Rollable Transport Body Cover With Elastic Strap Tensioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cover systems for transport bodies often apply unequal tension during tightening, leading to distortion and reduced durability due to improper installation and difficulty in ensuring even stress distribution across the cover material.
Innovation Solution
A rollable cover system with a displaceable shaft, pivotable arm, and elastic straps that create a self-tightening mechanism, minimizing distortion by ensuring equal tension and reducing local stress, while allowing for easy operation and installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a single rubber strap is used in a zig-zag pattern for tightening the cover, then the cover can be secured to the transport body, but unequal tension is applied to the attachment points causing local stress and distortion across the cover
Solution Approach 1:
The tightening system is divided into multiple independent elastic straps instead of using a single rubber strap. Each strap is attached to the transport body at different locations and connected to the cover, distributing the tightening force across multiple attachment points. This segmentation prevents local stress concentration and distortion while maintaining ease of installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic straps are positioned and attached at specific locations optimized for their function. Each strap is routed through guides and attached at predetermined positions on the transport body and cover, ensuring that tension is distributed evenly across the cover surface. This localized optimization of attachment points prevents distortion while maintaining operational simplicity.
2Area of stationary object
If the cover is tightened across a relatively long area of the transport body, then the cover provides adequate coverage and protection, but it becomes difficult and time consuming to ensure the cover is not distorted
Solution Approach 1:
The cover tightening system is segmented into multiple independent elastic straps that can be installed and adjusted separately. Each strap covers a specific section of the transport body, allowing for modular installation. This segmentation reduces the time required to ensure proper tension distribution across the entire cover area, as each strap can be independently positioned and tightened without affecting the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic straps are designed to self-adjust and self-distribute tension across the cover. When attached to the transport body and cover, the elastic nature of the straps automatically distributes force evenly across all attachment points, eliminating the need for manual adjustment and inspection of each section. This self-service mechanism reduces installation and verification time while ensuring proper coverage over the entire transport body area.
3Device complexity
If continued distortion is allowed in the cover, then the cover system remains simple in structure, but the cover material wears quicker and durability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The tightening system uses multiple independent elastic straps instead of a single strap, distributing tension forces across multiple attachment points. This segmentation prevents localized stress concentration that would cause distortion and accelerated wear in any single area of the cover. The distributed loading extends the service life of the cover material while maintaining relatively simple system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses elastic straps with specific elastic properties that allow them to stretch and distribute force evenly across the cover. By selecting straps with appropriate elastic modulus and length, the system achieves uniform tension distribution that prevents distortion. This parameter optimization extends cover durability without significantly increasing system complexity, as the elastic properties naturally provide the needed force distribution.
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 system effectively prevents distortion, increases the durability of the cover, reduces fuel consumption, and minimizes spillage and wear on the cover system by maintaining a tight seal during transportation.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of elastic straps (16) that is attached to the first side panel (22a) and connected to a sleeve (14)... thereby creating a biasing force towards the first side panel (22a)
Data Source
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AI summary
A rollable cover system, for covering the open top of a transport body having a first side panel substantially parallel to a second side panel, being displaceable between an open position and a closed position and comprising: - a displaceable shaft defining a longitudinal axis, - a pivotable arm configured for displacing the displaceable shaft between the side panels, wherein the displaceable shaft faces the first side panel when in the open position and the displaceable shaft faces the second side panel when in the closed position, - a cover attached to the first side panel and attached to the displaceable shaft, - a rotary mechanism configured for rotating the displaceable shaft about the longitudinal axis for rolling and unrolling the cover when displacing the displaceable shaft between the open position and the closed position, - a plurality of elastic straps attached to the first side panel below the attachment of the cover to the first side panel and connected to a sleeve, the sleeve being connected to the cover for creating a biasing force towards the first side panel