Wall Bar Stiffening Device for Lateral Load Resistance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wall bars face significant bending loads when used with gymnastics equipment, particularly when forces are applied horizontally, leading to reduced usability and potential damage, as existing solutions either compromise on height range or require expensive and inflexible materials.
Innovation Solution
A stiffening device in the form of an additional spar is temporarily attached to the rungs, providing lateral support against bending by connecting between the vertical spars and rungs, allowing for adjustable positioning and easy stowage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the gymnastic equipment is made larger in the vertical direction to achieve greater distance between support points, then the support forces on the rungs are reduced, but the height range in which the gymnastics equipment can be arranged is disturbingly reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The stiffening device extends in the horizontal direction (normal to the rungs) rather than vertically, creating support in a different dimension. This horizontal extension allows the device to provide stabilizing moment arms without reducing the vertical height range available for equipment arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The stiffening device acts as an intermediary element between the rungs and the applied lateral loads. It mediates the force transmission by distributing lateral forces across multiple rungs through its horizontal structure, reducing the burden on individual rungs without requiring vertical extension.
2Strength
If the rungs are designed to be generally more flexible to accommodate lateral forces, then the load capacity increases, but wood alone is no longer sufficient and metal or metal-wood composite rungs would have to be used which are more expensive to produce and more difficult to process
Solution Approach 1:
The stiffening device is divided into multiple segments that can be independently attached to different rungs. This segmentation allows the use of simple wooden rungs while distributing the lateral load across multiple attachment points, avoiding the need for expensive metal components.
Solution Approach 2:
The stiffening device itself is constructed as a composite structure combining wooden rungs with horizontal stiffening elements, creating a composite system that achieves high lateral load capacity while maintaining ease of manufacture with wood.
3Strength
If additional metal devices are used to attach the horizontal bar at a considerable distance from the wall bars, then large horizontal force components can be carried, but the additional devices do not form any stiffening for the rungs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the attachment function and the stiffening function into a single integrated device. The horizontal elements that attach to the rungs also serve as stiffening members, combining both functions rather than having separate attachment devices and stiffening structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The stiffening device performs multiple functions simultaneously: it attaches the gymnastics equipment to the wall bars, carries horizontal forces, and provides stiffening to prevent rung deflection. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate specialized components.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a wall bar (1) comprising two vertical uprights (2) and several horizontally oriented rungs (3) attached thereto, connecting the two uprights (2). A stiffening device, which can be temporarily attached to one or more rungs (3), rests against a lateral surface area of a rung (3) and is supported against movement in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the rung (3), which is directed from the rung (3) to the area of the stiffening device.