Void Platform Panel Asymmetric Engaging Formations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing void platforms in construction settings face issues with panel tipping, damage during transport and installation, and excessive weight, leading to safety concerns and increased maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
The development of panels with engaging formations that support the deck component from directly beneath the straight sides, reducing the likelihood of tipping, and made from robust materials to withstand impact, with a design that minimizes weight and enhances structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If panels are made from robust materials to withstand impact during transport and installation, then strength and durability are improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The panel employs a composite construction combining a rigid outer shell made from impact-resistant material (such as reinforced plastic or metal) with a lightweight internal core structure (such as honeycomb or foam). This composite approach provides high strength and impact resistance while minimizing overall weight, resolving the contradiction between durability and portability.
2Stability of the object's composition
If engaging formations are positioned to support the deck component from directly beneath the straight sides, then stability against tipping is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding complex external support structures to prevent tipping, the invention inverts the approach by designing the engaging formations themselves to provide support from directly beneath the deck component. The engaging formations are integrated into the panel structure and positioned to contact the support members vertically, creating inherent stability without requiring additional complexity.
3Reliability
If panels are designed with engaging formations that support from directly beneath the deck component, then reliability is improved by preventing tipping, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The engaging formations are designed with asymmetric geometry where the support surface is positioned offset from the centerline of the panel, specifically located to engage directly beneath the straight sides of the deck component. This asymmetric design provides inherent stability against tipping while using simple geometric forms that are easy to manufacture with standard tolerances, avoiding the need for high-precision manufacturing.
Data Source
AI summary
A panel is disclosed which is suitable for installation to form a platform or part of a platform in a void of a building structure. The panel is operable to extend between a first support member and a second support member both of which extend across at least a portion of the void. The panel has: a deck component with: a first end and a second end opposite the first end; a pair of opposed, substantially straight sides each extending from the first end to the second end; and a substantially planar surface portion which extends: between the opposed sides at the first end, and from the first end at least part of the way, but not necessarily all the way, to the second end; and one or more first engaging formations at the first end of the deck component and operable to engage with the first support member to support the deck component relative to the first support member, and one or more second engaging formations at the second end of the deck component and operable to engage with the second support member to support the deck component relative to the second support member. At least one out of the first and second engaging formation(s) is/are configured to support the relevant end of the deck component relative to the relevant support member from approximately directly vertically beneath, and/or from approximately within vertical planes containing, each of the straight sides of the deck component.