Segmented Composite Pool Cover Beams with Movable Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing roll-up cover devices for swimming pools require stronger girders to increase load-bearing capacity, making them heavier and more difficult to roll up and transport, as they are often as long as the built-in carrier.
Innovation Solution
The roll-up cover device employs composite beams with movable connections, both elastically restoring and non-elastically restoring, to distribute load through buoyancy and stretching of the swimming pool liner, using lightweight materials and innovative connections like plastic bands or U-profiles to reduce weight and facilitate handling and transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If stronger girders are used to increase load-bearing capacity, then the structural strength is improved, but the weight of the roll-up cover device increases making it more difficult to roll and transport
Solution Approach 1:
The beam structure is divided into multiple segments (first beam portion, second beam portion, third beam portion) connected by articulation points. This segmentation allows each segment to be lighter while collectively providing the required load-bearing capacity through distributed structural support and flexible load distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the structural parameters from rigid solid beams to hollow profile beams with specific wall thicknesses and cross-sectional geometries. This parameter optimization provides adequate strength while significantly reducing the overall weight of the beam structure.
2Strength
If stronger girders are used to increase load-bearing capacity, then the structural strength is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates making rolling up more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The beam is segmented into multiple movable portions connected by articulation points that allow relative movement. This segmentation enables the beam to flex and bend during rolling operations, significantly improving ease of operation while maintaining load-bearing capacity through the distributed segment structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic characteristics to the beam structure through movable articulation points that allow the beam portions to move relative to each other. This dynamic capability enables the rigid-looking beam to flex during rolling, making operation easier while maintaining structural strength when deployed.
3Ease of operation
If the carrier length is reduced for easier transport, then the ease of transport is improved, but the load-bearing capacity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The beam is divided into multiple segments that can be folded or articulated relative to each other, allowing the overall carrier length to be reduced for transport while maintaining the effective span and load-bearing capacity when deployed. The segmented structure enables compact packaging without sacrificing structural performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable articulation points allow the beam structure to transition between extended (load-bearing) and compact (transport) configurations. This dynamic reconfiguration capability enables the carrier to provide full load-bearing capacity during use while achieving reduced length for easier transport and storage.
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
This design enhances load-bearing capacity while maintaining ease of use and transport, as the composite carrier is lighter and more compact, allowing for efficient rolling and packing, and the use of buoyancy and flexible materials ensures effective load distribution.
Implementation Method 1
the middle piece 6 rests on a water surface of the swimming pool
Implementation Method 2
The load on the roll-up cover device along the middle piece 6 is taken over by the swimming pool liner 1 through the buoyancy and the stretching in the swimming pool liner 1
Implementation Method 3
Execution of the rollable cover device with a movable connection 9, which is elastically resetting
Data Source
Figure 1~4
Figure 5~7
Figure 8~11
AI summary
The retractable pool cover consists of a pool liner, composite supports oriented transversely to the longitudinal direction, a winding tube, and tensioners for the pool liner. The composite support comprises three sections: two lateral sections and a central section. The two lateral sections are connected to the central section by a movable, either inelastic or elastically restoring, joint. When the retractable cover is loaded, the central section rests on the water's surface, and the pool liner, due to buoyancy, bears most of the load, not the composite support itself.