Resilient Core Rod Bollard Impact Absorption
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional plate-mounted bollards are inadequate in absorbing larger impact forces due to their rigid structure, which leads to excessive stress on mounting bolts and potential damage, while core-drilled bollards are costly and time-consuming to install.
Innovation Solution
A plate-mounted bollard with an internal resilient core rod that shifts impact forces to its upper end, allowing elastic flexion and absorption of forces along its length, reducing stress on the base plate and bolts, and enabling absorption of up to 10,000 lbs with minimal lateral movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a conventional plate-mounted bollard is used, then installation is simple and cost-effective, but impact absorption capacity is insufficient for high-energy collisions
Solution Approach 1:
The bollard incorporates a resilient shaft that can dynamically flex and deform during impact events, transitioning from a static rigid structure to a dynamic energy-absorbing system. The shaft's ability to bend and return to its original position allows it to absorb impact energy while maintaining structural integrity, enabling the plate-mounted bollard to withstand high-energy collisions that would otherwise exceed its capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the bollard by introducing a resilient shaft with specific material properties (elastic modulus, yield strength) and geometric parameters (diameter, length, wall thickness). These parameter changes enable the shaft to deform elastically under impact loads, transforming the bollard from a purely rigid structure to one that can absorb energy through controlled deformation, thereby increasing impact absorption capacity without compromising installation simplicity.
2Strength
If a core-drilled bollard is used, then impact absorption capacity increases for high-energy collisions, but installation becomes costly and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient shaft provides dynamic impact absorption through elastic deformation, allowing the bollard to absorb high-energy collisions without requiring the extensive concrete embedding of core-drilled bollards. This dynamic response mechanism achieves comparable or superior impact absorption capacity while maintaining the installation advantages of plate-mounted systems, significantly reducing installation time and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient shaft acts as a flexible structural element that can deform elastically during impact events. This flexibility allows the shaft to absorb impact energy through controlled bending and deformation, providing high impact absorption capacity without requiring the rigid, heavily embedded structure of core-drilled bollards, thereby simplifying installation while maintaining strength.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid plate-mounted bollard is used, then structural integrity is maintained, but stress on mounting bolts increases during impact events
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient shaft introduces dynamic flexibility to the bollard system, allowing it to deform elastically during impact events. This deformation absorbs impact energy that would otherwise be transmitted directly to the mounting bolts, significantly reducing the stress and force loads on the bolt connections while maintaining the overall structural integrity of the bollard assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient shaft acts as an intermediary element between the impact force and the mounting bolts. It absorbs and dissipates impact energy through elastic deformation, serving as a buffer that protects the mounting bolts from excessive stress and force, thereby preserving the structural integrity of the entire bollard system without compromising the connection to the base plate.
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 solution effectively increases the impact absorption capacity of plate-mounted bollards without the need for extensive installation, providing substantial protection against high-impact forces while maintaining structural integrity and reducing installation costs.
Implementation Method 1
a resilient core rod (22) extending from the base plate (24)... the rod elastically flexes and the full length of the rod is utilized to absorb the impact force
Data Source
AI summary
A plate-mounted bollard which includes an internal impact absorption mechanism that enables the bollard to absorb impact forces greater than conventional plate-mounted bollards. The bollard makes use of a force transfer process that shifts impact forces to areas better able to resiliently absorb the impact without causing damage to the bollard, the impact absorption mechanism, or the ground in which the bollard is installed. The impact absorption mechanism consists of an internal resilient core rod mounted at its proximal end to a base plate which is fixed to the ground. Impact forces are then transferred through an outer shell to the distal or upper end of the internal resilient core. With energy from the impact force being distributed along the maximum length of the resilient core rod, the rod flexes and the full length of the rod is utilized to absorb the impact energy.