Cap to accommodate washers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for installing spark and plasma out-gassing suppression caps on fastener heads with and without washers are impractical, as they require different types and sizes of caps, complicating the assembly process and potentially leading to cap detachment during sealing material application.
Innovation Solution
A joint design featuring a cap with locking features that can be interlocked with the fastener head, allowing the cap to be securely attached regardless of the presence of washers, with the cap's axial position adjustable to accommodate washer thickness, ensuring secure attachment during and after assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If different types and sizes of caps are used for fastener heads with and without washers, then the cap can be securely attached to each type, but the assembly process becomes complicated and requires multiple cap variants
Solution Approach 1:
The cap is designed with multiple axially spaced locking features that can interlock with the fastener head at different positions. This allows a single universal cap design to accommodate both fastener heads with washers and fastener heads without washers, eliminating the need for multiple cap variants while maintaining secure attachment in all cases.
2Ease of manufacture
If a single cap type is used for both fastener ends with and without washers, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the cap may detach during sealing material application
Solution Approach 1:
The cap incorporates multiple axially spaced locking features that provide dynamic adaptation to different fastener configurations. The locking features can engage at different axial positions depending on whether washers are present, allowing the same cap design to maintain secure attachment across varying conditions without requiring separate cap types for different manufacturing scenarios.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the cap is secured tightly to the fastener head, then spark and plasma suppression is effective, but the cap may lift during sealing material application
Solution Approach 1:
The cap is divided into multiple axial segments through the inclusion of multiple axially spaced locking features. This segmentation allows the cap to maintain secure attachment at multiple discrete points along its axial length, preventing lifting during sealing material application while preserving the tight seal necessary for effective spark and plasma suppression.
Data Source
AI summary
A joint is disclosed having a structure, a fastener passing through the structure with an end of the fastener protruding from the structure, and a cap installed on the end of the fastener. The end of the fastener includes an axially extending shaft, a fastener head carried by the shaft, and one or more washers located between the fastener head and the structure, the one or more washers spacing the fastener head and the structure apart by a distance. The cap has a cap body with a cavity which encloses the end of the fastener, and the joint further comprises a cured sealing material which seals the cavity. One of the fastener head and the cap body is formed with two or more first locking features which are axially spaced apart by a pitch.