Road Joint Retractable Blades Narrow Wheel Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pavement joints are inadequate for vehicles with narrow wheels, such as bicycles, as the space between teeth can create a hollow that is inconvenient for comfort and safety due to the design's need for sufficient tooth section to support heavier vehicles.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating retractable means, such as flexible blades or telescopic tubes, between teeth to fill the spaces and support narrow wheels without preventing the joint's movement between close and spread positions, ensuring the passage of bicycles while maintaining structural integrity for heavier vehicles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the teeth are designed with sufficient cross-section to support heavier vehicles, then the load-bearing capacity is improved, but the space between teeth creates a hollow that is inconvenient for bicycles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces retractable blades that can dynamically adjust their position between extended and retracted states. When a bicycle approaches, the blades extend to fill the gap between teeth, providing a smooth surface. When heavy vehicles pass, the blades retract to allow the teeth to interlock and bear the load. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by adapting the structure's configuration based on the type of vehicle passing through.
Solution Approach 2:
The retractable blades act as intermediary elements between the teeth structure and the bicycle wheel. They temporarily fill the hollow space created by the tooth configuration, providing a continuous surface for bicycles without altering the fundamental tooth structure needed for heavy vehicle support. The blades mediate between the conflicting requirements of smooth surface for bicycles and load-bearing structure for heavy vehicles.
2Ease of operation
If retractable means are added to fill spaces between teeth, then cyclist comfort is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible blades made of elastomeric or polymeric materials that can bend and retract. These flexible elements are relatively simple in construction compared to rigid mechanical systems, requiring minimal supporting infrastructure. The flexibility of the material allows the blades to naturally return to their retracted position without complex spring mechanisms or motors, thus improving cyclist comfort while limiting the increase in device complexity.
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 enhances the comfort and safety of cyclists by allowing narrow wheels to pass smoothly while maintaining the joint's functionality for varying vehicle loads without compromising the joint's ability to expand and contract.
Implementation Method 1
The retractable means comprise a flexible blade extending between the first and second teeth and passing under the third tooth towards the slot. The flexible blade is thus able to occupy the space to be filled in the extended position, with one face facing upwards, and to retract by its flexing in the retracted position, sliding under the third tooth.
Data Source
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AI summary
A pavement joint for connecting two pavement sections (C1, C2) separated by a slot (F) comprises two combs (10, 20) each having a series of teeth (11, 21), the teeth (11, 21) of one of the combs (10, 20) being interlocked in the teeth (21, 11) of the other comb (20, 10) to ensure the continuity of the upper surface (S) of the pavement when the pavement sections (C1, C2) move between a close position in which the slot (F) is narrowest and a spread position in which the slot (F) is widest. The joint includes retractable means (3, 3') suitable for filling, at least partially, the spaces between a first and second tooth (11a, 11b) adjacent to one comb (10, 20) and a third tooth (21) of the other comb (10, 20) inserted between the first and second tooth (11a, 11b).