Safety Belt Buckle Assembly Stamping Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The conventional safety belt buckle for race cars has a complex and resource-intensive forging process that leads to potential cracks, oxidation, and reduced mechanical strength, resulting in poor quality and increased production costs.
Innovation Solution
A safety belt buckle assembly featuring a base with a mounting section, combination pieces with shaft receiving grooves and insertion holes, and a locking member with a hooked portion, assembled through stamping for a stable and reinforced structure, enhancing ease of installation and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the safety belt buckle is forged into shape, then the structure can be formed, but cracks may occur in the forging material and the surface may oxidize
Solution Approach 1:
The buckle is divided into multiple components (base, locking member, latch plate, adjusting levers) that are separately manufactured and then assembled. This segmentation allows each component to be produced through simpler, less damaging processes while maintaining overall structural integrity and enabling crack detection in individual parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The traditional forging process is replaced with a stamping process to form the buckle components. Stamping provides a more controlled deformation process that reduces the likelihood of cracks and oxidation while achieving the required structural form, thereby improving reliability without sacrificing manufacturability.
2Ease of manufacture
If drilling holes in the forged buckle, then assembly is enabled, but the thickness at the hole periphery decreases due to oxidation
Solution Approach 1:
The buckle is constructed from separate components with pre-formed mounting holes, allowing the drilling operation to be performed on thinner, less critical sections rather than on a thick forged piece. This segmentation enables hole drilling without compromising overall structural strength since the base plate maintains its full thickness in critical areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting holes are formed during the stamping process itself rather than as a subsequent drilling operation. This preliminary action creates the holes while the material is still in a controlled state, preventing oxidation-induced thickness reduction and ensuring consistent hole dimensions that maintain structural integrity.
3Strength
If the thickness is increased during forging to stabilize strength, then mechanical strength improves, but the production time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stamping process replaces the forging process, providing a faster, more efficient method of forming the buckle components. Stamping achieves the required thickness and structural strength in less time through controlled die pressing, thereby improving productivity without sacrificing mechanical strength.
Solution Approach 2:
By dividing the buckle into separate components that can be manufactured independently through stamping, the production time is reduced compared to monolithic forging. Each component can be produced quickly and assembled, maintaining overall strength while significantly improving production efficiency.
4Ease of manufacture
If traditional forging and drilling processes are used, then the buckle can be manufactured, but the fabrication cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The buckle is divided into multiple components (base, locking member, latch plate, adjusting levers) that are separately manufactured through simplified stamping processes and then assembled. This segmentation reduces the complexity of each individual manufacturing step compared to monolithic forging, lowering overall fabrication costs while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The stamping process replaces the complex forging and drilling sequence, providing a simpler, more cost-effective manufacturing method. Stamping achieves the required forms and hole patterns in a single operation or sequence, reducing production complexity and fabrication costs while maintaining or improving product quality.
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 assembly achieves a steady and secure structure that simplifies the installation process, enhances safety, and reduces production complexity and costs by using a more efficient assembly method compared to traditional forging.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic member (232) biased between the resting member (231) and the covering member (233)
Data Source
AI summary
A safety belt buckle assembly includes a base, two combination pieces, and a locking member. The base has a mounting section, a belt passage section, a receiving slot, a connecting portion, and an insertion opening. The combination pieces are located at two sides of the receiving slot. Each of the combination pieces has a shaft receiving groove and an insertion hole. A shaft is mounted in the shaft receiving groove of each of the combination pieces and extends through a shaft hole of the locking member. Each of the combination pieces is provided with a resting member, an elastic member, and a covering member mounted in the insertion hole respectively. The locking member is pivotally mounted on the base and has a locking portion locked by the resting member of each of the combination pieces.