Safety Anchor Resisting Cable Tension With Segmented Base
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fall arrest systems face issues with safety anchor integrity during testing, where anchors may become damaged and require frequent replacement, and tensioned cables can cause casings to lean, leading to user nervousness.
Innovation Solution
A safety anchor design featuring a housing with a clamping member and absorber system, where the clamping member is attached to the base and absorber, and a reduced strength portion that deforms or fractures upon a predetermined load, maintaining anchor integrity and resisting cable-induced tilting, while ensuring weather sealing and controlled fall arrest.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a tensioned cable is used to link multiple safety anchors, then the fall arrest system can support multiple users, but the cable tension causes the safety anchor casings to lean, creating user nervousness
Solution Approach 1:
The safety anchor is divided into functionally independent components: a base portion fixed to the roof structure and a casing portion containing the absorber. The base is specifically designed to resist cable-induced tilting forces, while the casing houses the fall arrest mechanism. This segmentation allows the base to stabilize the assembly against cable tension without interfering with the absorber's function.
Solution Approach 2:
The base portion acts as a counterweight and stabilizing foundation that resists the lateral forces generated by tensioned cables. The base's design includes features that anchor it firmly to the roof structure, creating a counterbalancing effect that prevents the casing from leaning under cable tension, thereby maintaining vertical orientation and user confidence.
2Device complexity
If traditional safety anchor designs are used, then the structure is simple, but the anchors become damaged during annual testing and require replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The absorber mechanism is pre-positioned and pre-loaded within the casing, ready to activate immediately upon impact. The reduced-strength portion is deliberately designed to fail at a predetermined load threshold, cushioning the protective effect against the main structural components during testing. This allows the anchor to withstand standardized testing forces without permanent damage, while still providing fall arrest protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a reduced-strength portion with specifically controlled mechanical properties that fail at a predetermined load. This parameter differentiation allows the anchor to behave differently under test loads versus fall arrest loads: during testing, the reduced-strength portion deforms or fractures to absorb energy, while during actual falls, the main structural components remain intact. This enables the anchor to pass annual testing without damage while maintaining reliability.
3Ease of operation
If a reduced strength portion is designed to deform or fracture under load, then controlled fall arrest is achieved, but the housing may become damaged during testing
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented into a base portion and a casing portion, with the reduced-strength portion strategically located at their interface. This segmentation ensures that when the reduced-strength portion fails during testing or activation, the failure is contained to a specific region and does not compromise the overall housing structure. The base and casing remain intact, maintaining housing integrity while enabling controlled activation.
Solution Approach 2:
The reduced-strength portion is a localized feature with deliberately modified material properties or geometry, creating a controlled weak point. This local quality change allows the housing to remain strong and intact during testing while enabling controlled deformation or fracture at the specific reduced-strength location during activation. The local modification does not compromise the global structural integrity of the housing.
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 safety anchor effectively resists forces during testing, maintains orientation, and ensures controlled fall arrest, reducing the need for frequent replacements and alleviating user concerns about anchor stability.
Implementation Method 1
The housing may comprise a reduced strength portion that is arranged to deform or fracture upon application of a predetermined load to the safety anchor
Implementation Method 2
the absorber preferably has a central portion that is provided between the first and second end portions and extends along an absorber axis that lies at an oblique angle to the primary axis
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A safety anchor comprising: a base, which is fixable to a roof structure; an absorber, which is attached to the base; and a housing, which houses the absorber, wherein a clamping member is provided within the housing for clamping the housing against the base.