Coupling Assembly for Replaceable Worn Hollow Body Sections
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Solution Overview
Problem
In assembly systems, elongated hollow bodies like hoses and pipes undergo constant wear, requiring frequent replacement, which is laborious and costly, as entire sections often need to be exchanged due to wear in small areas, leading to inefficient maintenance and high expenses.
Innovation Solution
A coupling device that allows two shorter elongated hollow bodies to be connected, enabling only the worn section to be replaced while keeping the less affected sections in use, with adapter pieces for different dimensions and a clamping system for secure alignment, reducing maintenance costs and increasing serviceability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the entire hollow body is replaced when wear occurs in a small area, then the reliability of the hollow body is maintained, but the loss of time and cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The hollow body is divided into multiple separable sections connected by coupling devices. When wear occurs in one section, only that specific section needs to be replaced rather than the entire hollow body, reducing maintenance time and cost while maintaining the reliability of the remaining sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The worn section is extracted and removed from the system, allowing the functional sections to remain in use. This enables selective replacement of only the damaged portion, minimizing downtime and resource waste.
2Reliability
If the entire hollow body is replaced when wear occurs in a small area, then the reliability of the hollow body is maintained, but the cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The hollow body is divided into multiple separable sections connected by coupling devices. When wear occurs in one section, only that specific section needs to be replaced rather than the entire hollow body, reducing material cost while maintaining the reliability of the remaining sections.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding the entire hollow body when one section wears out, the functional sections are recovered and kept in use, while only the worn section is replaced. This reduces material waste and cost.
3Ease of repair
If the hollow body is divided into multiple sections with coupling devices, then the ease of repair improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling devices are designed as universal components that can connect different sections of the hollow body in various configurations. This multi-functional design simplifies the overall system by using standardized connectors rather than complex custom joints, making repair easier while controlling complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Coupling device (12) for connecting elongated hollow bodies (26, 28) in an assembly system (10), comprising: a first receiving opening (32) for receiving a first elongated hollow body (26) and a second receiving opening (34) for receiving a second elongated hollow body (28), wherein the receiving openings (32, 34) are arranged relative to one another in such a way that the first and second elongated hollow bodies (26, 28) can be coupled to one another after introduction into the respective receiving openings (32, 34).