Self-Raking Fence Panel with Integral Return Walls
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing self-raking fence panels face challenges such as reduced rigidity, ease of dismantling, high manufacturing and transportation costs, and safety risks during installation due to their flexible design and complex assembly processes.
Innovation Solution
A rail design with integral return walls and ramped surfaces that assist in locking projections, allowing for on-site assembly and increased panel rigidity, reducing the need for anti-sag supports and making it difficult to disassemble without damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If pre-assembled panels are used, then assembly speed is improved, but transportation cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fence system is divided into separate components (rails, pales, fixing elements) that can be transported separately in a compact form and assembled on-site. The rails are supplied as flat bars that are formed into U-shaped sections at the installation site, dramatically reducing transportation volume while enabling rapid assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The rails are pre-formed into U-shaped sections with integrated return walls and recesses before delivery to the site. This preliminary formation of the rail structure, combined with pre-positioned fixing elements, allows for rapid on-site assembly without requiring complex pre-assembly operations.
2Ease of operation
If flexible rails are used, then ease of assembly is improved, but panel rigidity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The rail system incorporates resilient return walls that can dynamically deform during assembly to accommodate the pales, then return to their original shape to provide rigid support. This dynamic behavior allows the rails to be easy to assemble while maintaining panel rigidity in use.
Solution Approach 2:
The rail structure has different structural characteristics in different locations: the main rail body provides rigid support, while the return walls are designed to be resilient for ease of assembly. This local differentiation of structural properties allows the system to achieve both ease of assembly and panel rigidity simultaneously.
3Strength
If rivets are used to connect pales to rails, then connection strength is improved, but vulnerability to removal increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using traditional rivets that can be removed by cold chisel or levering, the invention inverts the approach by using fixed pins that protrude from the pales and are received by recesses in the rail. This inversion makes the connection irreversible without destruction, as the pins cannot be removed by conventional means.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixing elements are designed to be self-locking through their geometric configuration. The pins on the pales fit into recesses in the rail, and the resilient return walls automatically retain the pins in place, providing a connection that is both strong and resistant to removal without requiring additional fastening operations.
4Stability of the object's composition
If anti-sag supports are installed, then panel stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rail structure is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the structural framework for the fence, incorporates the anti-sag support functionality through its U-shaped configuration with return walls, and provides the connection mechanism for the pales. This merging of functions eliminates the need for separate anti-sag support components.
Solution Approach 2:
The U-shaped rail structure with integrated return walls serves multiple purposes: it supports the pales, provides rigidity to prevent sagging, and facilitates easy assembly through its resilient walls. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for additional dedicated anti-sag supports, reducing overall device complexity.
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 solution enables easier and safer on-site assembly by less skilled workers, enhances panel rigidity, and prevents unauthorized dismantling, while reducing component count and transportation costs.
Implementation Method 1
the side walls being resiliently deformable so as to allow the projecting ends of the insert to enter into holes in the return walls during assembly of the panel
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~3E
Figure 4A~4C
AI summary
A self-raking fence panel (1) comprises a pair of invert, U-shaped rails (30), each having a horizontal central wall (32) with apertures (37) for receiving a plurality of pales (10), a pair of outer side walls (33), and rigid or resilient, integral internal return walls (34, 134) defining downwardly diverging ramped surfaces (40, 135) and a pair of recesses (42, 136) adjacent each aperture. The pales are provided with spring biased pins (20) which are compressed by the ramped surfaces (40, 135) as the pale is pushed up through the respective aperture (37) until the pins lock in the recesses (42, 136). Alternatively, the pales may have rigid pins (26, 143) which urge the return walls (34, 134) outwardly as the pale is raised until the pins enter the recesses. The fence may be supplied as a kit of parts and assembled on site by fixing the rails (30) to the posts (2, 2'), setting the posts in the ground, and then populating the rails with the pales.