Modular Safety Rail Support Foot With Interlocking Segmented Base
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing modular safety rail systems face issues with base plate designs that are either expensive to manufacture, difficult to use, or unsuitable for recycled materials, and lack effective stacking and anti-toppling features.
Innovation Solution
A two-part support foot design with interlocking formations and a captive retainer system, suitable for use with recycled polymeric materials, that secures vertical safety rail members and prevents tilting and sliding, while allowing for easy assembly and stacking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If base plates are made of robust heavy construction (e.g., cast iron), then firm support and location for vertical posts is provided, but manufacturing cost increases and ease of use decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The base plate is divided into an upper body section and a lower body section that can be manufactured separately and then assembled together. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized for its specific function and manufactured more easily, reducing overall manufacturing complexity and cost while maintaining the required strength through proper design of the interconnection between sections.
2Ease of manufacture
If base plates are made from recycled polymeric materials, then manufacturing cost decreases and ease of manufacture improves, but stiffness and strength for screw-threaded formations are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
Screw-threaded formations are pre-formed as integral features of the upper body section during the molding process, rather than requiring post-manufacturing threading operations. This preliminary action ensures adequate strength is built into the structure during manufacturing, while allowing the use of easier-to-manufacture recycled polymeric materials for the base plate itself.
3Ease of operation
If base plates are designed for easy assembly, then ease of operation improves, but stacking stability and anti-toppling features may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The upper and lower body sections are designed with asymmetric interlocking features including protrusions and recesses that provide both easy alignment during assembly and inherent stacking stability. The asymmetric design ensures proper orientation when stacking multiple base plates while maintaining ease of assembly through self-aligning characteristics.
4Reliability
If location formations extend through the whole thickness of the lower body section, then secure location of vertical members is achieved, but risk of damage to support surface increases
Solution Approach 1:
The location formations extend through the upper body section and partially into the lower body section, but terminate before reaching the outer surface of the lower section. This partial extension provides sufficient secure location of vertical members while preventing the formations from contacting and damaging the support surface, applying just the right amount of action needed without excess.
Data Source
AI summary
A support foot (10) for a vertical member (48) of a safety rail system includes an upper body section (14) which defines an upper surface region of the support foot and a lower body section (15) which defines a lower surface region, the two bodies having at least in part a substantially common outer periphery and each body section having extending there through a plurality of location formations (25) for supporting one or more vertical members (48) of the safety rail system.