T-Shaped Shelf Column with Locking Bends for Higher Torsional Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing T-shaped shelf columns made from thin metal sheets suffer from reduced twisting rigidity due to open profile elements, leading to flimsiness, increased material thickness for rigidity, higher weight, and assembly difficulties caused by non-concentric fastening openings and holes.
Innovation Solution
The method involves forming locking bends in the edges of the metal sheet during the bending process to create a sealed profile, which increases twisting rigidity and allows for precise alignment of fastening openings and holes, using a thinner metal sheet and minimizing the prominence of the form joint.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If thin metal sheet is used to make T-shaped shelf columns, then material cost is reduced, but twisting rigidity deteriorates due to open profile elements
Solution Approach 1:
The band is divided into multiple sheet layers through sequential bending operations. The first band portion is bent to form the web plate, then the second band portion is bent to form the flange plate, creating overlapping sheet layers that form a sealed profile. This segmentation transforms the open profile into a closed section, significantly improving twisting rigidity while maintaining thin material thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple sheet layers are复合ed together through overlapping and sealing to create a composite structural profile. The sealed profile formed by bending the band into overlapping layers acts as a composite structure that provides enhanced rigidity comparable to or exceeding that of thicker single-layer sections, thereby resolving the contradiction between material thickness and twisting rigidity.
2Ease of manufacture
If fastening openings and holes are pierced before bending, then manufacturing process is simplified, but alignment precision deteriorates due to non-concentric openings in overlapping layers
Solution Approach 1:
Fastening openings and holes are pierced into the band before the bending operation. This preliminary action allows the openings to be accurately positioned on the flat band material, and the subsequent bending process maintains the concentricity of these openings across overlapping layers, ensuring precise alignment in the final sealed profile structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The piercing operation is merged with the bending operation sequence, where openings are pierced in advance and then the band is bent to form the sealed profile. This integration ensures that the openings in different sheet layers remain concentric, combining the simplicity of pre-piercing with the precision of aligned fastening holes in the final structure.
3Stability of the object's composition
If edge enclosures are implemented to mitigate back-springing, then structural stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The edge enclosure function is merged with the sealing operation. The same bending process that creates the sealed profile by overlapping and compressing sheet layers also forms the edge enclosures that mitigate back-springing. This integration achieves structural stability without adding separate edge enclosure features, thereby avoiding increased device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealed profile structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides edge enclosures to control back-springing, creates overlapping sheet layers for enhanced rigidity, and forms the T-shaped geometry. This multi-functionality achieves stability improvement without proportionally increasing structural complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for making a shelf column in which method a shelf column (17) mainly T-shaped in cross section and including a flange plate (2) and mainly perpendicular to it a web plate (3) and the necessary fastening openings (4) and/or holes (5, 6) for whereby to fasten the other shelf parts (18, 19) to the shelf column, which is made of a band thin metal sheet (1) using sheet technical methods and in which method the edges of the thin metal sheet (1) are at least partly bent double with other parts of the sheet and such that when the bending has been completed the cross section of the thin metal sheet is mainly T-shaped and in which method a form joint (7) is formed between the edges of the band of thin metal sheet (1) in order to fasten the edges to each other. The method in accordance with the invention is characterised in that the form joint (7) is formed by bending locking bends (8, 9) into the edges of the band of thin metal sheet (1), these locking bends. being bent to oppose each other in conjunction with the bending of the T profile of the shelf column (17) and the locking bends are fitted at least partly within each other and locked to each other. The invention also relates to a shelf column (17) manufactured in accordance with a method in accordance with the invention, the said shelf column including a form joint (7) formed between the edges of the band of thin metal sheet.