Washer-Cable Bolt Safety Assembly for Fragment Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bolt connections in mechanical applications, such as wind turbines, are prone to failure under strong forces, leading to potential deformation or breakage, which can result in uncontrolled ejection of bolt fragments posing a risk to nearby individuals and equipment.
Innovation Solution
A safety device comprising washers with eyes and a cable connected to an elastic means, such as a helical spring, that secures broken bolt fragments, preventing them from being shot away by distributing the force across connected washers and bolts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a bolt connection is used to fix mechanical parts, then the parts are tightly fixed together, but the bolt may break under strong forces causing uncontrolled ejection of bolt fragments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by providing a containment structure (cage or housing) around the bolt connection before the bolt fails. This pre-installed protective structure is designed to capture and restrain bolt fragments if and when the bolt breaks, preventing uncontrolled ejection of fragments while maintaining the full strength of the bolt connection during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an intermediary containment structure (cage or housing) that mediates between the bolt connection and the surrounding environment. This intermediary structure allows the bolt to function normally for fixing parts together while simultaneously providing a barrier that prevents harmful fragment ejection if the bolt fails.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a safety device with cage or housing is added around the bolt, then bolt fragment ejection is prevented, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible shells and thin films by using a cage or housing made of relatively simple, thin-walled structural elements. This containment structure provides effective fragment prevention while maintaining simplicity in design and fabrication, avoiding excessive complexity despite adding a protective layer around the bolt connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The containment structure is segmented into discrete elements (cage bars, housing panels) that can be independently manufactured and assembled. This segmentation simplifies the overall device complexity by allowing modular construction of the protective structure around the bolt connection.
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
The safety device effectively prevents uncontrolled ejection of bolt fragments by compressing or extending the elastic means, ensuring the fragments are held securely within the bolt connection arrangement, thereby reducing the risk of injury and damage.
Implementation Method 1
The enormous force with which the bolt fragment is shot away from the bolt connection is compensated by the elastic means, which is compressed or squeezed.
Implementation Method 2
The elastic means is preferably realised as a spring element, preferably as a helical spring.
Data Source
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AI summary
Safety device for bolt connections Safety device for bolt connections, comprising two or more washers (1) with a bore (3) for receiving a bolt (10), with each washer (1) comprising an eye (4), at least one cable (15) to be passed through the eyes (4) and at least one elastic means (17) secured or to be secured to at least one end (16) of the cable (15).