Clamp and Spike for Flexible Conduit Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inserting a hollow spike into a flexible water conduit is challenging due to difficulty in applying pressure, risk of injury from a sharpened tip slipping off, potential buckling of the conduit, and leakage issues with existing systems.
Innovation Solution
A clamp and spike combination with a sharpened tip and barbed outlet, where the clamp provides a secure opening for the spike to penetrate the conduit safely and securely, and a pressure plate for manual force application, along with detents to prevent removal and ensure a stable seal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a sharpened tip spike is used to penetrate the conduit, then penetration capability is improved, but the risk of injury from slipping off the rounded conduit surface increases
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp serves as an intermediary device between the user and the spike. It provides a stable opening in the conduit surface through which the spike must pass, preventing the spike from slipping off the rounded conduit surface and injuring the user, while still allowing the sharpened tip to effectively penetrate the conduit material.
Solution Approach 2:
The clamp is positioned and secured to the conduit before the spike is inserted. This preliminary action creates a pre-prepared opening that guides the spike's penetration path, eliminating the danger of the sharpened tip slipping off during the penetration process.
2Strength
If pressure is applied to a sharpened tip of a typical spike, then penetration into the conduit is achieved, but it is difficult to gain a suitable grip on the body of the spike without injuring oneself
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp acts as a mediator that the user grips instead of the spike itself. The user applies pressure to the clamp, which is safer to handle, and the clamp transmits this force to penetrate the conduit through its opening, eliminating the need to directly grip the barbed spike body.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is divided into two separate components: the clamp for safe handling and force application, and the spike for penetration. This segmentation allows the user to interact with the safer clamp component while the spike performs its penetrating function through the clamp's opening.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the sharpened tip is not sufficiently sharp, then injury risk is reduced, but pressure applied to the spike tends to buckle the surface of the water conduit rather than pierce into it
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp serves as an intermediary that concentrates and directs the applied pressure through its opening onto a small area of the conduit surface. This concentration of force allows effective penetration even with a less aggressive spike tip, reducing injury risk while maintaining penetration capability.
4Stability of the object's composition
If a stiffer pipe is used to reduce buckling tendency, then buckling resistance is improved, but the pipe is more difficult to pierce and the spike tends to slide off the rounded conduit surface
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp acts as a mediator that solves both problems simultaneously. It provides a stable opening that prevents the spike from sliding off the rounded stiffer pipe surface, and it concentrates applied pressure to enable penetration of the stiffer material without causing buckling.
5Device complexity
If the spike is inserted directly into the conduit without a clamp, then device complexity is reduced, but the seal between spike and conduit is easily damaged by bumps or knocks
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the functions: the clamp provides stable positioning and seal protection, while the spike provides fluid passage. This segmentation protects the seal between spike and conduit from damage by external forces, as the clamp absorbs and distributes such forces rather than allowing them to directly impact the spike-conduit interface.
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
Facilitates safe and secure insertion of the spike into the conduit, preventing injury and leakage, while maintaining a stable seal and ensuring efficient water flow.
Implementation Method 1
applying pressure to a sharpened tip of a typical spike
Implementation Method 2
the sharpened tip of the spike has a tendency to slip off the rounded conduit surface when pressure is applied
Implementation Method 3
the outlet rod having a barbed tip for attachment to a tube
Implementation Method 4
The second distance is sized to snugly receive a conduit of standard diameter
Implementation Method 5
once the spike has safely penetrated the conduit, the clamp provides a support against bending and removal of the spike from the conduit
Data Source
AI summary
A clamp and spike combination for use in conjunction with a flexible conduit, comprising a spike including an inlet rod with a sharpened tip for penetration into the conduit, an outlet rod connected to the inlet rod, the outlet rod having a barbed tip for attachment to a tube. The bore extends through the rods from the sharpened tip to the barbed tip, whereby the spike provides a channel for the passage of fluid. Further included, a clamp including two legs extending substantially parallel with each other and spaced apart from each other by a distance, an apex portion connecting the two legs to each other so that the clamp is shaped substantially in the form of an inverted “U”; and an opening in the apex portion, the opening being sized to receive the inlet rod of the spike.