Chain Link Undercut Design for Stress Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing chain locks face challenges in achieving high breaking load while maintaining ease of manufacturing and avoiding complex processes or expensive materials.
Innovation Solution
A chain lock design featuring two lock halves with a locking pin and cam system, where the cam engages in a pocket with an undercut, distributing tensile forces across a surface area rather than a corner, enhancing stress distribution and breaking load without additional material or process complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the cam engages in the pocket base or groove base with a corner or tip, then the structure is simple, but the stress concentration reduces the breaking load
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of having the cam engage at a corner or tip of the pocket base, the invention inverts the engagement geometry by creating an undercut that extends laterally beyond the pocket base. This inversion transforms the stress concentration point into a distributed stress area, where the cam contacts the undercut surface rather than a sharp corner, thereby increasing breaking load without significant structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds a lateral dimension to the pocket structure by extending the undercut beyond the pocket base in the lateral direction. This dimensional extension creates a larger contact surface area between the cam and pocket, distributing stresses across multiple dimensions rather than concentrating them at a single point, thus improving breaking load capacity
2Ease of manufacture
If spring pins are used to connect lock halves, then the lock halves can be easily assembled, but the spring pins are subject to high shear stresses reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by creating an undercut geometry at the specific engagement location between cam and pocket. This localized structural modification concentrates the stress-distributing feature exactly where the cam engages, improving reliability at the critical stress point without requiring changes to the overall assembly method or spring pin design
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a chain connecting link (100) comprising two connecting link halves (1), each of which is designed as an elongate member (2) that has a terminal coupling portion (K). The two connecting link halves (1) are form-locked in the longitudinal direction so that a stub (3) of the coupling portion (K) engages with a pocket (11). According to the invention, an undercut (13) is formed in the pocket (11) in order to reduce the stress peak in said zone.