Clamping Collar Stop Structure to Prevent Over-Tightening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing clamps can experience momentary over-tightening during the hooking process, leading to plastic deformation of the hook or the clamped object, which can result in reduced tightening performance over time, especially when used with hard materials like rigid plastic or metal.
Innovation Solution
A clamp design featuring a belt with a retaining member and a hook, where a first stop member on the retaining member abuts a second stop member on the belt's sidewall to define a maximum advanced position of the hook, preventing excessive tightening and maintaining the integrity of the hook and the clamped object.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If the hook is allowed to advance freely during tightening, then the tightening force is maximized, but the hook or clamped object may undergo plastic deformation due to excessive tightening
Solution Approach 1:
The stop member is positioned in advance on the retaining member to define a maximum advanced position of the hook. This preliminary positioning prevents the hook from advancing too far during tightening, thereby preventing plastic deformation while still allowing sufficient tightening force to be applied.
2Reliability
If a stop member is added to prevent over-tightening, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stop member is integrated into the retaining member, which is part of the existing clamp structure. This merging approach adds the over-tightening prevention function without requiring a separate, independent stop mechanism, thereby minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The stop member on the retaining member works automatically with the hook during the tightening process. It self-regulates the maximum advanced position of the hook without requiring external control or additional actuation, thereby preventing over-tightening while maintaining simple operation.
3Reliability
If the stop contact is made with the internal face of the hook, then the hooking is secured, but the stop may slide without reliable retention under high clamping forces
Solution Approach 1:
The stop member is positioned at a specific location on the retaining member where it can effectively engage with the hook. This localized positioning ensures that the stop contact occurs at the optimal point to prevent sliding while maintaining reliable retention, addressing the specific operational challenge of high clamping forces.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 2A~2C
AI summary
A clamping collar (1) comprising a belt (10) carrying a retainer (12) and a hook (14) configured to hook onto the retainer to define a hooked clamping state of the collar. The hook has a front wall (14A) and a running portion (14B) that connects the front wall to the belt. The retainer (12) has a first stop element (22) adapted, when the hook is hooked onto the retainer, to abut against a second stop element (24) to define a maximum forward position of the hook relative to the retainer. The belt (10) has at least one stop wall element (11A) that has the second stop element (24). The second stop element is located, forward in the direction (F14) of the hook's movement toward the retainer, at most in the area where the belt (10) connects to the hook (14).