Single-Piece Ladder Grating With Twisted Rung Connections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Welded ladder-like gratings have brittle connections with lower fatigue strength, making them difficult to clean and increasing production costs due to lengthy and material-intensive processes.
Innovation Solution
A ladder-like grating formed from a single piece of material, where transversely extending sections are twisted rectangular strips connecting longitudinally extending support sections, eliminating the need for welding and allowing for easier cleaning and production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If welded connections are used to join rungs to support bars, then the grating structure can be assembled, but the connection becomes brittle with lower fatigue strength
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the rungs and support bars into a single piece of material, eliminating the need for separate connections. The rungs are formed as integral extensions of the support bars through continuous material formation, removing weak welded joints and creating a monolithic structure with uniform strength throughout.
Solution Approach 2:
While the overall structure is unified, the patent segments the single piece into distinct functional regions (support bars, rungs, and connecting portions) through material removal and forming processes. This allows each segment to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining strong connections through the continuous material structure.
2Ease of operation
If welded connections are used to join rungs to support bars, then the grating can be assembled, but the welded corners become difficult to clean reducing hygiene standards
Solution Approach 1:
By merging all components into a single piece, the patent eliminates welded corners that create hard-to-clean crevices. The continuous material structure provides smooth transitions and surfaces that can be easily cleaned, meeting high hygiene standards required in food production facilities and kitchens.
3Productivity
If individual rungs are welded to two support bars, then the grating structure is complete, but the production process becomes very lengthy reducing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate manufacturing operations into a single integrated process. Instead of individually welding each rung to support bars, the entire grating is formed from a single piece of material through cutting and bending operations, dramatically reducing production time and increasing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary material preparation by cutting the single piece into the required shape before final forming. The material is pre-cut with slots and notches that will become the rungs and support bars, so that the final bending operation simply forms the three-dimensional structure without requiring repeated assembly steps.
4Adaptability or versatility
If welded connections are used, then the grating can be assembled, but additional processing steps are required for changes reducing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The unified single-piece construction allows modifications to be made to the entire structure simultaneously rather than requiring individual component changes. If design changes are needed, the entire grating can be reformed from a new piece of material in one operation, maintaining efficiency while providing adaptability.
5Ease of manufacture
If welding process is used, then the grating can be assembled, but material costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By using a single piece of material throughout, the patent eliminates the need for additional welding materials such as rods, flux, or filler metals. The entire grating is formed from one continuous piece, reducing material costs and eliminating the material waste associated with welding processes.
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 provides a stronger connection between rungs and support sections, enhances hygiene by simplifying cleaning, and reduces production costs and time through a more efficient manufacturing method.
Implementation Method 1
Each connecting subsection is a twisted rectangular strip extending in the transverse direction from one of the longitudinally extending support sections to the flat subsection of the transversely extending section
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a ladder-like grating (10) comprising a plurality of longitudinally extending support sections (12) and a plurality of transversely extending sections (14). The transversely extending sections extend between the longitudinally extending support sections, wherein each transversely extending section comprises one flat subsection (18) and two connecting subsections (20), one at each end of the flat subsection. Each connecting subsection is a twisted rectangular strip extending transversely from one of the longitudinally extending support sections to the flat subsection of the transversely extending section. The present invention also relates to a method for producing a ladder-like grating.