Profiled Steel Frame Corner Connection Using Angled Shoe
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for connecting steel profiles in profiled steel frames, such as welding, are time-consuming, costly, and prone to alignment issues and thermal deformations, making it difficult to achieve a stable and secure connection in corner areas.
Innovation Solution
The use of an angled shoe that is screwed to both the head bar and the tie or lock bar, providing a robust and reliable indirect connection without the need for welding, ensuring correct angular alignment and stability through a form-fitting design that can be easily assembled on-site with minimal equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If welding is used to connect steel profiles, then a strong connection is achieved, but the process is time-consuming and prone to alignment issues and thermal deformations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary connection element (such as a clip, bracket, or fastening component) that mediates between the steel profiles. This intermediary element provides a mechanical connection without requiring direct welding of the profiles themselves, thereby reducing alignment complexity and avoiding thermal deformations while maintaining connection strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the thermal welding process with a mechanical connection system. Instead of using heat to join steel profiles, the invention employs mechanical fastening elements (clips, brackets, screws, or connectors) that provide equivalent or superior connection strength without the drawbacks of welding, such as time consumption, alignment sensitivity, and thermal distortion.
2Strength
If welding is used to connect steel profiles, then a strong connection is achieved, but thermal stresses cause subsequent deformation and deviations from the desired angle
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediary connection element acts as a buffer that decouples the steel profiles from direct thermal stress. This mediator absorbs and distributes stresses mechanically, preventing the propagation of thermal deformations to the profile corners and maintaining precise angular alignment without the need for post-welding adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
By substituting the thermal welding process with a mechanical fastening system, the patent eliminates the source of thermal stresses that cause deformation. The mechanical connection method inherently avoids thermal expansion and contraction effects, ensuring consistent angular alignment and eliminating the need for compensation measures.
3Strength
If welding is used to connect steel profiles, then a permanent connection is achieved, but certain sections become inaccessible to welding equipment when aligned
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediary connection element provides access points and mounting surfaces that are accessible from various positions. This mediator can be installed from different directions and orientations, allowing workers to reach difficult-to-access sections of the steel profiles without requiring welding equipment to reach into tight or obstructed spaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical fastening system replaces the welding process, which requires specific accessibility for welding equipment. Mechanical connectors can be applied from multiple angles and positions, and can even be pre-assembled on components before final installation, thereby eliminating the accessibility constraints that plague welding operations in aligned positions.
4Strength
If welding is used to connect steel profiles, then a direct connection is achieved, but achieving correct right-angled alignment at corners is challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediary connection element serves as a precision alignment tool that incorporates built-in features for ensuring correct angular arrangement. These mediators often include reference surfaces, positioning pins, or pre-formed geometric shapes that guide the steel profiles into the exact right angle required, eliminating the difficulty of achieving precise alignment during welding.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical connection system incorporates alignment features such as self-aligning clips, bracket systems with precision holes, or connector elements with built-in angular references. These features automatically ensure correct right-angled alignment without requiring complex alignment procedures or skilled welders to achieve the desired precision.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
The invention relates to a profiled steel frame (3) with a laterally arranged hinge bar (3a) and a laterally arranged lock bar (3b), as well as a head bar (3c) connecting the hinge bar (3a) to the lock bar (3b). The hinge bar (3a), the lock bar (3b), and the head bar (3c) are each formed from a steel profile. The head bar (3c) abuts the hinge bar (3a) and/or the lock bar (3b) at a corner (5) with a miter cut (6). According to the invention, the head bar (3c) is connected to the hinge bar (3a) and/or the lock bar (3b) by an angle bracket (7) that is inserted into the respective steel profile at its end and fixed to the profiles.