characterized by plugs (1) that are partially inserted into the holes (24), wherein each plug (1) has a cap section (12) and a connecting passage section (10) along a longitudinal axis of the plug, wherein the cap section (12) has a first outer cross-section that is larger than the hole cross-section in order not to slide through the hole 24, and the passage section (10) is designed so that it can be pressed through the respective hole (24) until the cap section (12) abuts the rail back (21), and the plug (1) has a passage area (13) along its longitudinal axis for an elongated connecting element (4) that can be manually pierced and guided through the passage area (13); wherein the connecting element (4) is preferably a nail or a screw and connects the plug (1) to the formwork (5).