Serving Trolley Corner Joint With Pretensioned Bolt Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing corner connections for serving trolleys, particularly those made of stainless steel, face challenges in achieving stability without weld seams and require dismantling, while also needing to withstand heavy use in communal catering environments.
Innovation Solution
A corner connection system utilizing a corner support attached to a panel-shaped element with a fastening bolt extending along the bisector line, where the corner support rests on the underside of the base plate and the skirts, and is secured by screws, allowing for stable assembly and disassembly without welds, and featuring an impact protection corner for added stability and hygiene.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If welding is used to connect sheet metal trays to supports, then connection stability is improved, but the connection cannot be dismantled and production space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The connection system is divided into separate components: a corner support element, fastening bolts, and sheet metal trays with skirts. This segmentation allows the connection to be assembled and disassembled while maintaining stability during use, resolving the contradiction between stable connection and dismantlability.
Solution Approach 2:
The corner support elements are pre-formed with specific geometries including recesses and protrusions that enable stable connections. The skirts of the sheet metal trays are pre-shaped to engage with these corner supports, allowing for stable yet dismantlable connections without requiring welding.
2Ease of operation
If corner supports are used to enable dismantling, then ease of assembly is improved, but connection stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The corner support element combines multiple functions: it provides structural reinforcement at the corner, serves as a mounting point for fastening bolts, and interfaces with the skirts of the sheet metal trays. This merging of functions into a single component achieves both ease of assembly and connection stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The corner support acts as an intermediary element between the supports and the sheet metal trays. It mediates the connection by providing engagement surfaces for both the fastening bolts and the skirt elements, ensuring stable connections while maintaining ease of assembly and disassembly.
3Stability of the object's composition
If fastening bolts extend through the support, then connection stability is improved, but visual appearance and hygiene are worsened due to visible fastening elements
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening bolts are nested within the corner support element and the sheet metal tray structure. The bolts extend through the support but are concealed within the corner geometry and skirt assemblies, maintaining connection stability while hiding fastening elements for improved visual appearance and hygiene.
Solution Approach 2:
The corner support element has different properties in different regions: the exterior surfaces are smooth and continuous for hygiene and appearance, while internal regions contain the fastening mechanisms. This local differentiation allows the connection to be stable with hidden fasteners, resolving the contradiction between stability and hygiene/appearance.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a corner connection, between a beam 14 and a corner of a panel-shaped element 16, characterized by a corner beam 32, which is attached to the corner of the panel-shaped element 16, and a fastening bolt 62 for connecting the corner beam 32 and the tubular beam 14 under Preload, wherein the fastening bolt 62 extends substantially in the direction of the bisector of the corner of the plate-shaped element 16.