Break-Off Tip Fastener for Safer Multi-Material Joining
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fixing components for multi-material assemblies, such as fluo-drilling screws or nails, pose safety risks due to protruding points, increase bulk and mass, and are inefficient in assembly processes, particularly in lightweight structures like vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A fixing component with a body and a detachable tip featuring a breakable zone, allowing for effective piercing and anchoring of multi-material parts while ensuring safety and compactness, where the tip is designed with a non-revolving shape and materials with varying hardness and thermal properties for efficient assembly and weight reduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional fastener with a protruding point is used to join sheet metal, then the assembly is secure and durable, but the protruding point creates safety risks, increases bulk, and adds unnecessary mass
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening component is divided into two separate parts: a reusable body and a disposable tip. The tip contains the piercing function and is discarded after use, while the body remains for potential reuse. This segmentation eliminates the protruding point from the final assembly, resolving the safety risk while maintaining the piercing function during assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful protruding point is extracted from the final assembly by designing it as a separate, detachable tip that is removed after piercing. The tip is taken out from the body through a breakable connection, leaving only the safe body in the final assembly, thus eliminating the safety hazard while preserving the fastening function.
2Productivity
If a conventional fastener with a protruding point is used, then the piercing function is effective, but the final assembly becomes bulkier and heavier
Solution Approach 1:
The tip is designed as a disposable, low-cost component that performs the piercing function and is then discarded. By making the tip a single-use element rather than a permanent part of the assembly, the overall mass of the final assembly is reduced while the piercing efficiency is maintained during the assembly process.
3Productivity
If the tip has a non-revolving shape for material mixing and heating, then penetration efficiency is improved, but the tip cannot be simply rotated during assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening component is segmented into a body that can be rotated for assembly and a tip with a non-revolving shape optimized for material mixing and heating. The tip's asymmetric geometry provides superior penetration efficiency through material mixing, while the body handles the rotation and fastening functions, separating the conflicting requirements.
4Ease of repair
If the breakable area is designed as a smaller cross-section portion, then the tip can be detached after piercing, but the structural strength at that location is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The breakable connection is pre-designed in the form of a smaller cross-section portion during manufacturing. This preliminary structural feature ensures that the tip will detach at the predetermined location when subjected to appropriate force after piercing, while the overall strength is maintained through proper design of the breakable connection geometry and material properties.
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 solution provides a safer, more compact, and lighter assembly method by allowing the tip to be detached post-use, reducing unnecessary mass and enhancing assembly efficiency through improved material mixing and anchoring, thus addressing the drawbacks of conventional methods.
Implementation Method 1
the tip has a side wall of a shape distinct from that of a surface of revolution, and the tip and the body are connected by a breakable area configured to be broken in order to detach the tip from the body. Thus, the fastening component according to the invention provides a strong, efficient, lighter, safer, and more compact fastening. Its non-revolving tip allows for mixing and therefore heating of the material of the first and second parts, facilitating efficient penetration.
Data Source
Figure 1A~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5A~6B
AI summary
This fastening component (1), which is intended to assemble a first part (3) and a second part (5), comprises a body (30) extending longitudinally along an axis (A), a head (10) configured to allow the fastening component (1) to be rotated about the axis (A), and a tip (50) connected to the body (30). The body (30) has a side wall (34) comprising fastening means configured to fasten the body (30) to the first and second parts (3, 5). The tip (50) has a side wall having a shape different from that of a surface of revolution. The tip (50) and the body (30) are connected by a cleavable area (70) configured to be broken in order to detach the tip (50) from the body (30).