Articulated Separator-Shock Absorber for Load Collision Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for protecting transportable loads, such as pallets, from damage during transportation using plastic bubbles or air bags are inadequate as they fail to maintain protection across varying temperatures and altitudes, leading to improper inflation or deflation and insufficient collision resistance.
Innovation Solution
A separator-shock absorber system that separates and cushions transportable loads using a retention base with adjustable articulation and retention elements, allowing for customizable separation and shock absorption, made from resistant materials like cardboard, plastic, wood, or metal, to prevent damage from natural movements during transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If plastic bubbles or air bags are used to protect loads, then collision protection is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to temperature and altitude changes causing improper inflation or deflation
Solution Approach 1:
The separator is divided into multiple independent cells separated by partitions. Each cell can independently absorb shock without affecting other cells, ensuring that if one cell fails due to temperature or altitude changes, the other cells continue to provide protection. This segmentation maintains both collision protection and reliability across varying environmental conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses solid separator material with adjustable physical parameters (density, hardness, thickness) rather than inflatable materials whose properties change with temperature and pressure. By changing the material parameters directly during manufacturing, the separator provides consistent collision protection and reliability regardless of environmental conditions during transport.
2Strength
If plastic air bags are used, then shock absorption is improved, but adaptability deteriorates because they cannot be adjusted to diverse spaces between loads
Solution Approach 1:
The separator incorporates flexible elements and adjustable components that can be configured to fit different spacing requirements between loads. The partitions and cells can be arranged in various patterns and the separator can be compressed or expanded to adapt to diverse spaces while maintaining shock absorption capabilities through the elastic properties of the solid material.
Solution Approach 2:
The separator design provides multiple functions: collision protection, shock absorption, and adaptability to various load configurations. By using a modular cell structure with adjustable partitions, a single separator design can serve multiple purposes and fit diverse spaces between different types of loads, eliminating the need for multiple specialized inflatable bags.
3Strength
If separator material is made thicker to absorb heavier shocks, then shock absorption is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The separator uses varying thickness and material density in different regions based on the specific shock absorption requirements of each area. Critical impact zones have thicker or denser material, while less critical areas use thinner material. This localized optimization provides effective shock absorption for heavy loads without uniformly increasing the weight of the entire separator.
Solution Approach 2:
The separator employs composite structures combining different materials with complementary properties - such as rigid outer shells for structural strength, foam or cellular cores for shock absorption, and flexible membranes for adaptability. This composite approach achieves high shock absorption capability for heavy loads while keeping the overall weight lower than solid homogeneous materials of equivalent thickness.
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 separator-shock absorber effectively absorbs shocks and protects loads from collision damage, maintaining protection across diverse spaces and load sizes, ensuring reliable transport even under varying conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a separator-shock absorber member (2) having a first end (ES1) articulated at the second end (EB2) of the retention base (1) and a second end (ES2)
Implementation Method 2
a separator-shock absorber member (2) having a first end (ES1) articulated at the second end (EB2) of the retention base (1)
Data Source
AI summary
A separator-shock absorber to avoid that charges which are going to be transported by land, by sea or by air collide and damage the loads collision to each other and damage the loads, and including: a retention base; a retention element near to a first end of the retention base; a separator-shock absorber member having a first articulated end and a second end to be coupled to the retention base; a retention element at the second end of the separator-shock absorber member, cooperating with the retention element of the first end of the retention base, in order to regulate the width of the separator-shock absorber member when it is articulated, to be coupled to the retention element of the retention base.