Self-Aligning Equipment Chock for Angular Misalignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing machine chocks struggle to accommodate significant angular misalignment between equipment frames and foundations without forming gaps or reducing contact area, leading to uneven load distribution and potential component failure.
Innovation Solution
A self-aligning and shimmable machine chock design featuring a base, intermediate element, and upper element with complimentary spherical segment shapes, allowing the upper element to tilt and rotate to match the orientation of the equipment frame, while adjustable shims and screw fasteners ensure precise alignment and load distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a rigid chock structure is used to maintain precise alignment within tight tolerances, then manufacturing precision is improved, but adaptability to angular misalignment deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The chock is divided into three separate elements (base element, intermediate element, upper element) that can be independently positioned and adjusted. This segmentation allows each element to be optimized for precision while the assembly as a whole provides adaptability through relative movement between elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The spherical segment surfaces enable dynamic adjustment of the upper element relative to the intermediate element, allowing the chock to adapt to angular misalignment while maintaining precise alignment when properly installed. The design transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamically adjustable system.
2Strength
If screw fasteners are used to clamp elements together, then structural integrity is improved, but stress concentration on threads deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical segment surfaces distribute clamping forces more evenly across the contact areas between elements. This curved geometry reduces stress concentration on the screw threads compared to flat surface clamping, improving thread reliability while maintaining structural integrity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If shims are stacked to adjust chock height, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The chock height adjustment function is integrated into the segmented element design, where the relative positioning of the base, intermediate, and upper elements provides height adjustment capability without requiring separate shim components. This reduces overall device complexity while maintaining adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
A chock for supporting a frame of a piece of equipment on a foundation. The chock comprises a base, an intermediate element, and an upper element. The base has a planar bottom face to rest on the foundation and a planar upper surface supporting a planar lower surface of the intermediate element. Through holes extend through the base and continue as corresponding blind holes extending into the intermediate element for receiving screw fasteners to clamp the intermediate element to the base and adjust the height of a gap for shims. The intermediate element further comprises a concave upper surface cooperating with a complementary convex lower surface of the upper element allowing the top face of the upper element of the chock to rotate to correspond to an orientation of the frame of the piece of equipment to accommodate angular misalignment thereby evenly distributing frame load across the top face.