Threaded Concrete Anchor Assembly for Damage-Free Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing anchor assemblies for attaching fixtures to concrete structures are difficult to remove without causing damage to the fixture or the concrete, making them time-consuming and costly to uninstall.
Innovation Solution
An anchor assembly comprising a threaded drive pin and a threaded anchor with independently movable gripping arms and external helical thread formations, allowing for easy installation and removal by rotational unscrewing, reducing the need for pry bars and minimizing damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional anchor assembly with gripping arms is driven into concrete using a hammer, then the anchor securely attaches the fixture to the concrete structure, but the anchor becomes difficult to remove without causing damage to the fixture or concrete
Solution Approach 1:
The anchor assembly is divided into two separate components: a threaded anchor that remains in the concrete and a threaded drive pin that is inserted through the fixture. This segmentation allows the drive pin to be independently removed by unscrewing it, while the anchor remains securely embedded in the concrete, thus solving the contradiction between secure attachment and ease of removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The removable functional element (the drive pin) is extracted from the permanent installation (the anchor in concrete). The drive pin can be completely unscrewed and removed from the fixture, allowing the fixture to be detached without damaging the concrete or the anchor, thereby enabling easy removal while maintaining secure attachment during use.
2Ease of operation
If a pry bar is used to remove a traditional anchor assembly, then the fixture can be detached from the concrete structure, but damage occurs to the fixture, concrete structure, and the anchor assembly becomes unusable
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical system of forceful prying is replaced with a threaded fastening system. Instead of using a pry bar to lever the fixture loose (which causes damage), the threaded drive pin provides a controlled, reversible mechanical connection that can be undone by simply unscrewing, eliminating the harmful effects of prying while achieving the same goal of fixture detachment.
3Reliability
If aligned holes are drilled in the fixture and concrete structure to install known anchor assemblies, then the anchor assembly can be properly installed, but the process becomes time-consuming when removal and reinstallation is needed
Solution Approach 1:
The connection system transitions from a static, permanent installation to a dynamic, reversible connection. The threaded drive pin allows the fixture to be quickly detached and reattached to the same anchor in the concrete, maintaining proper installation alignment without requiring time-consuming re-drilling and re-installation procedures.
4Ease of operation
If a threaded drive pin with helical thread formation is used, then the drive pin can be easily rotated and removed from the anchor, but the drive pin requires a mechanical engaging structure for tool engagement
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical engaging structure on the drive pin head serves multiple functions: it provides a interface for tool engagement during both installation and removal operations, and it maintains structural integrity of the drive pin. This universal feature enables both easy rotational removal and proper mechanical engagement without requiring separate mechanisms for each function.
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
Facilitates quick and cost-effective removal of the anchor assembly from concrete structures without damaging the fixture or substrate, enabling reusability and reducing installation time.
Implementation Method 1
a threaded drive pin including: (a) a shank, (b) a head integrally connected to the shank, the head defining a mechanical engaging structure that is engageable by a tool to rotate the threaded drive pin, and (c) a helical thread formation integrally connected to and extending outwardly from the shank; and a threaded anchor including: (i) an elongated tubular body including an inner surface defining a longitudinally extending inner channel
Implementation Method 2
The body 21 includes a plurality of independently movable or pivotable gripping arms 23a and 23b at a second end of the body 21 opposite the head 25. The gripping arms 23a and 23b have interior ramps (not shown) that are engagable by the drive pin 30 to cause the gripping arms 23a and 23b to move or pivot outwardly.
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
An anchor assembly including a threaded anchor and a threaded drive pin positionable in the threaded anchor, a method of using or installing the anchor assembly to attach a fixture to a substrate, and a method of removing or un-installing the anchor assembly from the fixture and the substrate to detach the fixture from the substrate.