Rotator Platform Leveling System for Sloped Terrain Pipe Laying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pipe-laying vehicles struggle to efficiently lay pipes on uneven or sloped terrain due to limited tilt angles and the inability to maintain a level platform while rotating, making it difficult to position pipes perpendicular to the trench, especially on grades exceeding 25°.
Innovation Solution
A self-propelled pipe-laying vehicle equipped with a rotating platform leveling system and an angled boom head that allows two winch cables to support pipes, enabling the vehicle to maintain a level platform and tilt the boom head up to 50°-59°, allowing for efficient positioning of pipes on sloped terrain without relocating the vehicle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional pipe-laying vehicles are used on sloped terrain, then the vehicle can operate on the terrain, but the platform cannot maintain a level position when rotating, making it difficult to position pipes perpendicular to the trench on grades exceeding 25°
Solution Approach 1:
The platform is made dynamically adjustable through a leveling system with adjustable support legs that can independently extend or retract. This allows the platform to maintain a level position regardless of the terrain slope angle, enabling operation on grades up to 45 degrees while keeping the work surface horizontal for safe pipe positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The leveling system uses adjustable support legs that act as counterbalancing elements to compensate for the terrain slope. By extending the downhill leg and retracting the uphill leg, the system creates a counteracting mechanical advantage that maintains the platform in a level position against gravitational force.
2Productivity
If the vehicle uses a fixed boom head, then the structure is simpler, but the vehicle cannot efficiently position pipes on sloped terrain without relocating the vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The boom head is made adjustable with articulation points that allow it to tilt and rotate to various angles. This dynamic capability enables the boom to reach pipes at different positions along the trench without requiring the vehicle to relocate, significantly improving pipe-laying efficiency on sloped terrain.
Solution Approach 2:
The boom structure is divided into multiple segments with articulation points between them. This segmentation allows independent adjustment of each segment's angle, providing flexible positioning capability to access pipes at various locations and orientations while maintaining structural integrity.
3Reliability
If the vehicle operates on steep grades without a leveling system, then the structure is simpler, but the maximum safe tilt angle is limited to 20°-28° forward and less than 10° to the back
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle employs a dynamic leveling system with adjustable support legs that actively compensate for terrain slope. This allows the vehicle to operate reliably on steep grades up to 45 degrees by maintaining the platform in a level position, preventing tipping while enabling access to previously unreachable terrain.
4Productivity
If only one pipe section is moved up the grade at a time, then the equipment requirements are simpler, but the pipe-laying process is slower and less efficient
Solution Approach 1:
The boom and positioning system are made dynamically adjustable to handle multiple pipe sections simultaneously. The articulated boom can position several pipes at different angles and locations at the same time, allowing the vehicle to lay multiple sections without returning to the bottom of the grade, thereby increasing productivity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A self-propelled vehicle used to lay pipe sections within trenches located on sloped terrain, and a method for using it, including: an undercarriage carrying a vehicle chassis and capable of climbing sloped terrain; a rotating platform which can be maintained level relative to the sloped terrain; and a boom with an angled boom head, capable of using two independent winch cables to lift and position individual pipe sections having differing lengths and diameters. The vehicle may be used to sequentially lift two or more pipe sections, one at a time, and to swing and position the pipe sections in a trench, end-to end.