Broadhead Collar Retaining Blades O-Ring Fit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing broadheads with O-ring configurations face reliability issues due to insufficient compression fits between the O-ring and blades, leading to potential blade movement during flight, and existing collars do not adequately address this problem for all types of broadheads.
Innovation Solution
A blade retaining collar with a lower, intermediate, and upper annular portion, featuring slots that allow the collar to flex and break upon impact, securely holding blades in place using a polymeric material like PMMA, and optionally incorporating an O-ring for additional retention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If an O-ring configuration is used to hold broadhead blades in flight position, then the broadhead can be manufactured with simpler tolerances, but the compression fit between the O-ring and blades becomes insufficient to tightly contain the blades
Solution Approach 1:
The collar acts as an intermediary component between the O-ring and the blades. It receives the O-ring on its internal wall and provides an external containment structure for the blades. This mediator component transfers the retention function from the O-ring alone to a combined O-ring-collar system, ensuring reliable blade containment even when O-ring compression fit is insufficient due to manufacturing tolerances.
Solution Approach 2:
The retention system is segmented into distinct functional components: the O-ring provides sealing and initial retention, while the collar provides structural containment and additional retention. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function, with the collar specifically designed to compensate for O-ring compression deficiencies through its own retention features.
2Reliability
If a collar is added to improve blade containment, then blade retention reliability improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The collar is designed as a multi-functional component that simultaneously performs several functions: it contains the O-ring, retains the blades, and provides structural support for the broadhead assembly. By consolidating these multiple functions into a single component, the design achieves reliable blade retention without proportionally increasing device complexity, as the collar serves multiple purposes rather than requiring separate components for each function.
3Reliability
If the collar is made rigid to securely hold blades, then blade retention improves, but the collar cannot flex outward during impact to allow blade expansion
Solution Approach 1:
The collar transitions from a rigid state during flight to a flexible state during impact. The material and structural design of the collar allow it to maintain rigidity under normal flight conditions for secure blade retention, but permit controlled flexing and deformation when impact forces are applied. This dynamic behavior enables the collar to adapt its properties based on the operational phase, providing both secure retention and impact responsiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The collar's mechanical properties, particularly its rigidity and flexibility, change based on the operational conditions. Under normal flight conditions, the collar maintains high rigidity to secure the blades. Upon impact, the material properties or structural parameters change to allow flexing and deformation, enabling the collar to adapt to the expanding blade configuration during target engagement.
Data Source
AI summary
Collars are provided to facilitate retaining the blades of a broadhead in their in-flight position during flight. Collars can be used in situations where the preexisting use of an O-ring is used to help facilitate maintaining the blades of a broadhead in their in-flight position during flight. Collars can also be used in situations where the preexisting use of an O-ring is not used to help facilitate maintaining the blades of a broadhead in their in-flight position during flight.