Conveyor Chain Link Asymmetric Support Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conveyor chains experience significant wear and friction issues due to sliding links and guiders, leading to increased maintenance and energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor chain design featuring hinging pins with slanted ring structures that allow for guided movement over guiders, reducing friction and wear by eliminating sliding contact between links and support elements, and incorporating snap-fit mechanisms for simplified manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the links slide over guiders, then the conveyor chain can be supported and guided, but significant wear and friction occur
Solution Approach 1:
The link is segmented into distinct functional zones: a support structure zone that contacts guiders, and a hinging pin zone that remains elevated. This segmentation allows the support structure to bear the load and contact guiders for guidance, while the hinging pins are isolated from direct guider contact, eliminating the wear problem while maintaining support function.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure extends in a vertical dimension beyond the hinging pin engaging elements on the transport surface side. This vertical extension creates an additional support contact point with guiders, allowing the link to be supported at multiple levels - the support structure at the bottom and hinging pins elevated above - thereby separating the support function from the hinging function.
2Reliability
If the support structure extends on both sides of hinging pin engaging elements, then support is provided, but sliding contact causes wear
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure has different extension characteristics on different sides: it extends beyond the hinging pin engaging elements on the transport surface side to provide support, but does not extend beyond them on the bearing side, allowing hinging pins to remain elevated and avoid contact with guiders. This asymmetric local quality resolves the contradiction between support and wear resistance.
3Ease of operation
If hinging pins engage with guiders, then guidance is provided, but friction losses increase and more drive power is needed
Solution Approach 1:
The guidance function is extracted from the hinging pins and transferred to the support structure. The support structure is specifically designed to contact guiders and provide guidance, while hinging pins are taken out of the guidance interaction by elevating them above guider contact level. This extraction reduces friction losses associated with hinging pin guider contact.
4Shape
If ring structures have openings perpendicular to mold opening direction, then proper geometry is achieved, but undercut sections require complex mold inserts
Solution Approach 1:
The ring structures are designed with asymmetric orientation relative to the mold opening direction. By positioning the ring openings at specific angles rather than perpendicular to the mold opening, the design avoids creating undercut sections that would require complex slide mechanisms or pin inserts in the mold, thereby simplifying manufacturing while maintaining proper ring geometry.
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
The design reduces friction losses, minimizes the need for drive power, and decreases wear on both links and guiders, while simplifying the manufacturing process through reduced complexity and elimination of mold inserts.
Implementation Method 1
the hinging pins have a relative low friction contact surface with the guiders or guiding surfaces, mainly due to their relative small diameter. Thus, the total friction can be relative low, such that less friction losses may occur
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The invention relates to a transport conveyor chain link (1, 2), wherein the link comprises two sets of hinging pin engaging elements (3A-H; 4A-H), one set (3A-H) being configured for engaging a leading side hinging pin (7) and one set (4A-H) being configured for engaging a trailing side hinging pin (8), wherein the two sets of hinging pin engaging elements are connected to a support structure (16), and wherein the support structure extends on a first side, e.g. a transport surface (15) side relative to the hinging pin engaging elements (3A-H; 4A-H) and the support structure does not extend beyond the hinging pin engaging elements on a second side.