Two-Piece Plastic Equipment Pad With Interlocking Grids
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional plastic equipment pads for supporting large equipment, such as HVAC compressors and electrical transformers, suffer from lack of flotation and rigidity due to exposed vertical ribs and absence of a horizontal base, leading to sinking into the ground and inadequate structural support.
Innovation Solution
A two-piece plastic equipment pad design featuring a top and bottom portion with mirror-image grid structures connected by connector strips or plastic strips for enhanced rigidity and flotation, including corner support posts and anchor holes for secure anchoring, preventing sinking and providing improved structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If a plastic equipment pad with exposed vertical ribs is used, then weight is reduced and cost is saved, but the pad sinks into the ground due to lack of flotation
Solution Approach 1:
The equipment pad is divided into two separate portions: a top portion with a top base and grid structure, and a bottom portion with a bottom base and grid structure. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized independently - the top portion supports equipment while the bottom portion provides flotation through its continuous base that engages the ground.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a single-layer structure to a two-layer stacked structure. By adding the bottom portion with its continuous base extending in the horizontal dimension, the pad gains enhanced flotation capability while maintaining the weight advantages of plastic construction.
2Ease of manufacture
If a plastic equipment pad with exposed vertical ribs is used, then manufacturing is simplified, but the pad lacks rigidity without a horizontal base
Solution Approach 1:
The top portion and bottom portion are connected through interlocking grid structures where ribs from both portions meet and join. This merging of the two portions creates a unified structure with enhanced rigidity, as the interconnected grids form a three-dimensional framework that resists deformation more effectively than a single-layer structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The equipment pad combines two identical but oriented portions (top and bottom) to create a composite structure. Each portion contributes its grid structure to the overall assembly, creating a composite system with superior mechanical properties including increased rigidity and strength compared to either portion alone.
3Ease of operation
If connector strips are used to join top and bottom portions, then assembly is simplified without tools, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The connector strips are designed to be self-installing through frictional engagement with the grid structures. The strips include features that allow them to be inserted and secured without external tools or instrumentalities, enabling the assembly process to be performed by the users themselves without requiring specialized equipment or complex procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
A two-piece plastic equipment pad with a top portion and an identical bottom portion. Each portion has a base with an underlying grid structure comprising cells formed by perpendicular ribs. The top portion and the bottom portion are aligned and connected together by connector strips that slots formed in the perpendicular ribs of the grid structure of the top portion and the bottom portion.