Underwater Securing Clip for Fast Coral Fragment Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Coral habitats are rapidly disappearing due to pollutants, climate changes, and increasing water temperature, making regeneration or regrowth of coral habitats slow, difficult, and expensive.
Innovation Solution
A securing clip system with an enclosure body, fragment securing tangs, and substrate securing tangs is used to quickly and cost-effectively attach flora or fauna fragments to underwater substrates, allowing coral to grow and expand beyond the clip, eventually forming a coral habitat.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional methods are used to regenerate coral habitats, then coral fragments can be attached to substrates, but the process is slow, difficult, and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment system is segmented into distinct functional components: an enclosure body for housing the coral fragment, fragment securing tangs for attaching the fragment, and substrate securing tangs for anchoring to the substrate. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while simplifying the overall attachment process
Solution Approach 2:
The enclosure body acts as an intermediary component between the coral fragment and the substrate. It provides a protective housing that facilitates attachment while allowing the coral to grow and eventually form a habitat, bridging the gap between initial fragmentation and mature reef formation
2Ease of operation
If simple attachment methods are used, then the system is easy to operate, but the coral fragments may not be securely fastened to substrates
Solution Approach 1:
The securing tangs are designed with flexible properties, allowing them to bend and deform during installation to engage with the substrate and fragment. This dynamic behavior enables secure attachment while maintaining ease of operation, as the tangs can adapt to variations in substrate geometry without requiring precise alignment
Solution Approach 2:
The enclosure body and securing tangs are constructed from flexible materials that can deform during installation and then maintain their engaged position. This flexibility allows the system to be easily installed while providing reliable, secure attachment of coral fragments to substrates
Data Source
AI summary
A securing clip includes: an enclosure body including a first end, a second end, and one or more sidewalls that extend between the first end and the second end; one or more fragment module securing tangs extending, from one or more of the sidewalls, into the cavity such that when at least a portion of the fragment module is placed within the cavity, at least a portion of the fragment module securing tang is designed to engage with the fragment module and prevents and/or impedes removal of at least a portion of the fragment module from the cavity; and one or more substrate securing tangs extending from the enclosure body and away from the cavity, each substrate securing tang designed to prevent and/or impede removal of the securing clip when the securing clip is placed into a substrate aperture defined within the substrate