Cot Wheel Retaining Device for Elastomeric Ring Stability

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing chopped fiber manufacturing assemblies face challenges in maintaining the elastomeric ring's attachment to the hub at high rotational speeds, leading to potential separation due to centrifugal forces.

Innovation Solution

A retaining device is fixably attached to the hub and engages the elastomeric ring to resist separation, using a combination of retaining members and a tapered surface to maintain a positive clamping force, ensuring the ring remains securely attached during high-speed rotation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the cot wheel rotates at high speeds to improve productivity, then fiber cutting efficiency increases, but the elastomeric ring separates from the hub due to centrifugal forces

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefiber cutting efficiencyVSAvoidring attachment stability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The retaining members are pre-installed on the hub before the elastomeric ring is mounted, creating a prepared retention structure that prevents separation under high-speed centrifugal forces while allowing the wheel to operate at high productivity speeds

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If retaining members are added to prevent ring separation, then reliability improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvering attachment stabilityVSAvoidcot wheel structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The retaining members are placed only at specific locations on the hub where they are most effective at preventing ring separation, rather than uniformly distributing complexity throughout the entire structure, thus improving reliability with minimal increase in device complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If the elastomeric ring is tightly clamped to the hub, then reliability improves, but the clamping force decreases at high speeds due to centrifugal forces

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvering attachment stabilityVSAvoidclamping force

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The retaining members provide a counteracting force that opposes the centrifugal forces acting on the elastomeric ring at high speeds, maintaining the clamping force and preventing ring separation even when rotational speeds increase

Inventive Principle:

Principle #8Anti-weight (Counterweight)

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 solution effectively prevents the elastomeric ring from separating from the hub at high speeds, maintaining the necessary clamping force and ensuring consistent fiber cutting performance.

Implementation Method 1

a retaining device that resists the separation of a hub mounted elastomeric ring from the hub at high speeds

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCentrifugal force: Centrifugal Force

Data Source

PatentUS11053158B2Chopper assembly and method for manufacturing chopped fibers

Publication Date: 2021.07.06 OWENS CORNING INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL LLC

AI summary

An assembly for chopping glass fibers including a cutter wheel having a plurality of radially extending blades and a cot wheel adjacent the cutter wheel. The cot wheel including an inner hub, an elastomeric ring mounted onto the inner hub for rotation therewith; and a retaining device fixably attached to the hub and engaging the elastomeric ring to resist separation of the elastomeric ring from the hub during rotation of the cot wheel.