Stackable Stormwater Chamber with Interlocking Reinforcing Ribs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing stormwater management systems, such as concrete tanks and stone-filled trenches, are inefficient and costly, and larger stormwater chambers face challenges with load stress and stacking issues due to the lack of suitable strengthening elements that also enable efficient distribution and transportation.
Innovation Solution
A plastic arch-shaped stormwater chamber with reinforcing ribs on corrugation peaks, designed for stackability and enhanced strength, allowing for efficient transportation and storage, featuring an arch-shaped cross-section with a fin that creates a channel for nesting multiple chambers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If larger size stormwater chambers are used to increase storage capacity, then volume increases, but load bearing strength becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by adding reinforcing ribs specifically at the corrugation peaks where structural strength is most needed, rather than uniformly thickening the entire chamber wall. This localized reinforcement provides the necessary load bearing strength for larger chambers while minimizing additional material usage and maintaining the chamber's overall volume for water storage.
2Strength
If reinforcing ribs are added to increase chamber strength, then load bearing strength improves, but stackability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting by designing the reinforcing ribs with a specific geometry that allows chambers to nest within each other when stacked. The ribs are configured to fit into corresponding spaces or channels on adjacent chambers, enabling efficient vertical stacking for transportation and storage while maintaining the structural strength provided by the rib reinforcement.
Data Source
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AI summary
An arch-shaped corrugated chamber (10) having corrugation peaks (20) and valleys (22), with reinforcing ribs (30) provided on the corrugation peaks (20). The ribs (30) extend upwardly from a chamber base (18a,18b) to a rib upper end (31), and have an arch-shaped cross-section with an outer surface (46) extending outwardly from a corrugation peak (20) and a fin (36) extending inwardly from the corrugation peak (20), and optionally, a rib line (44) provided on the rib outer surface (46) centered on the rib arch-shaped cross-section. A channel (34) formed by the inner surface (38) of the rib (30) is sized to receive a corresponding rib (30) of a second chamber (10) so that multiple similar chambers with ribs may be stacked together.