Tower Transport Rail with Cable Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing apparatuses for transporting devices along tall structures like flare stacks face issues with cable breakage due to weathering agents and high manufacturing costs, particularly with iron or steel rails that are prone to damage and require lengthy cable unwinding.
Innovation Solution
A rail system with hollow, elongated shaped profiles made of aluminum or steel, featuring a guide seat for power cables and a pulley system with a coupling device to protect cables and ropes, allowing for efficient and cost-effective transportation of devices without operator presence on the tower.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If iron or steel rails are used for the transport apparatus, then the structural strength is sufficient to support the device, but the manufacturing cost increases and the rails are more prone to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from iron/steel to aluminum, which has different mechanical properties (lower density, lower cost) but can still satisfy the strength requirements when properly designed and dimensioned for the specific application
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs aluminum rails that are cheaper and can be replaced more easily if damaged, accepting that they may have shorter service life or lower durability compared to steel, but providing cost-effective solution for the transport apparatus
2Length of moving object
If the cable is unwound along the entire smokestack height, then the device can be transported to the top, but the cable is subjected to weathering agents and wind gusts causing breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent stores the cable in a coiled or nested configuration within the trolley structure when not in use, protecting it from environmental exposure. The cable is only unwound to the necessary extent during operation, minimizing its exposure time to weathering agents and wind gusts
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a dynamic cable management system where the cable length is adjusted based on the trolley's position. The cable is wound or stored in a controlled manner that reduces exposure to environmental factors while maintaining the necessary length for operation at any given position
3Ease of operation
If the trolley is brought onto the top of the smokestack, then the device can be installed or maintained, but the entire weight of the trolley and device is supported by the pulley rope causing considerable stress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a coupling device that segments the support function from the pulley rope. The coupling device engages with the rail structure at the top position to bear the weight, while the pulley rope only needs to provide the lifting force during movement, significantly reducing the continuous stress on the rope
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs the rail structure itself as an intermediary support element. The coupling device transfers the load from the rope to the rail at the top position, using the rail's structural capacity to support the weight rather than relying solely on the rope's tensile strength
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 effectively protects power cables and drive ropes from weathering agents, reduces the risk of breakage, and lowers manufacturing costs by using aluminum profiles, ensuring reliable and efficient device transportation.
Implementation Method 1
The apparatus comprises a pulley for moving the trolley, a coupling device arranged at the upper end of the rail and actuatable to be engaged with the trolley when brought into the raised position
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus for transporting a device along a tower, which comprises a rail susceptible of being fixed to a tower and extended according to a substantially rectilinear guide direction, and a trolley slidably constrained to the rail and adapted to support a device to be transported provided with at least one power cable. The rail comprises at least one hollow shaped profile with elongated form, which is longitudinally extended according to the guide direction between a lower edge thereof and an upper edge thereof, and is provided with an internal surface which defines a guide seat in which the trolley is slidably housed and in which the power cable of the device is susceptible to pass.