Tree Branch Training Device for Wide Crotch Angles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for training scaffold branches to form wide crotch angles are inadequate as they fail to provide a sturdy structure and are easily dislodged by weather or animal interference, leading to weaker branch attachments and increased risk of branch failure and disease entry.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising a trunk connecting element and branch guiding elements with specific angled guiding portions that removably attach to the tree, forcing scaffold branches to grow at desired angles between 60 to 90 degrees, ensuring strong crotch angle formation and preventing upward bending.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional spring-type wooden clothespins are used to brace scaffold branches, then the device is simple and easy to apply, but the structure is not sturdy and is easily dislodged by weather or animal interference
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into two distinct segments: a trunk-mounted bracket that remains fixed on the tree trunk, and a removable branch clamp that attaches to the scaffold branch. This segmentation allows the complex function of providing sturdy support while maintaining ease of application - the bracket is permanently installed once, and only the lighter clamp needs to be applied to each branch individually.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a single-element linear brace (clothespin) to a two-component system operating in different spatial dimensions. The bracket is mounted on the trunk in one dimension, while the clamp operates on the branch in another dimension, creating a more stable three-dimensional support structure that resists dislodging forces from weather and animals.
2Ease of operation
If scaffold branches are allowed to grow naturally, then no training intervention is needed, but the crotch angle remains narrow resulting in weak branch attachment
Solution Approach 1:
The device performs preliminary action by physically guiding the scaffold branch during its early growth phase to establish the desired wide crotch angle before the branch becomes too heavy or rigid. The bracket and clamp system maintains the branch in the correct position as it grows, ensuring strong attachment formation occurs naturally during development rather than requiring corrective action later.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket-clamp device acts as an intermediary between the tree trunk and the scaffold branch, mediating their spatial relationship to achieve the optimal wide crotch angle. This intermediary structure provides the mechanical guidance needed to create strong branch attachment without requiring direct manual intervention throughout the growth process.
3Strength
If scaffold branches have narrow crotch angle, then they may be strongly attached in early years, but they are more inclined to split at the crotch as they grow heavier and wider spread
Solution Approach 1:
The device performs preliminary action by establishing the wide crotch angle configuration before the branch accumulates significant weight and lateral spread. By guiding the branch into the correct angular position during early growth, the system prevents the development of narrow crotch angles that would later be prone to splitting under heavy crop loads or environmental stresses.
Solution Approach 2:
The device applies preliminary anti-action by counteracting the natural tendency of scaffold branches to grow at narrow angles. The mechanical guidance of the bracket-clamp system actively prevents the formation of weak narrow crotch angles, creating preliminary resistance to the harmful growth pattern that would otherwise lead to future branch failure.
4Device complexity
If scaffold branches have tight crotch angle of attachment, then they require less structural support, but pathogens can more easily enter the cambium through the sharp-angled crotch
Solution Approach 1:
The device performs preliminary action by establishing the wide crotch angle configuration before pathogens can exploit narrow angles for entry. By maintaining the branch in the correct angular position during early growth, the system creates a physical barrier geometry that is less susceptible to pathogen invasion, addressing the disease prevention issue before it becomes a problem.
Data Source
AI summary
Devices are provided for guiding the growth of scaffold branches, and in particular, devices for training scaffold branches to form wide crotch angles with main trunk of a tree.