Bifurcated Plate Nut Assembly for Stable Hollow-Member Alignment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional plate nut assemblies face difficulties in achieving stable attachment to hollow members, leading to instability of the nut position and errors in component fixation due to misalignment, as the transverse width of the tab often coincides with or differs significantly from the nut's diameter, causing the tab to move within the nut insertion hole and preventing a bolt from being smoothly screwed into the threaded hole.
Innovation Solution
A plate nut assembly with a bifurcated tab design, where the transverse width of the bifurcated portion is larger than the nut, allowing for better contact with the nut insertion hole's inner periphery, and the protruding amount of the bifurcated portion's side edges ensures stable positioning, enabling the nut to be firmly attached and allowing for accurate component fixation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the transverse width of the tab coincides with or differs significantly from the nut's diameter, then the tab can be inserted through the nut insertion hole, but the tab moves within the nut insertion hole causing instability of the nut position
Solution Approach 1:
The tab is designed with non-uniform transverse width along its length. Specifically, the transverse width at the insertion end (where it contacts the inner periphery of the nut insertion hole) is larger than at other portions, creating a localized expansion that improves contact and stability without compromising insertability. This local quality change allows the tab to be firmly held by the nut insertion hole while maintaining ease of insertion.
2Ease of manufacture
If the nut is not firmly attached to the inner surface of the hollow member, then the attachment process is simple, but it is difficult to screw the bolt into the threaded hole of the nut
Solution Approach 1:
The tab is designed to automatically achieve firm attachment when inserted into the nut insertion hole. The enlarged transverse width at the insertion end creates preliminary contact and friction with the inner periphery of the nut insertion hole, which preliminarily secures the nut position before the bolt is even inserted. This preliminary action ensures that the nut is already firmly held in place, making subsequent bolt insertion smooth and easy without requiring complex attachment procedures.
3Ease of operation
If the tab is pulled downwardly to attach the plate nut assembly, then the nut can be positioned inside the hollow member, but the tab moves in the circumferential direction and width direction destabilizing the nut position
Solution Approach 1:
The tab features a localized enlargement of transverse width at the insertion end portion that contacts the inner periphery of the nut insertion hole. This local quality change creates a friction fit or interference fit effect when the tab is pulled downward during attachment. The enlarged section resists movement in both the circumferential direction and width direction, preventing the tab from shifting or rotating within the hole while still allowing the nut to be positioned inside the hollow member.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the transverse width of the bifurcated portion is larger than the nut, then better contact with the nut insertion hole is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the entire tab structure complex or uniformly wide, the invention applies a local quality change by enlarging the transverse width only at the specific insertion end portion that contacts the inner periphery of the nut insertion hole. The rest of the tab maintains a simpler, narrower profile. This localized approach achieves improved contact quality and stability without significantly increasing overall device complexity, as the enlargement is confined to a specific region rather than affecting the entire tab structure.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a plate nut assembly including a nut having a threaded hole; and a tab including a bifurcated portion and a fixed portion. A nut insertion hole is formed in a hollow member such that the diameter of the nut insertion hole is larger than the transverse width of the nut. By bending the tab, the nut can be located inside of the inner surface of the hollow member with the threaded hole opposed to the nut insertion hole. The transverse width of the bifurcated portion of the tab is larger than the transverse width of nut. When the nut is inserted through the nut insertion hole until the nut is located inside of the inner surface of the hollow member, the outer side edges of the bifurcated portion in its transverse width direction come into contact with the nut insertion hole.