Clevis Tooling for Clocking Dual Eccentric Bushings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional techniques for clocking dual eccentric bushings in lug-clevis couplings are labor-intensive and time-consuming, making it difficult to align the centerlines of openings in a lug with those in the clevis legs during assembly.
Innovation Solution
A tooling system comprising a pin, a sleeve, and a squaring plate that facilitates the efficient clocking of dual eccentric bushings by allowing the pin to be received within the sleeve and the squaring plate, enabling precise alignment and angular orientation of the bushings relative to the clevis, thereby allowing the clevis and lug to be pinned together.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional techniques are used for clocking dual eccentric bushings, then the bushings can be positioned, but the process is labor-intensive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The tooling establishes preliminary reference features (reference surface, reference axis) before the actual clocking operation. The squaring plate is positioned against reference surfaces of the clevis and lug beforehand, creating a predetermined angular relationship that guides subsequent bushing placement without requiring complex measurements during assembly
Solution Approach 2:
The tooling acts as an intermediary device between the clevis and lug, providing a mechanical framework that enforces the correct angular orientation. The squaring plate and positioning features serve as mediators that translate the alignment requirement into physical constraints, eliminating the need for labor-intensive trial-and-error positioning
2Manufacturing precision
If manual alignment methods are used, then flexibility is maintained, but precise alignment of centerlines is difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The tooling transforms the alignment problem from a two-dimensional planar alignment to a three-dimensional spatial relationship defined by reference surfaces and axes. By establishing vertical and horizontal reference planes through the squaring plate, the tooling converts abstract centerline alignment into concrete geometric constraints that can be precisely enforced through physical contact
3Adaptability or versatility
If dual eccentric bushings are used to compensate for misalignment, then adaptability is improved, but the clocking process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The tooling is divided into distinct functional segments: the squaring plate for establishing angular relationships, the positioning features for locating the tooling on the clevis and lug, and the reference surfaces for defining the alignment geometry. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, simplifying the overall operation despite the complexity of the task
Data Source
AI summary
Tooling for clocking dual eccentric bushings of a clevis so that the clevis and a lug can be pinned together, comprises a pin and a sleeve. The pin comprises a pin cylindrical portion, a plate-engagement portion, and a stop surface. The sleeve comprises a sleeve cylindrical outer surface and a sleeve interior channel that has an interior-channel central axis, which is parallel to and offset from a sleeve-cylindrical-outer-surface central axis. The pin cylindrical portion is configured to be received by the sleeve interior channel with a slip fit. The tooling further comprises a squaring plate that comprises a squaring-plate abutment surface, configured to contact the stop surface, and a squaring-plate opening configured to receive the plate-engagement portion of the pin with a slip fit.