Resilient Decking Clip With Side-Engagement Arms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Biscuit clips used for decking boards are fiddly to install, require specific screws that are not suitable for all materials, and often need double joists at butt joins due to limited holding length, making them difficult to use in various environments.
Innovation Solution
A decking clip with an elongate plastic body strip and upstands featuring resilient engagement arms that allow for snap-fit attachment of decking boards, providing secure attachment to a support assembly while allowing for easy alignment and spacing, and accommodating different board widths with a trapezoidal key assembly for alignment and spacing assistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If biscuit clips are used to attach decking boards, then the boards can be secured to the support assembly, but the installation process becomes fiddly and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The decking clip is divided into distinct functional segments: a body portion for attachment to the support assembly, upstands for positioning, and resilient engagement arms for securing the decking board. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently, making installation straightforward while maintaining secure attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement arms are designed to be resiliently deformable, allowing them to flex during installation to accommodate the decking board, then spring back to retain the board securely. This dynamic property eliminates the need for complex fastening operations while ensuring reliable retention.
2Reliability
If biscuit clips with small headed screws are used, then the boards can be attached, but the process requires two-part operation and cannot be fully tightened until the following board is laid
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient engagement arms automatically adjust and secure the decking board in place through their elastic deformation and recovery, eliminating the need for separate screw tightening operations. The clip performs the fastening function through its own elastic properties, allowing single-step installation.
3Ease of manufacture
If specific screws are fitted to biscuit clips during manufacturing, then the clips can attach decking boards, but they become unsuitable for use with hardwood or steel joist systems
Solution Approach 1:
The decking clip body is designed with multiple openings that can accommodate various fastener types and configurations. The resilient engagement arms provide a universal retention mechanism that works with different joist materials (hardwood, steel, etc.) and decking board types, making the clip adaptable to diverse installation environments while maintaining ease of manufacture.
4Reliability
If biscuit clips are used with standard joist systems, then decking boards can be attached, but double joists are required at butt joins due to minimal holding length
Solution Approach 1:
The decking clip extends vertically with upstands that engage the decking board from the side, utilizing the vertical dimension for attachment. This side-engagement approach provides adequate holding length without requiring double joists at butt joins, simplifying the support assembly structure and improving installation efficiency.
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 decking clip simplifies the installation process, provides secure and aesthetically pleasing attachment of decking boards, and is adaptable for use with various materials and joist systems, offering improved ease of use and versatility compared to traditional biscuit clip systems.
Implementation Method 1
each upstand and/or engagement arm being resiliently deformable to allow portion of a decking board to pass and to retain the decking board
Data Source
AI summary
A decking clip to allow a plurality of decking members to be attached relative to a support assembly, the decking clip including an elongate plastic body strip having a body length, the body provided with a number of openings to receive fasteners there through to attach the body relative to the support assembly; a number of upstands spaced over the body length and extending substantially perpendicularly from the body strip, substantially transversely to the body length; each upstand having at least two opposed decking board engagement arms, a first decking board engagement arm extending from a first lateral side of each upstand at an acute angle and a second decking board engagement arm extending from a second lateral side of each upstand at an acute angle, each upstand and/or engagement arm being resiliently deformable to allow portion of a decking board to pass and to retain the decking board relative to the support assembly in a spaced apart, non-overlapping configuration.