Composite Rod End Loop Structure for High Load at Low Weight
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional plastic rod ends have low strength and are unable to transmit high mechanical loads, limiting their application in weight-sensitive fields like aerospace, where lightweight yet strong components are crucial.
Innovation Solution
A rod end design featuring a bearing partially or fully enclosed by a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic, which extends in the form of a loop around the bearing and integrates into a threaded stem, utilizing continuous-fiber reinforced thermoplastic with a high fiber volume fraction to enhance mechanical load capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If conventional plastic rod ends are used, then weight is reduced, but mechanical load capacity is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite materials, specifically incorporating continuous or long fibers (such as carbon, glass, or aramid fibers) within a thermoplastic matrix. This composite structure combines the low weight advantage of plastics with the high strength and stiffness of reinforcement fibers, enabling the rod end to withstand high mechanical loads while maintaining lightweight characteristics. The fiber orientation and distribution are optimized to match the stress patterns in the rod end component.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes thermoplastic materials that can change their mechanical properties through temperature variations. During processing, the thermoplastic matrix is heated to become moldable, allowing for complex fiber arrangements and integrated structures. After cooling, the material solidifies with enhanced mechanical properties. This parameter change enables both manufacturing flexibility and final component strength.
2Strength
If fiber-reinforced plastic is used to increase strength, then manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple functions into a single molded component. The fiber-reinforced thermoplastic rod end combines the bearing housing, bearing retention features, threaded stem, and reinforcement structures into one monolithic part manufactured via injection molding or similar processes. This merging eliminates the need for separate assembly steps and reduces manufacturing complexity despite the advanced material system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical assembly methods (separate parts fastened together) with a molded composite structure where fibers are embedded within the thermoplastic matrix during forming. The reinforcement fibers provide structural strength without requiring additional fasteners, joints, or assembly operations, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention achieves a high mechanical load capacity of a rod end by means of a component loop that passes around a bearing, where the component may be made of continuous-fiber reinforced composite material with thermoplastic matrix and where the continuous-fiber reinforced composite material with thermoplastic matrix may extend into a threaded stem of the rod end, and the component made of continuous-fiber reinforced composite material with thermoplastic matrix may be enclosed by short-fiber reinforced, long-fiber reinforced, or unreinforced thermoplastic. The threaded stem can be implemented with an external or an internal thread.