Expandable Rivet Button Geometry for Thin-Gauge Can Ends
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge in the can manufacturing industry is to reduce the amount of metal used in can ends while maintaining strength, particularly with the existing limitations of base thickness for sheet materials, which often results in rivet failure and uneven deformation during the forming process.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of an expandable bubble technology in the can end formation process allows for the use of thinner sheet materials by forming an expandable rivet button and rivet, enhancing the overlap and strength of the rivet, enabling the production of can ends from materials with a base thickness less than 0.0082 inches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If thinner sheet material is used to reduce material usage, then material consumption decreases, but rivet strength and structural integrity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by forming an expandable bubble structure in the sheet material before the actual rivet forming process. This pre-formed bubble serves as a foundation that enables subsequent rivet expansion to achieve enhanced strength. The bubble is formed at a specific location where the rivet will be created, and its presence allows the thin material to be progressively deformed into a strong rivet structure without failing during the process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamics by creating a rivet that changes its structure during formation. The rivet starts as a bubble and is then expanded through controlled deformation to create a rivet button with enhanced overlap. This dynamic transformation allows the rivet to evolve from a simple protrusion in thin material to a complex, interlocked structure that provides superior strength and prevents rivet failure.
2Loss of substance
If thinner sheet material is used to reduce material consumption, then material usage decreases, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to uneven deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable bubble is formed as a preliminary structure that serves as a controlled starting point for rivet formation. This pre-formed bubble ensures that subsequent deformation occurs in a predictable and uniform manner, preventing the uneven deformation that typically plagues thin material processing. The bubble's geometry is specifically designed to guide the material flow during rivet expansion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by carefully controlling the deformation parameters during rivet formation. The expansion process uses specific force, velocity, and geometry parameters that are optimized for thin material. By adjusting these parameters, the process achieves uniform deformation throughout the rivet formation, preventing defects such as tearing, thinning, or irregular shaping that would compromise manufacturing precision.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional rivet forming is used with thin material, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but rivet failure occurs due to insufficient overlap
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable bubble serves as a preliminary structure that is formed before the rivet setting operation. This pre-formed bubble provides a controlled geometry that ensures adequate material overlap when the rivet is expanded. The bubble's size and shape are specifically designed to create sufficient overlap area, which directly improves rivet reliability and prevents failure while maintaining compatibility with existing manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic expansion of the rivet from bubble to rivet button creates enhanced overlap between the rivet and the sheet material. This dynamic process allows the rivet to progressively displace and interlock with the material, creating a mechanically interlocked joint that is significantly more reliable than traditional rivets formed directly in thin material. The expansion sequence ensures uniform distribution of material around the rivet, preventing localized stress concentrations that lead to failure.
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
This solution effectively reduces material usage while ensuring the structural integrity of can ends, preventing rivet failure and improving the evenness of the rivet formation, thus enabling the use of thinner sheet materials without compromising the can end's strength.
Implementation Method 1
forming the expandable bubble into an expandable rivet button
Data Source
AI summary
A can end including a central panel with an expandable bubble disposed thereon is provided. The use of an expandable bubble allows for an expandable rivet button and thereafter an expandable rivet that has an enhanced overlap of a tab body. Such an expandable rivet allows for the use of a metal sheet with a thinner base thickness.