Vacuum Box Sloped False Bottom for Stable Debris Discharge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vacuum boxes pose stability hazards when full due to their weight, as they require tilting or inverting to empty, which can lead to rollovers during the discharge of debris.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum box design featuring a sloped false bottom wall and a hingedly mounted door allows for debris to slide out without tilting, with a drainage system to separate water from solids, reducing the weight and eliminating the need for inversion or tilting during emptying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the vacuum box is tilted or inverted to empty the debris, then the debris can be discharged from the vacuum box, but the stability of the vacuum box deteriorates and rollover hazard increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of tilting the entire vacuum box to discharge debris, the patent inverts the discharge mechanism by using a sloped floor that directs debris toward a rear discharge opening. The sloped floor creates a gravity-driven flow path that allows debris to exit horizontally from the rear of the box without requiring the box itself to be tilted or inverted, thereby maintaining stability during the discharge operation.
2Ease of operation
If the vacuum box is tilted to empty the debris, then the debris can be discharged from the vacuum box, but the weight of the full vacuum box makes emptying difficult and hazardous
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge approach is inverted from vertical tilting to horizontal rear discharge. The sloped floor directs debris toward a rear opening, allowing the box to be emptied by opening a door at the rear while the box remains in its normal horizontal position. This eliminates the need to lift and tilt the heavy full box, making the emptying operation safer and easier.
3Productivity
If a sloped floor is used to facilitate debris discharge, then debris can slide out easily, but the collection volume of the vacuum box is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the volume loss from a sloped floor by adding vertical dimension through a false bottom wall. The false bottom creates a void space beneath the sloped floor surface, allowing the sloped configuration to maintain its debris-flow functionality while the vertical space below it preserves additional collection volume. This dimensional addition compensates for the volume that would otherwise be lost to the slope geometry.
4Ease of operation
If the debris inlet is located in the sloped bottom wall, then debris can enter the vacuum box, but debris may fall back into the inlet and the tank cannot be filled effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by positioning the debris inlet on the vertical rear wall rather than on the sloped bottom surface. This asymmetric placement ensures that debris entering through the inlet is carried by the water flow in the direction of discharge, preventing it from falling back into the inlet. The asymmetric geometry of the sloped floor combined with the vertically positioned inlet creates a unidirectional flow pattern that maximizes collection capacity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design enhances safety by allowing easy and stable emptying of the vacuum box without tilting or inverting, reducing the risk of rollovers and maximizing collection volume while maintaining a vacuum for efficient debris removal.
Implementation Method 1
The angle of the sloped false bottom wall is greater than an angle of repose so that debris that collects atop it will slide downwardly and out the door
Implementation Method 2
A vacuum is created in the novel vacuum box by a conventional vacuum pump or other suitable means so that debris removed by the tractor is drawn from the water-blasted surface into the hollow interior of the vacuum box
Implementation Method 3
The debris settles to the bottom of the vacuum box and is stored for later discharge. To discharge the debris, the water is decanted
Data Source
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AI summary
A vacuum box in fluid communication with a tractor that removes coatings from surfaces. The vacuum box includes a vacuum inlet in fluid communication with a source of negative pressure and a debris inlet in fluid communication with the tractor so that debris is drawn into and collected within a hollow interior of the vacuum box. A water outlet provides a drain for water that collects within the vacuum box. A sloped false bottom wall is disposed within the hollow interior so that debris collects atop it. The vacuum box is emptied by draining water from it, followed by opening a door formed in the vacuum box at the lower end of the sloped false bottom wall so that the collected debris slides down the false bottom wall and out the door into a debris receptacle.