Removable Ground Post With Wedge-Shaped Stake and Drive Tube
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ground posts are difficult to drive into and extract from the ground efficiently, lacking stability and ease of relocation for supporting various items like fence wire, mailboxes, and signs.
Innovation Solution
A support post structure featuring an elongated impact drive tube with a longitudinally extending bore and a ground penetrating stake member having a channel configuration with a wedge-shaped head section and impact drive shoulders, facilitating easy insertion and extraction with reduced frictional forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional ground posts are used, then structural strength is provided, but difficulty in driving into and extracting from the ground occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The post is divided into distinct functional segments: a drive tube for installation, a stake member with guide section and head section for ground penetration, and an extraction mechanism. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized for its specific function while working together as a complete system that is both easy to install and strong when anchored.
Solution Approach 2:
The post system transitions from a static structure to a dynamic one that can be easily installed and removed. The extraction mechanism enables the post to change its state from fixed in the ground to removable, providing both strong anchoring when needed and ease of relocation when required.
2Stability of the object's composition
If conventional post designs are used, then basic support is provided, but lateral stability is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The head section employs asymmetric geometry with a channel configuration and wedge shape, creating uneven surfaces that engage with the ground in a way that maximizes lateral resistance. The impact drive shoulders are positioned asymmetrically to optimize both driving force application and lateral stability during installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The post design incorporates three-dimensional geometric features including the channel configuration and wedge shape that provide lateral stability through spatial engagement with the ground. These dimensional features create multiple contact points and mechanical interlocking that resist lateral forces more effectively than simple cylindrical posts.
3Ease of manufacture
If simple post structures are used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but frictional forces during installation and removal increase
Solution Approach 1:
The post features localized quality variations with smooth surfaces in specific areas to reduce friction during installation and removal. The guide section and head section have optimized surface characteristics that minimize contact friction with the ground, while other areas maintain structural integrity. This local optimization of surface properties reduces overall frictional resistance without compromising manufacturing simplicity.
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
The design allows for effortless installation and removal of the post, providing lateral stability and minimizing frictional forces, making it suitable for supporting a variety of items and easy to relocate.
Implementation Method 1
minimizing frictional forces
Implementation Method 2
downwardly impacted by said distal end of said tube on the down stroke
Data Source
AI summary
A support post structure comprising an elongated impact drive tube having a longitudinally extending bore open at a distal end of the tube, an elongated stake member having a guide section slidably mounted within the bore and further having a ground penetrating elongated head section extending longitudinally outward from the distal end of the drive tube, wherein the head section in cross-section has a channel configuration with a web base and parallel upstanding side walls, the head section has a driven lateral shoulder adapted for being downwardly impacted by the distal end of the tube on the down stroke of the tube, and wherein the head section is wedge shaped with the point of the wedge on the distal end of the web base and with the lateral driven shoulder on upper portions of the channel sides at a proximal end of the head section.