Banjo Sustainer Neck Support System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional support hardware for banjos, such as mortise and tenon joints, weakens the rim by requiring large holes and fails to balance string tension effectively, leading to warping and costly repairs.
Innovation Solution
A dowel stick with opposing notches and threaded inserts, combined with a neck brace and bolts, provides vertical and lateral support to the banjo neck, eliminating the need for traditional joints and distributing tension more evenly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If mortise and tenon joints are used to attach the neck to the rim, then the neck can be securely attached, but the rim is weakened by large holes and becomes prone to warping
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is divided into multiple components: a dowel stick with notches, a neck brace with protrusions, and threaded inserts. This segmentation allows the load to be distributed across multiple attachment points rather than relying on large holes, thereby maintaining rim strength while providing stable neck support.
Solution Approach 2:
The dowel stick acts as an intermediary element between the neck brace and the rim. Instead of directly attaching the neck brace to the rim through large holes, the dowel stick with threaded inserts provides a distributed attachment mechanism that reduces stress concentration and prevents rim warping.
2Ease of operation
If traditional mortise and tenon joints are used, then neck attachment is achieved, but string tension is not balanced effectively leading to warping and costly repairs
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure incorporates adjustable elements that allow for dynamic adjustment of neck alignment and tension distribution. The threaded inserts and protrusions-notches interface enable fine-tuning of the neck position, allowing players to compensate for string tension variations and prevent warping, thereby reducing repair needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The design allows for changes in attachment parameters such as the position and angle of the neck brace relative to the rim. By adjusting these parameters, the system can optimize tension distribution across the rim to prevent warping and reduce the frequency of costly repairs.
3Stability of the object's composition
If dowel stick with notches and threaded inserts is used, then vertical and lateral support is provided to the neck, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple support functions are merged into a single integrated assembly. The dowel stick with notches, neck brace with protrusions, and threaded inserts work together as a unified support system that provides both vertical and lateral neck support. This merging reduces the need for separate components and simplifies installation compared to traditional mortise and tenon joints.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure relates generally to a kit or system for providing support to a rim of a banjo and can include: a dowel stick with two opposing notches disposed at a distal end; a threaded insert to be received by the distal end of the dowel stick; a neck brace having a body and two opposing protrusions extending from the body, the two opposing protrusions for interfacing with the two opposing notches of the dowel stick, the neck brace to be positioned between the dowel stick and an interior surface of the rim; and a bolt for securing the dowel stick and neck brace to the interior surface of the rim, the bolt extending through the rim of the banjo and the neck brace to be received by the threaded insert, the dowel stick providing support to a neck of the banjo in a vertical direction and a lateral direction.