Utility Pole Segment Coupling with Guide Pin Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Slip fit connections for utility poles are variable in length due to design and fabrication tolerances, making them unsuitable for applications where overall height is critical, and they tend to settle over time, making disassembly difficult and unreliable.
Innovation Solution
A coupling system for utility pole segments that includes flanges with guide pins and elongate extraction members, allowing for precise alignment and secure engagement via fasteners, while enabling easy disassembly through the use of extraction bolts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a slip fit connection is used for utility pole segments, then the assembly is simple and easy to manufacture, but the connection length becomes variable due to design and fabrication tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
A telescoping mechanism with nested pole segments acts as an intermediary between the simple slip fit connection and the requirement for precise connection length. The telescoping sections with controlled overlap provide a fixed, precise connection length while maintaining ease of assembly through the nested configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection length parameter is changed from variable (in simple slip fit) to fixed and precise through the telescoping mechanism design. The controlled overlap between nested segments establishes a deterministic connection length that eliminates variability from fabrication tolerances.
2Device complexity
If a slip fit connection is used for utility pole segments, then the device complexity is reduced, but the connection settles over time making disassembly difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The connection structure is segmented into telescoping sections with controlled overlap, replacing the single monolithic slip fit connection. This segmentation allows each section to maintain position independently, preventing the settling and binding issues that occur in single-piece slip fit connections while keeping overall device complexity manageable.
3Device complexity
If a slip fit connection is used for utility pole segments, then the overall structure is simpler, but the connection cannot maintain a fixed length for critical height applications
Solution Approach 1:
The pole segments are configured in a nested arrangement where telescoping sections fit within one another with controlled overlap. This nesting provides a fixed, precise connection length that determines the overall pole height, enabling critical height applications while maintaining relative structural simplicity through the nested configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a utility pole assembly including a utility pole. The utility pole includes a plurality of pole segments. A first said pole segment includes a flange and an end portion extending outwards from the flange. A second said pole segment is shaped to fit about the end portion. The second said pole segment having a distal end and including a flange adjacent to said distal end of the second said pole segment. The assembly includes at least one longitudinally-extending guide pin connectable with a first one of the flanges. The guide pin is at least partially extendable through a second one of the flanges.