Tapered Drain Fitting for High-Flow Walk-In Bath Drainage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Standard 1½ inch diameter bath drains restrict water flow due to diameter reduction from drain to sewer pipe, leading to suboptimal draining and code violations, particularly in walk-in-baths where users must wait for water to drain before exiting.
Innovation Solution
A drain fitting with a wider inlet than outlet, featuring sloping interior surfaces forming a truncated cone shape, and a connector portion with a cylindrical body, designed to maximize flow by minimizing flow restrictions and ensuring compliance with local codes, including a cable-operated mechanism for pop-up drain filters and low-profile designs for space-constrained areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the drain inlet diameter is increased to improve water flow rate, then the draining speed is improved, but the connection to standard 1½ inch sewer pipes becomes problematic and may violate code requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The drain fitting is divided into distinct sections: a large diameter inlet section (2 inches or larger) for maximizing water flow from the bath, and a smaller diameter outlet section (1½ inches) for connection to standard sewer pipes. The transition between these sections is achieved through sloping walls that gradually reduce the diameter, allowing the system to simultaneously achieve high flow rate and code compliance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a uniform cylindrical drain to a conical or tapered shape by introducing sloping interior surfaces. This dimensional change in the cross-sectional area along the length of the drain allows the system to accommodate both large inlet requirements for flow and small outlet requirements for code compliance, effectively solving the contradiction through geometric transformation.
2Reliability
If the drain size is reduced to meet code requirements, then code compliance is achieved, but the water flow rate and draining speed are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Different sections of the drain fitting have different diameters optimized for their specific functions: the inlet section has a larger diameter (2 inches or more) to maximize water intake and flow rate, while the outlet section has a smaller diameter (1½ inches) to meet code requirements for sewer pipe connections. This local differentiation of properties allows the system to simultaneously achieve code compliance and high productivity.
3Ease of manufacture
If a sudden diameter reduction is used from drain to pipe, then manufacturing is simplified, but flow restrictions increase and code requirements are violated
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of a sudden sharp reduction in diameter, the patent employs sloping interior surfaces that create a gradual conical or tapered transition between the large inlet and small outlet. This curved,渐变的 geometry eliminates sudden flow restrictions, maintains smooth water flow, and prevents turbulence, while still achieving the necessary diameter reduction for code compliance.
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
Enhances water flow from baths and showers by maximizing inlet size, reducing air entrainment, and maintaining gravity-driven pressure, allowing for efficient drainage and compliance with the Universal Plumbing Code, thereby reducing wait times and optimizing drain performance.
Implementation Method 1
maintaining gravity-driven pressure
Implementation Method 2
the walls having interior surfaces sloping inwardly between the inlet and outlet
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure provides a drain fitting having a discharge potion comprising a chamber formed by walls extending between and around an inlet and an outlet, the inlet being wider than the outlet or having a greater cross-sectional area than the outlet and the walls having interior surfaces sloping inwardly between the inlet and outlet.