Two-Piece Blind Hole Sealing Plug for One-Sided Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sealing plugs for blind holes require complex threading processes and often suffer from corrosion, dimensional changes, and equipment wear due to material incompatibilities.
Innovation Solution
A two-piece sealing plug design featuring an all-aluminum stem and sleeve, with specific geometric proportions and materials, allowing for one-sided installation and enhanced mechanical sealing through tapered portions and a chamfered surface, reducing the need for threading and minimizing corrosion and wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional sealing plugs are used with threading processes, then secure sealing is achieved, but installation time and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing plug is divided into two separate pieces: a stem and a sleeve. The stem is inserted first, then the sleeve is separately installed and expanded using a rivet placing tool. This segmentation allows for rapid installation without threading while maintaining reliable sealing through the expansion mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The traditional threading mechanical system is replaced with an expansion-based sealing mechanism. Instead of cutting threads into the blind hole, the sleeve is expanded radially to create the seal, eliminating the time-consuming threading process while maintaining sealing reliability.
2Reliability
If traditional sealing plugs are used with threading processes, then secure sealing is achieved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the sealing function into two distinct components (stem and sleeve), the complexity of creating threads is eliminated. The stem provides structural support while the sleeve provides the sealing function through expansion, simplifying the overall manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The complex threading operation is replaced with a simpler expansion operation. The rivet placing tool expands the sleeve radially to create the seal, eliminating the need for taps, thread cutting, and related complex machining operations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If dissimilar materials are used in sealing plugs, then functional requirements are met, but corrosion and equipment wear increase
Solution Approach 1:
Both the stem and sleeve are made from aluminum or aluminum alloys, creating a homogeneous material system. This eliminates galvanic corrosion that would occur with dissimilar metals and reduces wear through compatible material properties, while still meeting functional requirements through proper material selection and design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Facilitates rapid installation without threading, reduces corrosion and equipment wear, and maintains consistent sealing performance across thermal cycles, enhancing stability and ease of manufacturing.
Implementation Method 1
Pulling of the stem, for example, using a rivet placing tool may expand the sleeve to securely seal blind holes
Data Source
AI summary
A sealing plug for blind hole, one-sided installation includes a stem head having a first end and an opposing second end, where the stem head includes a lip member disposed at the first end and having a first diameter, a skirt member disposed at the second end and have a second diameter that is less than the first diameter, and a first tapered portion disposed between the lip member and the skirt member and having a third diameter, a fourth diameter, and a first sloped portion therebetween. The stem head may also include a second tapered portion between the first tapered portion and the skirt member. The second tapered portion may have a fifth diameter, a sixth diameter, and a second sloped portion therebetween. The stem head may also include a waist member between the second tapered portion and the skirt member, the waist member having a seventh diameter.