Lightweight Trench Box with Composite Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing trench boxes are heavy, large, and difficult to handle, making them unsuitable for shallow trenches, leading to safety risks due to inadequate shoring and the need for mechanical equipment for assembly and removal, which is often not available.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight trench box design featuring a frame part with a centre part and a smooth plastic plate cover, allowing easy removal and handling with a mini digger, and adjustable distance struts for secure assembly and disassembly without requiring heavy machinery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional steel trench boxes are used, then structural strength and protection against cave-ins are improved, but weight and handling difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite construction combining steel frame elements with wooden boarding, creating a structure that leverages the high strength-to-weight ratio of both materials. The steel frame provides structural rigidity and strength while the wooden boarding adds protective surface area, achieving adequate cave-in protection with reduced overall weight compared to solid steel trench boxes.
Solution Approach 2:
The trench box is divided into modular components: a reusable steel frame structure and separate wooden boarding panels. This segmentation allows the heavy steel frame to be used only when needed for structural support, while the wooden boarding can be added or removed as required, reducing the weight that must be handled during assembly and disassembly.
2Reliability
If large trench boxes are used for deep trenches, then protection against cave-ins is improved, but ease of operation and manual handling deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The trench box design incorporates adjustable and removable components, particularly the wooden boarding that can be quickly added or removed from the steel frame. This dynamic configuration allows the structure to be adapted to different trench depths and conditions, maintaining adequate protection while enabling manual assembly and disassembly without heavy machinery.
Solution Approach 2:
By separating the trench box into a permanent steel frame and removable wooden boarding, the design allows workers to manually assemble only the necessary components for shallow trenches, improving ease of operation while maintaining adequate protection reliability for the intended application depth.
3Ease of operation
If primitive wooden shoring is used, then ease of handling is improved, but structural strength and protection capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines wood and steel in a composite structure where the steel frame provides the necessary structural strength and rigidity for cave-in protection, while the wooden boarding provides the protective surface. This composite approach achieves both adequate protection capability and ease of handling, as the modular design can be manually assembled and disassembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The steel frame structure serves multiple functions: providing structural strength, serving as a reusable base, and enabling quick attachment/detachment of wooden boarding. This multi-functionality allows the same frame to be used repeatedly with different boarding configurations, maintaining protection capability while improving handling ease through standardization.
4Reliability
If rented trench boxes are used, then adequate protection is ensured, but time loss and productivity deteriorate due to rental logistics
Solution Approach 1:
The modular design allows contractors to own and maintain their own trench box frames and boarding, eliminating the need for external rental services. Workers can independently assemble and disassemble the structure on-site, removing the logistical delays associated with renting and delivering heavy steel trench boxes while maintaining adequate protection through the engineered frame-and-boarding design.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to both a trench box, the use of a trench box and the method for using said trench box. When assembled, said trench box comprises at least two oppositely placed side walls, each side wall having a thickness, a length and a height, an outer wall area and an inner wall area, said trench box further comprising a number of distance struts. Said distance struts are arranged to be secured between said oppositely placed side walls. A trench box according to the invention is new in that a side wall comprises at least a frame part with a first thickness, a length and a height being substantially the same as the length and height of the side wall, said side wall further comprising a centre part placed inside the frame part, said centre part having a second thickness and comprising one or more strengthening elements, and said side wall further comprising a cover on the outer area of the side wall. Said cover comprises at least one plate, wherein the at least one plate is substantially plane and without corrugations.