Backup Tool Release Nut Mechanism for Flanged Connections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional backup tools require adjustment screws that need to be tightened or loosened manually, often necessitating a second wrench and limiting ease of use, especially in confined spaces or with flanges of varying bolt hole patterns, and may rely on magnets that can fail or cause safety hazards.
Innovation Solution
The development of backup tools with a release nut and socket configuration that allows for hands-free operation, eliminating the need for adjustment screws and magnets, enabling single-operator use with impact wrenches to tighten or loosen flanged connections without manual handling, and accommodating different flange sizes and configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional backup tools use adjustment screws to secure the tool to the nut, then the tool can be adjusted to fit different nut sizes, but the operator needs a second wrench to loosen/tighten the adjustment screw, increasing tool complexity and operation time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the adjustment screw mechanism entirely from the backup tool design. Instead of using a screw to secure the tool to the nut, the invention uses a release nut that threads onto the same bolt as the target nut, allowing the backup tool to be secured and released without any additional adjustment mechanisms or second wrenches.
Solution Approach 2:
The release nut serves multiple functions: it secures the backup tool to the target nut during tightening operations, and it can be independently operated to release the tool. The same impact wrench used to tighten the target nut can also operate the release nut, eliminating the need for separate adjustment mechanisms.
2Ease of operation
If conventional backup tools use magnets to hold the tool on the nut, then the tool can be easily attached and removed, but magnets can fail or cause safety hazards especially in high-temperature environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the magnetic holding mechanism with a purely mechanical thread engagement system. The release nut threads onto the bolt and mechanically secures the backup tool in place, eliminating reliance on magnetic forces that can fail or be ineffective in high-temperature environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the fundamental mechanism from magnetic attraction to mechanical thread engagement. This parameter change allows the tool to operate reliably in high-temperature environments where magnets would fail, while maintaining ease of attachment and removal through simple threading operations.
3Ease of operation
If conventional backup tools require manual adjustment and handling, then the operator can control the tool positioning, but it limits single-operator use in tight spaces and increases operation time
Solution Approach 1:
The backup tool is designed to be self-securing through the release nut mechanism. Once the release nut is threaded onto the bolt and tightened, the tool automatically secures itself to the target nut without requiring continuous manual adjustment or holding. This enables hands-free operation and allows a single operator to work efficiently in tight spaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The release nut is pre-positioned on the bolt before the tightening operation begins. This preliminary positioning allows the tool to be ready for immediate use, and the same impact wrench can be used to both tighten the target nut and later operate the release nut, streamlining the entire process.
4Reliability
If conventional backup tools use horizontally extending lever portions to prevent rotation, then the tool can effectively hold the nut, but the lever may miss the adjacent nut when the tool is rotated, and numerous tools with different lever lengths are needed for different flange configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The release nut mechanism provides universal adaptability to different flange configurations. By threading onto the same bolt as the target nut, the release nut automatically positions itself correctly regardless of flange size or bolt hole pattern. This eliminates the need for multiple backup tools with different lever lengths.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a horizontal lever portion that extends perpendicular to the bolt axis, the invention uses the vertical dimension by threading the release nut onto the bolt in the same direction as the target nut. This dimensional change allows the tool to adapt to any flange configuration without requiring different lever lengths.
Data Source
AI summary
Exemplary embodiments are disclosed of backup tools. In an exemplary embodiment, a backup tool generally includes a socket configured for receiving a nut of a flanged connection; a release nut; and an arm extending generally between the socket and the release nut. The arm defines a reaction surface configured to abut against at least a portion of the flanged connection for holding the nut against rotation when a bolt or another nut on a stud is being rotated relative to the nut within the socket of the backup tool, to thereby tighten the flanged connection.