Underground Tank Hook With Flexible Retainer Against Strap Slack
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hooks used for anchoring underground tanks are prone to unhooking due to slack in the strap and are difficult to install, especially in challenging environmental conditions, and may corrode over time, posing safety and contamination risks.
Innovation Solution
A hook design featuring a main component with a curved portion and a flexible member that bends to allow anchor element entry and securely retain it, preventing unhooking, and is chemically fixed with non-corroding adhesives to withstand corrosion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional hooks are used for anchoring underground tanks, then the installation process is simple, but the hooks are prone to unhooking due to slack in the strap and are difficult to install in slippery and narrow top conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The hook incorporates a flexible member that can dynamically change its configuration from a closed position to an open position. This dynamic flexibility allows the hook to adapt to the anchor element during installation and then securely retain it, resolving the contradiction between ease of installation and reliable retention.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible member is configured to automatically open when the anchor element is inserted and then automatically close and lock onto the anchor element. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for complex manual operation while ensuring reliable retention, thus improving both ease of operation and hook retention.
2Reliability
If conventional hooks with retaining mechanisms are used, then the hook retention is improved, but the mechanical components such as springs are prone to rust and corrosion in underground environments
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible member is designed as a simple, corrosion-resistant component that replaces complex mechanical retaining mechanisms with springs. While the flexible member may have a limited service life, its resistance to corrosion in underground environments makes it more reliable than steel spring mechanisms that are prone to rust.
Solution Approach 2:
The hook is constructed using composite materials, particularly the flexible member made from corrosion-resistant materials such as fiberglass, plastic, or treated metals. This composite construction maintains hook retention functionality while eliminating the corrosion susceptibility of traditional steel spring mechanisms.
3Ease of operation
If workers manually install hooks from the top of the tank, then the installation is straightforward, but the operation is difficult due to narrow and slippery conditions at the tank top
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible member automatically performs the retention function without requiring manual manipulation or maintenance during installation. Workers simply need to guide the hook to the anchor element, and the flexible member self-activates to secure the connection, making the operation easier in narrow and slippery conditions while maintaining productivity.
4Ease of operation
If the flexible member is made highly flexible to facilitate anchor element entry, then the ease of installation is improved, but the anchor element may be released due to strap slack
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible member exhibits dynamic behavior: it is highly flexible during the installation phase to allow easy entry of the anchor element, then transitions to a rigid locked position once the anchor element is in place. This dynamic property resolution allows the hook to provide both ease of installation and reliable retention against strap slack.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible member is pre-configured with a locking mechanism that prevents backward movement once the anchor element is secured. This preliminary anti-action feature ensures that even though the member is flexible enough to allow easy entry, it subsequently prevents release due to strap slack or external forces.
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 hook effectively secures underground tanks by preventing unhooking from anchor elements, facilitating easier installation, and resisting corrosion, thus enhancing safety and reducing contamination risks.
Implementation Method 1
The flexible member is sized and configured to bend from a closed position to an open position such that, when the anchor element traverses the entrance, the flexible member bends from the closed position toward the concave receiving area to the open position
Implementation Method 2
The flexible member is chemically fixed to the main component
Data Source
AI summary
A hook, a hold down strap and a method for holding down an underground tank. The hook includes a base portion connectable to the hold down strap; a curved portion extending from the base portion and defining a concave receiving area having an entrance sized and configured for receiving an anchor element. The hook includes at least one hooking aid member being a flexible member or an extension member. The flexible member extends across the entrance of the concave receiving area and is sized and configured to bend from a closed position to an open position such that, when the anchor element traverses the entrance, the flexible member bends from the closed position toward the concave receiving area to the open position, thus allowing the anchor element to enter the concave receiving area. The extension member extends from the curved portion beyond the entrance of the concave receiving area.